In 1950 Robert Worst or “RC” as he was well known, purchased a portion of Brown Construction Company, which was owned and operated by RC’s father-in-law, Fred Brown. In 1953, Bob bought out the remaining portion of Fred’s interest in the company and changed the name to R.C. Worst & Company.
In the early 50’s and continuing through the 60’s, hundreds of homes were built in the greater Coeur d'Alene area including the “Worst Addition” and “Brown Addition” developments. Many of these new homes on Hayden and Coeur d’Alene lake were either built or remodeled by R.C. Worst & Company.
In 1955, the company purchased eleven acres on Best Avenue and relocated there in an old Farragut naval Base building (our current office location) fronted by an old Texaco service station. A portion of the old Texaco building served as an office until the metal building on the SE corner of the present Best property was built in 1971.
From 1959-1964 R.C. Worst & Company worked extensively with the U.S. Forest Service on a variety of building projects. Some of the projects included ranger stations, barracks, office warehouses, and cookhouses. Project locations included Condon, Silvenite, Trout Creek, Plains, Raven, Mt. Clarkia, Calder, Shoshone, and Kelly Forks. Other projects of note include: the First Federal Savings & Loan building, City of Potlatch water distribution system, Kootenai water system, City of Coeur d' Alene curbing LID's, new classroom buildings and bus garage for School District 271, and a hand dug well for the City of Spokane that was 275 feet deep and 9 feet in diameter.
April of 1964, R.C. Worst & Company became incorporated in the State of Idaho. It was in this decade of business expansion that the company got into the pump business. Throughout the 60's, R.C. Worst & Company was called upon to supply a boom truck and operator to help pull and set pumps for local plumbing and motor repair shops. This work continued until the late 60's when an increasing number of customers called R.C. Worst & Company directly to perform this type of pump work. In order to supply the needed pumps created by this demand the company took on its first pump line, Jacuzzi.
In the latter part of the 60's Robert's son Jim Worst began assuming many of the managerial roles previously held by his father. It was not long before Jim was influencing major business decisions forever leaving his mark on this family owned enterprise. Along with his wife Lois, Jim continued to grow and expand the reach of service being provided to the families and businesses of North Idaho. And as Robert had done with him, Jim made sure to include and introduce to his sons Ken and Allen the intricacies and nuances of a consistently developing and ever expanding business. Today, Jim and Lois have retired and taken on more relaxing endeavors leaving the operations of the company in the capable hands of Ken and Allen. The office staff and technicians are delighted though to receive the occasional visit from these second generation leaders who contributed so much to what R.C. Worst & Company Inc. is today.
In 1971 as business grew rapidly in this new niche market Robert and Jim Worst collectively decided to pull completely out of the general contracting business and concentrate only on the business of selling and servicing pumps and accessories to this ever expanding marketplace. The 70’s were robust years and the pump business grew rapidly. Many homeowners and developments required the company’s services. The following include a few of the many projects completed during the 1970’s: 4 Echoes Scout Camp, Caravelle Estates, Bar Circle S, Alpine Meadows and Camp Sweyolaken.
In the 1980's, the Polson Company, a large northwest pump and pipe distributor, was faltering, and R.C. Worst & Company decided it would be a good time for a move into pump distribution. Three Polson Company employees, Ron Banka, Paul Karnitz, and Paul Duddy were persuaded to come aboard and were instrumental in starting Power Pump & Electric Supply in Spokane, Washington. The initial years were difficult for the new venture due to a national recession at the time. Despite the economic hardship, Power Pump and Electric Supply was able to continually grow and acquired a broad base of customers. In 1987 Ken Worst, eldest son of Jim Worst joined the company after serving in the United States Marine Corps. Ken was already highly experienced when he started with the company full time as he had been going on jobs alone as early as 14 years old and had long been working for the company throughout his upbringing.
The 1990’s were some of the most important years in making R.C. Worst & Company what it is today. Allen Worst, son of Jim Worst came on board full time in 1992 after finishing up his degree at the University of Idaho. Soon after in 1993 Ray Koberstine joined the company as an Engineer in training and through hard work earned his PE a few short years later. In 1995 Scott Jessick joined the team as a service hand and quickly worked his way into our lead estimator. Today, these three individuals comprise some of the most highly trained and technically proficient team leaders within the organization.
In the early 2000’s the company doubled down and we built our flagship warehouse in Coeur d’Alene. The added space and facilities with this expansion allowed the company to gain the needed foothold to compete directly with larger distributors as well as expand our operations in pump service and repair. After the warehouse expansion and remodel Jim Worst moved into retirement and Ken and Allen took the reigns. In 2002 Ray Koberstine took over management duties for the Spokane branch and has carried on the same "customer first" approach to guiding this well recognized leader of the industry. It was in April of 2008 Power Pump and Electric Supply took on the name of the parent company, R.C. Worst & Company Inc.
Jumping ahead a few years, in 2012 Chris Worst, son of Ken Worst and the fourth generation of Worsts within the business joined the ranks. Chris’ background is sales, marketing and technology made him the right choice for moving things into the internet age bringing forth product sales directly to the company website. In 2016 Chris started out making videos for the company YouTube channel which has grown substantially in followers and brought some great recognition to the company.
The Future is Bright
Several years ago the company acquired the slogan “EXPECT THE BEST FROM R.C. WORST” and they strive to promote and maintain this image by providing the finest service and products possible. R.C. Worst & Co. present a full line of water/wastewater pumping and treatment equipment and supplies for both wholesale and retail markets. Their inventory is the largest and is the most complete in the Inland Northwest. Their highly trained staff can help you find the right equipment and supplies for any application. Today, under the guidance of third generation owners Ken and Allen Worst and supported by an experienced group of loyal employees this North Idaho company is creating future historical references by serving the needs of its customers and always placing customer service and quality of products first.