HERMITAGE, Pa. – The new owners of an 80-year-old city business changed its name slightly – and they hope to expand its offerings – but they plan to continue its tradition of great service.

Richard “Boomer” Pearsall and Tyler Yanak finalized their purchase of Parker Bros Well Drilling in February and changed the name to Parker Brothers Well Drilling of Penn-Ohio.

A ceremonial ribbon cutting Thursday with family, friends and representatives of the Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce celebrated the ownership change.

“The Parker Brothers tradition has been one of a very reputable tradition in the Valley,” Pearsall said. “The family is very well-known.”

When Ernie Smith, grandson of the people who started the business, planned to retire, there were concerns in the community that it may close, he said.

Smith approached Yanak about taking over the company. Yanak, who owns Yanak Excavating in Hermitage, knew Smith through the companies working on the same projects. Yanak and Pearsall are co-owners of a Hermitage sewer business, and Pearsall and his wife own Penn-Ohio Veterinary Services in West Middlesex.

The two men decided to take on the new venture. They built all of their other businesses from the ground up, so taking over an existing one was appealing.

“We’re like, wow, this might be a nice change, because we don’t have to literally come up with the blueprint,” Pearsall said. “There is a blueprint there. The blueprint has been successful for decades.”

Parker Brothers retained the employees from previous ownership. Smith remains a consultant, and his daughter, Kim Nagle, is the office manager. She’s glad the company will endure.

“You want to see it grow and not just stop,” Nagle said. “You want to see it continue on. So I think that’s the biggest thing, that it continues on.”

Pearsall described Yanak as the boots-on-the-ground end of their 50-50 partnership. Pearsall, who recently relocated to Dallas, works remotely, handling office operations.  

“We like working together,” Yanak said. “I hate office work. I like field work.”

He acknowledges a learning curve with a business in a different industry, but he’s learned from the employees as well as from Smith.

While Parker Brothers continues to provide water well drilling, repairs and water treatment, the new owners want to add more.

“We still carry all the way through Pa. and Ohio,” Yanak said. “We have licenses for both. We hopefully like to expand our coverage area a little bit more, but it obviously comes down to staffing. So as long as we can get the staffing for it, we’re gonna hopefully segue into some geotechnical drilling – so for core sampling and things like that, and possibly get in a little more plumbing.”

The transition overall has been smooth with no lapse in service for customers, Pearsall said. 

Pictured at top: From left are Nicole Pearsall, Richard “Boomer” Pearsall, Tyler Yanak, Kim Nagle, Ernie Smith and Carolyn Smith.