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• Anders (Andy) Thorsen. Born
in 1884 - Egersund, Norway.
• Father, (Ammund) immigrated
to America in 1893.
• Mother, (Helen), Andy and Thor
Thorsen immigrated to America
in 1895.
1895 – (Pictured) Andy and
little brother Thor Thorsen.
• Reconnected with Andy’s father
at Ellis Island and the family
moved to Joliet, Illinois.
• 1897 - Age 13 Andy became a
plumber’s helper in Joliet, Illinois.
• 1900 - Age 16 he left Illinois to go
west to San Francisco. Worked
various jobs including working on
a ranch for his step uncle.
Andy Thorsen 1900
• 1904 – Andy responded to a
newspaper ad for a plumber in the
Barbary Coast area of San
Francisco. He joined the union
and worked as assigned, in the
brothels, saloons and gambling
halls as a plumber. Andy was
requested because he was an
honest, Christian young man who
could be trusted.
• 1906 – Andy survived the San Francisco earthquake. He
helped the injured and put out fires.
• 1908 - Met Bertha Andersson (Swedish immigrant) on a
cable car.
• Romance ensued and they married in 1909.
• In 1910, Andy and Bertha wanted to begin a family.
• Andy traveled by boat from San Francisco to Stockton.
• He walked from Stockton to Turlock and found a job as a
plumber at Turlock Hardware.
• Bertha moved to Turlock later in the year.
• There was friction between the four owners of Turlock
Hardware so Andy quit.
• Andy thought about moving back to San Francisco, but
Bertha said no. They would raise their family in Turlock.
•November 11, 1911 – (11-11-11) - Andy
decided to go into business for himself.
•November 17, 1911- He obtained a city
license in the name of “Thorsen’s plumbing”
and began working out of his house at 567
High Street.
• Andy would ride his
bicycle to jobs, carrying
200 pound bundles of
20 foot pipe on his
shoulder.
• On larger jobs, Andy
would take a suitcase
with him and use a
horse-and-buggy.
Some of these jobs
took many days to
complete.
•A picture of Andy in 1913,
standing in front of a 5,000
gallon water storage tank he
built with a gang punch he
purchased locally.
•Eventually Andy expanded
his business to include
plumbing, heating, sheet
metal, storage tanks,
pumps, motors, windmills,
hardware and paint.
•1916- Andy built his own shop at 214 Lander Avenue.
“Andy Thorsen The Plumber”.
•Andy was the first business person in Turlock to use a
horseless carriage for his business. A Model T Ford
with special tires for the rough and muddy roads.
1921 -Pictured Andy Thorsen and son Rodney.
•1918 – 1927 - Business continued to grow and so did the size of the family.
The five children included Rodney, Esther, Ruth, Naomi, Andy Jr.
•1920’s -Indoor plumbing became popular for new home construction.
•1929 – Bertha was diagnosed with cancer and had a radical mastectomy.
•1930 -Picture of Rodney and Andy
Jr. in a sheet metal boat made
by Thorsen employees. The
canal was next to the family
home on High Street.
•1933 – Andy moved
to 134 Lander and
purchased a number of
properties mostly near
Lander Avenue.
•Sold farm equipment
to augment income
during the depression.
•1941 - Rodney Thorsen (age 23) became a
partner and the name changed to
“Thorsen’s Plumbing”.
•1942 -WWII – Rodney served overseas in
the U.S. Army.
•Andy Senior became ill and Andy Junior
(age 15) ran the business.
•1944 – Bertha Thorsen passed away.
•1948 – Andy Thorsen Jr. became a partner.
•1961 - A celebration of 50 years in business.
– (Pictured L/R) Rodney, Andy Sr. and Andy Jr.
– Thorsen’s was confirmed as the oldest continuously owned and
operated business in Turlock.
•1962 - Andy Thorsen Sr. passed away.
•1963 - The five Thorsen children inherited properties Andy Sr.
purchased previously as pictured above.
•1965 – Rodney bought out Andy Jr. and became sole owner
of “Thorsen’s Plumbing & Air Conditioning Inc.”
The name change reflected the growing
importance of air conditioning.
•1967 - New construction demand was growing, so Rodney
Thorsen began planning to meet this
•1977 – Rodney Thorsen
completed the purchase of
20 acres of land and built
a 19,500 sq. ft. building on
North Walnut, employing
80-100 people .
• 1977 - Rodney
expanded to include
commercial, residential
and service for plumbing
and HVAC throughout
Merced and Stanislaus
counties.
•1985 – Norman Thorsen took over as General Manager.
•1986 – Pictured are Rodney Thorsen, Doris Hayes and
Norman Thorsen at the 75thanniversary celebration.
•1988 – Norman was in a serious auto accident that left him
a quadriplegic and on a respirator. Rodney again
took over running the company at 70 years of age.
•The 1990’s were very
tough times for the
Thorsen family and for
the company. Rodney
had health issues and
Norman was adapting
to his physical
limitations. Norman
needed 24-hour
nursing care and had to
continuously fight his
own health issues.
•Thorsen’s Inc.
survived because of
dedicated long term
employees in the office
and in the field.
•2001 – Carl Thorsen joined the company as
HVAC outside sales.
•2002 – Craig Pitau was asked to join the
company as the General Manager
and became a partner.
•2004 - Norman Thorsen passed away.
•2005 - Rodney Thorsen (pictured) passed away.
• The Current ownership is:
–Carl Thorsen
–Dr. Donald Thorsen (Vice President)
–Judy (Thorsen) Enchelmayer
–Craig Pitau (CEO, President).
California State Contractor Licenses (CSLB)
Insulation (C-2)
Plumbing (C-36)
Boiler (C-4)
Sanitation (C-42)
Fire sprinklers (C-16)
HVAC (C-20)
Sheet metal (C-43)
Solar (C-46)
• Only plumbing and
HVAC contractor with a
showroom for retail and
custom home builders.
• “We sell it, we install it,
we guarantee it.”
•Hard to find parts at
the retail counter.
•“If we don’t have it
in stock, we can
probably find it
for you.”
Our Brochure
www.thorsensinc.com
1938 -Delivering and installing a 5,000 gallon storage tank
1958 - Growing beards for the “Golden Jubilee” celebration
1970- Shop crew and truck fleet
2004 – Plumbing and HVAC crew
Office staff 2011
• “You can’t replace experience.”
• Years of service are a tribute to Andy Thorsen Sr. and Rodney Thorsen.
• We honor their memory through the daily operation of the business while
maintaining a culture of taking care of our customers and our employees.
• We continue to be the oldest continuously owned and operated business in
Turlock.
Date: November 11, 2011 (11-11-11)
Time: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: 2310 North Walnut, Turlock
More info. @ www.thorsensinc.com