Jeff Bowman P.E., a 41-year veteran engineer of the valves industry, established Lined Valve Company (LVC) in 1995, originally operating out of Beaverton, Oregon. Since then, LVC has outgrown two buildings until reaching its current location in Woodland, Washington, and opened a second manufacturing facility in Ocala, Florida, to serve customers on the East Coast. In 1999, Bowman puchased A-C Valve, finally merging the two companies, with A-C Valve doing business as a DBA of LVC.

Throughout these past 20 years, Bowman has witnessed many changes. When LVC started manufacturing in the first year, there were two employees and two products. Today, there are 36 employees and nine product lines. It took five years to make the first million dollars in revenue; today, it takes a month.

During the past decade, LVC has become increasingly conscious of improving environmental awareness and is becoming "greener and cleaner" beginning with the recycling of metal, paper and plastics and establishing reuse of pallets, packaging and wood. With each manufacturing equipment investment, LVC ensured any environmental and health and safety issues were managed. Bowman has also observed discernible advancement in the many industrial markets that LVC supplies.

"We are noticing progress, such as the increased use of scrubber systems for air pollution control," says Bowman. "The pulp and paper industry is reducing emissions, increasing recycling and lowering landfill deposits. Advancements and efficiencies are being made in wastewater cleaners, coal fired plants, food processing factories and the wine industries. These improvements are vital for a healthier environment."

With clean water being such a precious commodity, LVC has chosen to donate to organizations such as the Water for People, a nonprofit that reaches out to impoverished countries, working with locals to build and maintain their own reliable safe water systems. Lined Valve is not a stranger to supporting the community at home, too, choosing to donate to Lower Columbia CAP, and the Woodland revitalization programs such as the memorial paver, commemorative bricks, and is planning to sponsor the 2015 Woodland Hot Summer Nights Concert Series. 

To celebrate these past 20 years, this spring LVC is planning to collect 20 boxes of food and clothing to donate to Woodland Action, a local social service nonprofit that helps individuals and families by providing food, clothing, household items and personal care supplies.

Lined Valve's products ship to all continents, and their success caught the eye of Henry Pratt Company, a subsidiary of Mueller Water Products Inc., who last year acquired Lined Valve for their expertise in the niche knife gate market. Together, a package solution can now be presented to customers, offering broad and encompassing valve products with the Henry Pratt line of butterfly, ball, check, plug, cone valves, plus the LVC knife gate valves. In 2010, Mueller Water Products invested in a sustainability program with four key performance indicators: energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water use and solid waste reduction. In 2014, energy and greenhouse gases met or exceeded the target, and there is optimism in water use and solid waste meeting the three-year target. Mueller will work with LVC where necessary to meet their standards of environmental health and safety.

The future is bright for Lined Valve Company. With a mission to build the highest quality knife gate valves in America and design custom fabrications to solve knife gate needs, LVC keeps busy. Fortunately, Bowman had the vision to purchase the 20,000-square-foot indoor facility with an additional acre for expansion, designing and manufacturing these specialty gate valves in all sizes, from 2 inches to 96 inches. Plus, LVC continues to share its success with the community.

About Lined Valve Company

Lined Valve Company has stepped up to be a leading, independent designer and manufacturer of knife gate valves. Whether you are looking for large custom valves or smaller commodities, our unique blend of experience, dedicated quality engineering and effective support, takes purchasing knife gate valves to a higher level. www.linedvci.com