Category: Feature

Exploring the history of Fratco through the generations As seen in the Tried & True Winter 2023 issue A century of service is defined by the people who provide it. For a multi-generational family business like Fratco, those people are a tight-knit yet ever-growing group. They’re bound together not by blood or creed but by a dedication… Continue reading Excavating the Past

Former Fratco CEO As seen in the Tried & True Winter 2023 issue When Steve Overmyer stepped into his leadership role in 1978, the company was still known by most as Francesville Drain Tile—named after the small Indiana town where the original facility still resides. For the duration of Steve’s near 30-year tenure, that location remained the… Continue reading Meet Steve Overmyer

Current Fratco CEO As seen in the Tried & True Winter 2023 issue Many things about Chris Overmyer make him a unique CEO—both in the water management sector specifically and in the business world overall. Few companies, for example, can boast that their CEO is the fourth generation of family ownership. Nor do many companies have a… Continue reading Meet Chris Overmyer

Fratco Team Member As seen in the Tried & True Winter 2023 issue It’s a family tradition for Overmyers to begin their careers at Fratco in the same way as any other new employee, and Derek is no exception to that custom. After six months working on the line, he’s recently graduated to making custom-fabricated fittings for… Continue reading Meet Derek Overmyer

Noteworthy innovations that helped move Fratco forward As seen in the Tried & True Winter 2023 issue Fratco believes that tomorrow belongs to those who build it, and we’re proud to be among the ranks of those who help move the industry forward every day. We also realize that our more recent accomplishments were only possible thanks… Continue reading On The Shoulders of Giants

While agricultural drainage may be a common implementation of Fratco products, many experienced contractors know that drainage technology also intersects with a wide variety of industries beyond food production.

Fratco has been a leader in the modern drainage industry, but what about before the notion of industry existed at all?

In other words—how did water management practices first begin? Who gets the credit for developing this essential technology? And what did that technology look like long before the words “drainage pipe” were synonymous with “Fratco”?

In the four years since he started at Fratco, Jose Requeña has seen the pipe industry from three distinct perspectives. He first began at the plant in manufacturing, moved on to assisting with dispatch in the yard, then became an asset in the sales department. Now, his well-rounded experience in the Fratco supply chain allows him to serve customers’ needs on all fronts.