From Conveyor Belts to Engineered Systems
The equipment and applications have changed since 1936. The way we work with customers hasn't.
- 1936
Founded in West Downtown Atlanta
John Pye and Ben Barker founded the company in 1936 with a straightforward idea: cut industrial conveyor belts to the size each customer needed. Both were Georgia Tech graduates working for Goodyear in Akron, Ohio. Pye developed a slitter capable of handling a ten-ton belt roll and cutting lengths of up to a mile. He persuaded Barker to return to Atlanta, where they proposed a local cutting and delivery operation to Goodyear. Goodyear agreed, and HAE Industrial Supply Company began serving industrial customers from west downtown Atlanta.
- Early years
Growing Beyond the First Belt Line
HAE Industrial grew beyond its first belt line. The company supplied Georgia Power, Georgia Marble, U.S. Steel in Birmingham, and coal and aggregate businesses across the region. Pye led the company while Barker managed sales. They added lines including 3M, Rust-Oleum, Falk and Rexnord, building a broader industrial supply business around the needs of their customers.
- 1951
A Larger Warehouse at Pryor and Garnett
By 1951, growth led to a larger warehouse at Pryor and Garnett Streets in Atlanta. The building had previously housed the city's first Ford dealership; the site was later replaced by a MARTA station. The move marked how far the business had come from its first conveyor-belt operation.
- 1950s
The Hydro-Air Engineering Division
A few years later, Georgia Tech engineer W. H. “Hub” Lindsey became president, working with sales manager I. A. “Ike” Scott. As industrial needs changed, Lindsey steered the company toward larger engineered equipment. He established the Hydro-Air Engineering division to help customers select, maintain and repair pumps and compressors, both in the shop and in the field.
- 1960s – today
Forest Park, and the Work Continues
John Lunsford, Ed McDonald, Bill Spencer, Leroy Childers and others expanded that work in the late 1960s and early 1970s. HAE Industrial moved to Forest Park in 1974 and continues to operate there. The equipment and applications have changed since 1936, but the founders' emphasis on engineering judgment, hard work and customer service still shapes how the company supports industrial facilities today.
