Today, Fulton is a group of companies spanning the globe, with manufacturing facilities in China, Great Britain, and the United States. But it all began in the garage of a man named Lewis Palm, back in 1949.
Lewis Palm started the business now known as Fulton by inventing the first Vertical Tubeless Boiler, at home in his garage in Fulton, NY. He specialized in equipment used by laundries and dry cleaners.
Later, his son Ronald joined the family business, and in the 1970s, he began working to broaden their product lines. That led to the development Fulton’s thermal fluid heater, which took the business in a whole new direction and ultimately led to the birth of a new company in the Fulton family—the Fulton Thermal Corporation.
In the 1980s, a third generation joined the family business—Ronald’s son, Bram. With this generation has come a renewed emphasis on R&D as well as efficiency and environmental responsibility.
The Fulton brand expanded into Asia in the 1990s with the founding of Fulton China and later Fulton Ningbo. Then Fulton further expanded by acquiring Volcanic Heater, an Ohio company that produces heaters for use on land as well as at sea.
Products manufactured by Fulton today include thermal fluid (hot oil) heaters, steam and hot water boilers, and a wide range of ancillary equipment, built by hand and custom designed.
Fulton products are used in many different industries. For instance, thousands of K-12 schools use Fulton boilers, geothermal heat pumps, and other equipment for efficient, reliable heating.
Fulton boilers are also used to provide steam for the brewing industries. When Pabst Brewing Company needed boiler equipment for a new brewery and taproom located in a historic building in downtown Milwaukee, they turned to Fulton.
That’s because Fulton was able to provide boiler equipment that could fit their very specific needs—small footprint, low pressure, and necessary steam output—when other companies couldn’t.
Other commercial and industrial locations where Fulton products can be found include dry cleaners and laundries, food processing plants, commercial high-rises, hospitals, and military bases. And Fulton is part of the LEED Green Building program, which strives to make new buildings more energy efficient and environmentally-friendly.