‘The Andrew Carnegie of mechanical construction business’

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

World War II veteran and family patriarch Walter Limbach accomplished much in his nine-plus decades, but he will probably be remembered most for his role in growing his grandfather’s modest North Side company into one of the largest mechanical and specialty contractors in the nation.

“Walter was the Andrew Carnegie of the mechanical construction business,” former colleague George Fechter said. “He was a special person.”

Mr. Limbach, the retired president of what is now Limbach Holdings Inc., died Sept. 19 in Oakmont. He was 94.

Last year, the company — started by his German immigrant grandfather in 1901 — was named the 10th largest mechanical contractor in the country by the industry publication Engineering NewsRecord. The Pittsburghbased construction, engineering and building management company has 1,700 employees and $485 million in annual revenue.

Mr. Limbach grew up on the North Side and graduated from Perry High School in 1942. As the son of active Socialists, his childhood was an unusual one, recalled his daughter, Elsa Limbach of Point Breeze.

“He grew up in a home that was very conscious of political issues and issues of inequality and labor rights,” Ms. Limbach said. “My grandparents were very active in Socialist causes. My grandmother even ran for Congress on the Socialist ticket.”

Although he gravitated more toward Democratic politics after World War II, Mr. Limbach never lost his socialist leanings, friends said.

When senior executives asked for their own parking spots in a company lot, Mr. Limbach declined.

“He said, ‘If you get to work early, you get to park,’” recalled Mr. Fechter of Mount Washington, who worked at the company from 1973 to 1998.

Mr. Limbach enrolled at Lehigh University after graduation, but his education was interrupted by World War II.

He enlisted in the Navy as part of a program aimed at educating officers and served stateside as a radio electronics instructor.

After the war, he finished his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Lehigh in 1947 and went to work in the family business with his father, Emil Limbach, and brother, Scott Limbach.

By 1958, Mr. Limbach was named president of the company, which rapidly expanded over the years with branch offices throughout the U.S. The company took on major projects, including hospitals, stadiums and other large venues, such as Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta.

“It was largely a cottage industry before Walter came back from the war. Craftsmen would have a handful of employees and work in a single area,” Mr. Fechter said of the company, which focused mostly on heating, plumbing and air conditioning at the time. “It was a humble little local contracting company that he built into a national and an international company.”

Looking around Pittsburgh, Mr. Fechter couldn’t help but be reminded of the many ways the company contributed to the postWorld War II renaissance movement in the city, installing mechanical systems in buildings such as PPG Place and Gateway Center.

“Walter had a profound impact in terms of community development in Pittsburgh,” he said.

In 1986, the Limbach family sold the business, but Mr. Limbach remained as president until his retirement in 1989.

His friend and former colleague was a “wonderful person to work for,” Mr. Fechter said, and one who never lost sight of what was important in life.

“Walter was the most humble person you could imagine,” he said. “The people who worked for him drove Cadillacs, but he came to work on a bus every day.”

After retirement, Mr. Limbach had more time to pursue his lifelong passion for the arts, attending local theater productions and performances by the Pittsburgh Symphony and Chamber Music Pittsburgh.

He also was a longtime Pittsburgh Steelers season ticket holder and remained devoted, even in the lean years, his daughter said.

“He was an ardent Steeler fan,” she said “He probably had season tickets going back to 1950. There were some years that the team didn’t have a great record. It wasn’t until the 1970s that he was really rewarded for his loyalty.”

Mr. Limbach also loved books, especially Winnie the Pooh stories.

“He was a wonderful, dramatic reader,” his daughter said. “And there was a subtle philosophy woven through Winnie the Pooh. I remember the little bits that he’d recite to me.”

Mr. Limbach served on the boards of several nonprofits, including Hill House Association and Life’s Work of Western Pennsylvania.

“He was always concerned with social justice and worked with those issues,” Mr. Fechter recalled.

Ms. Limbach said she would miss her father’s wise counsel more than anything.

“He was very insightful, and whether it was a business problem or personal one, he could often come up with very sound and practical courses of action that could help you sort out a sticky situation,” she said.

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Limbach is survived by a son, Kurt Limbach of Mt. Lebanon, and two grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife Sarah Minard and his brother Scott.

Burial arrangements were private and concluded earlier this week.

The family suggests contributions in Mr. Limbach’s memory to the PBS NewsHour or to WQED Pittsburgh.