Springbrook12 Sanger Avenue , Waterville, Maine, United States

It was 1918. The War was over. A new automobile cost $500. A gallon of milk was 55 cents. A dollar would fill your gas tank.  Robert L. Ervin was a Colby College graduate, coach, and business owner. He did not have to look far to see the sound commercial potential in the Kennebec River. It had become the source of “frozen gold” for entrepreneurs shipping ice all over the world.  Ervin’s new business became the Spring Brook Ice Company, taken from the name of the crystal clear brook on Drummond Avenue that he dammed and harvested every winter. Blocks of ice were cut with heavily toothed saws. Then, they were carried by conveyor belt into the massive icehouse to be covered with straw and sawdust. With a strong economy and growing commerce, the business expanded to the Spring Brook Ice and Fuel Company in 1922. Nine years later, the business moved to its current home on 12 Sanger Avenue.  While coal and ice continued to be business staples into the 1950s, heating and range oil became the fuels of choice as homes and businesses switched to the more convenient liquid alternative.   Supply for his customers was a continuing concern. In 1960, Mr. Ervin erected two large storage tanks on the site to ensure oil would always be available.  A generous businessman and community leader, R. L. Ervin operated the business diligently until he died in 1962, when his wife, Caroline, became the company president.  Always charitable, they cared greatly for their employees, building them homes in nearby residential developments. Under the capable management of Joseph Michaud, the business continued to thrive.  Despite his considerable medical responsibilities with Caroline’s death in 1968, their son and local pediatrician, Edmund N. Ervin, assumed the business’s leadership. With Mr. Michaud, he directed the company to its current standing.   Hilary & Ed Ervin Spring Brook anticipates the future with a fond remembrance of its past. For over 100 years, we have provided reliable, affordable energy to Maine families and businesses.  We have adjusted to meet our customers’ changing needs and heating technology during a century of service. More importantly, we’ve preserved our tradition of delivering the highest quality of service possible by technicians you know and trust.   Ed & Sandy Ervin Our customers have come to rely on our ability to solve their problems no matter what the challenge. They know they have chosen a trusted company to meet their heating and cooling needs in a way that embraces energy efficiency at an affordable price.  We deliver oil and propane, but our real intent is to provide a customer relationship that will endure. We appreciate the cost of energy. We try every day to deliver value by delivering full-service care to our customers.