Our Company
History
When Augustus J. Loos and John Dilworth first joined forces in 1893, Philadelphia was a large textile producing city. At that time, Loos & Dilworth carried many different types of industrial machine oils and served a growing number of fabric producers during the industry’s hey-day. The company’s office and warehouse were located in the waterfront area of “old” Philadelphia.
At the turn of the century, John Dilworth left the company, but Augustus Loos decided to keep his friend’s name in the business. In 1918, Paul R. Loos, an engineer from University of PA, came to work for his father. It would be Paul Loos that would direct the company into the oil and chemical markets that it serves today.
During the 1920’s, Loos & Dilworth sold naval stores, products of the southern Georgia pine tree, to ship chandlers for caulking wooden vessels. It was then that Loos & Dilworth became one of the first distributors for Hercules chemical products. The 1920’s also saw the growth of the automobile industry; and the company began distributing motor oil during this decade.
In 1944, Harwood Loos, Paul’s son, joined the company as a field sales representative. He went on to direct the company through many years of growth. Later, in 1971 L&D moved to its present location in Bristol, PA. The move offered the obvious advantages of easy accessibility to all major road systems, bulk storage, railroad siding and room for expansion, among other things. Valvoline Oil Company became our primary lubricant supplier in 1980. Harwood is particularly proud of Richard G. Campbell, current owner and president, who purchased part of Loos & Dilworth and assumed operating control in June, 1984.
When Harwood retired in 1982, it was difficult for him to leave the legacy built by his grandfather. “It was comforting for me to turn over the company to a man of vision. Rick has done a wonderful job with the company my grandfather started. I am proud of the Loos & Dilworth of 1998,” said Harwood Loos.
For many years L&D distributed lubricants manufactured by the Philadelphia based Sun Refining and Marketing Company. ConocoPhillips, parent company of Kendall, Conoco and 76 Lubricants, among others, became another important business partner in 2001.
In 1997, L&D purchased the assets of Capital Petroleum & Supply Inc. of Capital Heights, Md. and formed Loos & Dilworth Co., Inc. Distributors of Valvoline, Kendall and Conoco products, the company covers our southern territory under the direction of president Gregg Draper.
Moving forward into the 21st century, we are continuing to strengthen our relationship with our customers and suppliers.
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