A Legacy In Copper

From humble beginnings to four generations of family partnership

When people stepped off the boat in America, they dreamed of new opportunities.
Those dreams, along with hard work and dedication, allowed some to start their own business.

Les Farmer Sr.was one of those dreamers.In 1919, after World War I, he left England for America. Acoppers mith by trade, he and his brother, Sidney Farmer Sr., began working and repairing ships in a Boston shipyard.

Once enough money was saved, they traveled to the Gulf Coast. From Mobile, Ala., to New Orleans, the Farmers moved along the coast in search of opportunities, finally settling in Galveston, Texas.

In 1920, Les and Sidney Farmer Sr.Founded Farmer’s Marine Copper Works, originally a marine repair shop that grew into a metal service center known today as Farmer’s Copper Ltd., one of the oldest family-owned and operated metal service centers in the United States.

“The metals distribution part evolved in The ’50s and ’60s and really took off in the ’70s, and that’s where we’ve grown enough to really be an independent entity,” says Bruce Farmer Jr., vice president at Farmer’s Copper. “Our father, Bruce Farmer Sr., founded the supply company, and his four sons followed in his footsteps,” says Bob Farmer, co-president of Farmer’s Copper.

American dream