From the Greatest Generation our patriarch and the hero of our story, Homer Allen, decided that to provide for his family, he needed to take the risk of starting his own business. So, cleaning out the family savings, borrowing from family, and using cash values in life insurance policies, in 1963 at the age of 40, Homer left his job at an electrical contractor to start Commercial Parts & Service.
The business would specialize in repairing commercial kitchen equipment.
Try to imagine: in the early 60’s most folks in Indiana had never heard of a burger place called McDonald’s. Eating meals away from home was usually a special occasion. Homer’s idea took root, and Commercial Parts & Service prospered as the culture in our country embraced dining out and the foodservice industry grew exponentially.
In 1971 one of Homer’s service technicians, Lowell VanDeMark—“Van”, left to start his own service company, now known as Vanco.
Believing in the family business model Homer’s son, Gary joined and purchased Commercial Parts & Service and ran the business for 27 years. This business was eventually acquired and absorbed into an international company.
In 2010 Gary and his son, Jeremy, were seeking a family business opportunity and were able to acquire Vanco. The Allen family is here each day to see that we meet our goal of “Partnering with Commercial Kitchen Operators by delivering professional service to maximize equipment performance, for our mutual success.”
