Thompson Metal Fab was founded in 1937 by Mr. and Mrs. Pudge Thompson of Portland, Ore., and initially manufactured milk cans for dairy farms and equipment for food-processing industries1930′S WORLD WAR II LIBERTY SHIP COMPONENTS With the arrival of World War II, however, the company started doing heating-duct work for defense housing and manufacturing facilities. When the Kaiser Shipyards got up and running in the Portland-Vancouver area, Thompson Metal Fab began providing boilers, hatches, doors, scuppers, ducting, and other steel items for World War II Liberty Ships

1940′S DIVERSIFICATION After World War II — and amid a great resurgence of building and development across the United States — Thompson Metal Fab diversified again and began making equipment for the forest products, grain, cement, sand and gravel, asphalt, aluminum, steel, water treatment and chemical industries.

1970′S RECOGNITION IN THE PACIFIC NW By the late 1960s and early 1970s, Thompson Metal Fab was recognized as one of the best companies in its field in the Pacific Northwest. This was due, in part, to its ability to provide a wide range of metal fabrications — and for many different industrial uses. Impressed by the track record, Harder Mechanical Contractors acquired Thompson Metal Fab in 1973. Over the next three decades, TMF expanded into the oil, gas, bridge and transportation markets, and enlarged its Vancouver facility to 160,000 square feet.

TODAY’S GROWTH In 2003, Thompson Metal Fab separated from Harder Mechanical Contractors and became a fully independent veteran-owned small business. The company has experienced substantial growth since then, providing products throughout North America. Following a path that has marked its eight decades of existence, TMF also has entered new markets, such as nuclear, high-tech and renewable energy.