A high school introduction to ornamental horticulture proved useful when an abrupt detour in Ray Erb’s career routed him into the onsite industry. After working 12 months at a nursery, Erb decided his dad was a much better boss. In 1974, the 19-year-old returned to Thomas H. Erb & Sons, a pumping company in Lititz, Pa., and never left.Thomas H. Erb III began the business in 1970, assisted by his father, Thomas H. Erb II. “My parents called me Ray because the mail was already too confusing,” says Erb, who now owns the company.In 1988, Ray Erb joined the Pennsylvania
