Eventually, Mial married Margaret Lawler, the bookkeeper he had hired from the start of his business. Together, they had six children: Edward, Olive, Bud, Warren, George, and Margaret. All three sons worked in the business for their father at different times, but Edward and Bud both went on to pursue other careers, Edward at United Shoe and Bud at General Electric.
During the pre-World War II years, Townsend Oil provided fuel for 600 customers and had just 2 trucks on the road to service them. In 1945, after returning from World War II, Warren joined his father in the family business. His primary role was delivering fuel and servicing customers. This was a dynamic period for Townsend Energy and one of great transition. Homes and businesses were rapidly converting from kerosene and coal to heating oil for central heating and domestic hot water generation. And, after listening to its customers inquire time and again about maintenance and repair of their heating systems, Townsend Energy decided to add HVAC service and installations to its offerings, which quickly became one of its core competencies.
Townsend Energy was founded in 1931 by Mial E. Townsend. During the early years, Mial operated his business out of his home in Beverly Farms, MA and he provided kerosene and a small amount of heating oil to residents in Beverly, Beverly Farms, and Manchester by the Sea.
Eventually, Mial married Margaret Lawler, the bookkeeper he had hired from the start of his business. Together, they had six children: Edward, Olive, Bud, Warren, George, and Margaret. All three sons worked in the business for their father at different times, but Edward and Bud both went on to pursue other careers, Edward at United Shoe and Bud at General Electric.
During the pre-World War II years, Townsend Oil provided fuel for 600 customers and had just 2 trucks on the road to service them. In 1945, after returning from World War II, Warren joined his father in the family business. His primary role was delivering fuel and servicing customers. This was a dynamic period for Townsend Energy and one of great transition. Homes and businesses were rapidly converting from kerosene and coal to heating oil for central heating and domestic hot water generation. And, after listening to its customers inquire time and again about maintenance and repair of their heating systems, Townsend Energy decided to add HVAC service and installations to its offerings, which quickly became one of its core competencies.
In 1946, Warren married Dorothy McElroy and she worked by her husband's side from the start. It was through the efforts of both Warren and Dorothy that Townsend Energy developed a reputation for unbeatable customer service. Dorothy became that familiar and friendly voice on the phone customers came to know and trust as she welcomed and assisted them with all of their requests, always going above and beyond to get the job done. Together, they built the solid foundation of a customer-centric business philosophy that still exists today.
Warren and Dorothy had four children including sons Jim and Mark, and daughters Ellen and Mary Lou. In 1975, Mark joined Townsend Energy only to be followed by his brother Jim just two years later in 1977. Mark was responsible for company operations including deliveries, service, and installations, while Jim focused primarily on new customer acquisition and customer retention. Together, with their father and mother, they doubled the business during the years between 1979 to 1983, always focused on delivering unparalleled customer service Townsend Energy was now known for.
Beginning in the 1980's, company leadership recognized that organic growth in home heating oil would not be sustainable in the coming decades, and it was at this time they made a commitment to grow Townsend Energy through both product diversification and acquisition. It was in 1983 that Townsend Energy acquired its first company, Woodbury Fuel. Since then, Townsend Energy has grown to what it is today by obtaining over 25 additional energy companies.
From the late 1990's through today, Townsend Energy has diversified its product offerings to include propane, electricity, generators, diesel fuel, commercial natural gas, and energy audits thus catapulting it into a true full-service energy provider.
Throughout the years, Townsend Energy has continued to give back to the communities it serves and now, one of the area's most philanthropic families has become one of its most storied energy providers. Recognizing the need for environmental conservation in the 21st Century and beyond, Townsend Energy has made a commitment to serving as a role model for environmental change, and to make energy conservation and education about global warming, the cornerstone of Townsend Energy's corporate mission. Inspiring homeowners to embrace energy conservation measures to reduce their carbon footprint, Townsend Energy has begun a new chapter, giving the family business a new beginning and a new focus: to inspire a cross-generational change in energy consumption behaviors at the grassroots level.
Today, Townsend Energy is recognized and respected as one of the larger and more progressive family owned and operated Energy Marketers in New England, and is proud to service residential and commercial customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Jim Townsend is excited to have his two sons, Court and Brookes Townsend, as 4th generation family members on the Townsend team.
With the best trained, skilled, and motivated employees, management is prepared and excited to face the challenges and fast pace business environment of the new millennium, always with an eye on continuing to deliver outstanding customer service that has been the back bone of Townsend Energy for over 90 years.
Townsend Energy Has Been Keeping Homes & Businesses Comfortable Since 1931.
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