GARDINER, ME  E. J. Prescott, Inc., better known as "Team EJP," is celebrating its 60th anniversary as one of the largest privately owned distributors of waterworks products in the U.S. More than 270 employees serve hundreds of municipalities, utilities and commercial customers from Maine to Indiana.

In August of 1955, Everett J. Prescott moved from Massachusetts with his wife, Barbara, and gave his name to the first waterworks distributor north of Boston, Massachusetts. Colleagues said Everett J. Prescott, Inc. would not survive in the hinterlands of northern New England, but they didn't count on Everett's drive to innovate and succeed.

In the 60 years since then, there have been only three company Presidents: Everett J. Prescott, Founder; his son, Peter E. Prescott, currently CEO; and Peter's son, Steven E. Prescott, the current President. In 1978, Everett sold the company he had founded to Peter and two sons-in- law, Stanley G. McCurdy and James Grotton. Stanley has been a vital Team EJP member for a remarkable 54 of the company's first 60 years, and currently serves the company as COO.

One major reason Team EJP has thrived is that Everett has passed on his character along with his company to the subsequent generations.

Peter E. Prescott, CEO, said, "My father had a rare combination of technical aptitude, business acumen and leadership that inspires all of us at Team EJP today."

Rather than preparing for this milestone by blowing up balloons or baking an oversize cake, the company is busy refining its industry-leading expertise and product lines in order to meet the growing demand for replacement and repair of the aging U.S. waterworks infrastructure.

"We're proud of where we've taken the company my grandfather founded, but this is not the time to rest on our laurels," said President Steven E. Prescott. "America's cities and towns need our help more than ever upgrading old water mains and hydrants, and installing high-tech meters that can help them manage our increasingly precious water resources."

Since its founding, the company has continually established industry and company "firsts," from product inventions such as the Powermite Ditch Pump in the early years, to service innovations in recent decades such as factory-direct sales of ductile iron pipe, 24-hour emergency service, Value Added Services (V.A.S.), KNOW H2OW engineering seminars and Beyond SPECS standards for bid requests.

The three generations of Prescotts have also started or acquired several sister companies: Team QWP (Quality Water Products) founded in 1978 in South Barre, Massachusetts, one of only a few facilities in the entire country that can flange pipe all the way up to 60-inch diameter; Team P.E.P. Transportation, founded in 1980, which carries goods of every kind coast to coast and in parts of Canada; Team Red Hed Supply & Manufacturing in 2000, which manufactures a complete line of waterworks brass products and space-­"saver flanges in Lincoln, Rhode Island; and Team PPF (Plastic Pipe Fabrication) in 2008.

The position of Team EJP today makes it clear that Everett's vision was no pipe dream. As Steven Prescott said, "The foundation of our success continues to be meeting our customers' needs, as exemplified by our slogan of many years: Whatever you need, whenever you need it, no matter what!"