History

William N. Sauer was born in old Allegheny, now the North Side of Pittsburgh, on February 11, 1858, at the time city sewage systems were first introduced in the nation.  On his 18th birthday, he received a gift of $50 from his mother. He used it to start a small plumbing business – the foundation of the business known today as Sauer Holdings Incorporated.  Sauer’s beginnings date to 1876 when America was still recovering from the Civil War.

In 1906 Bill Sauer met John G. Steitz, a young pump salesman from New York. These two men joined forces and began to specialize in large construction work. It soon became accepted practice to design the plumbing systems of a building in close coordination with its heating system – leading Sauer Company into the heating field as well.

Sauer was incorporated in 1943. In addition to Pittsburgh, Sauer has offices in Columbus, Ohio and Jacksonville, Florida and currently is engaged in providing services in Design/Build, HVAC, Process Piping, Controls & Instrumentation, Service, Equipment Erection & Rigging, Plumbing, Fabrication, Subcontracted Services and ASME Code work.

Mr. Jack Ruthrauff founded Ruthrauff in 1934 when he opened a refrigeration equipment distribution & service company. He branched out into the air conditioning field in the mid 1950s when Mr. Nick Laux joined the company, forming Ruthrauff Incorporated. Ruthrauff purchased Coleman-Good, Inc, a well-established plumbing firm in 1969. Mr. Laux and Mr. Ruthrauff had set a goal to become a complete mechanical contractor and the purchase of Coleman Good Inc. gained them entrance into the plumbing field. Operations of both companies were consolidated into one location in McKees Rocks, PA in 1971. Coleman-Good merged into Ruthrauff Incorporated at the end of 1985 and Ruthrauff Inc. was established.

During the ensuing years Ruthrauff opened its own sheet metal and pipe fabrication shops. An in-house engineering staff provided both design and construction services and contributed to the extensive resume of design/build work that includes HVAC and Plumbing projects for a wide variety of commercial, industrial and institutional clients.

Beginning in 1989, a group of key employees, led by David & Nora Faller, acquired ownership of Ruthrauff Inc. as Mr. Laux gradually phased out. All facets of engineering, project management and accounting were computerized and networked and the corporate structure streamlined into a single entity with a focus on being “The Single Source Advantage” to its customers.

In 2006, Sauer Holdings, still owned by the Steitz family, acquired Ruthrauff Inc., creating two new companies: Ruthrauff Service, LLC and Ruthrauff | Sauer, LLC.

Since its inception in 2006, under the veteran leadership of company president, Raymond Gajski, Ruthrauff | Sauer has continued to build on its well established foundation of expertise, integrity and superior craftsmanship, while constructing some of the largest and most sophisticated mechanical and plumbing systems in the region. 

With its impressive history and a strong commitment to the future, Ruthrauff | Sauer is dedicated to continuing its long tradition for success for decades to come.