The Scruggs Company traces its roots to H.A. Payne Company incorporated in 1912. H.A. was a salesman for boiler feed water equipment, chemicals, and related supplies. Until the early 1900's, boiler feed water was mixed in tanks. Mr. Payne developed a continuous feed system, The Hot Process Water Softener. Seeing the potential in the system, but preferring sales to manufacturing, he gave the design to Cochrane, (now a division of Crane Corporation) in exchange for the sales rights in the Southwest. In 1918, Bill Alliger, a chemist for Cochrane, joined the company and later purchased the company upon Payne's retirement.\r\n\r\nBill Alliger hired Hugh Sears in 1937 and the company's name was changed to Alliger Sears Company. Alliger Sears operated chiefly as a manufacture's representative and sold for a number of companies in the Municipal Water, Power, and Petro Chemical markets.\r\n\r\nTed Scruggs Sr. was hired in 1947 and purchased the corporation in 1962. During the next few years he operated the company with his wife Elaine and later added his brother-in-laws Frank and Jimmie Allen. Still later, he added his sister-in-law Joyce Scruggs. The company continued under the name Alliger & Sears until 1975 when the company's name was changed to Ted Scruggs Company Inc. In December 1990, after several years of declining health, Mr. Scruggs retired. Ted Sr.'s sons, Ted Scruggs III and Jimmy Scruggs had worked for Ted Scruggs as salesman for approximately 20 years each. Upon the closing of Ted Scruggs Company, they incorporated Pump, Valves & Equipment, Inc., dba The Scruggs Company, continuing business with the same suppliers and customers with whom Ted Scruggs Sr. had been associated with in previous years. Under their direction, the company has continued to act as a manufacture's representative stocking water works valves and other related products.\r\n