Firm Is Buying Santa Ana Pump Maker Carr-Griff

Carr-Griff Inc., which makes pumps for soda fountains and water pumps for RVs and boats, is being acquired for $27 million worth of stock by Milwaukee’s WICOR Inc.--Wisconsin’s largest distributor of natural gas.

Carr-Griff, better known as SHURflo, will stay in Santa Ana and retain its management, including President John Casey.

SHURflo also makes pumps for industrial uses like spraying pesticides and for carpet cleaning; and for water filtration systems. A private company, SHURflo had sales last year of $42 million.

The 25-year-old SHURflo is “a profitable, growing, well-established company that is a good strategic fit with WICOR’s non-utility businesses,” said WICOR.

WICOR has a subsidiary called Sta-Rite Industries Inc. that WICOR says is a leading maker of pumps for worldwide markets.

WICOR’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, where it closed unchanged at $31.125 a share after the announcement.

The deal is set to be completed by the end of the month.