ABOUT
BLACKSTONE

William Oscar Blackstone, an alumni of Furman University and WWI Veteran, was a heating class worker — a steamfitter — when he established W.O. Blackstone and Company in 1937.

He was actively involved and served within business and industry organizations within South Carolina through out his career. He was also served in his church and supported higher education and the University of South Carolina athletics program.

Harry McDowell, a 1937 graduate in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University, was a sales representative for The United States Radiator Corporation of Detroit and called on W.O. Blackstone and Company as a client.

After serving in the Pacific and American Theaters during WW II from July 1942 to March 1946, he partnered with W.O. Blackstone’s Columbia based plumbing and heating firm.

David "Hub" Hubbard joined W.O. Blackstone in 1947 as part-time help in the warehouse, later to become warehouse manager, and retired after 40 years as a Senior Vice President and partial owner.

In 1951, Mr. McDowell returned to duty during the Korean Crisis until 1953. When he left for active duty, Adger Lee "A.L." Blackstone Jr., a nephew of W.O., filled the gap as an Engineer. McDowell resumed his position as Vice President and Operations Engineer after his service in the military.

Some years after McDowell’s return, W.O. sold 50% of the company interest to McDowell. Upon retirement, Mr. Blackstone sold his remaining company interests to McDowell making him the sole owner of W.O. Blackstone & Co., Inc.

Mr. McDowell was the holder of the oldest Mechanical PE license in South Carolina before retiring. He was an active member in numerous Professional Engineers organizations, and recipient of the Order of the Palmetto by S.C. Governor Carroll Campbell in 1994.

In November 1958, another future leader came to W.O. Blackstone & Co., Inc. Lewis Caswell came on board in 1958 and assumed the role of Project Manager upon graduating with a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of South Carolina. Mr. Caswell was also a proud member of the United States Air National Guard for nearly 34 years ultimately achieving the rank of Colonel.  He was a member of the S. C. Building Codes Council for 18 years, having been appointed by Governor West in 1972 and reappointed by Governor Edwards and Governor Riley. Governor Beasley appointed him to the S.C. Contractors’ Licensing Board in 1996. He was reappointed by Governor Hodges, Governor Sanford, and Governor Haley, and served as chairman.

Lewis Caswell was a member of the Mechanical Contractors’ Association of S.C. for 56 years, served as president from 1971-1972, and is a life member of The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, having served as president of the South Carolina Chapter in 1967-68.

Mr. Caswell became the majority owner in 1982 when Mr. McDowell retired.

As the sole owner of W.O. Blackstone & Co., Inc., Lewis Caswell steered the company with a focus on service excellence and customer satisfaction for several decades until his sons, Steve Caswell and Jeffry Caswell came on board.

Steve served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of W.O. Blackstone & Co., Inc. until his passing in 2008. Jeffry Caswell continued as CFO working alongside his father to build the company’s brand equity and reputation

In 2012, Jeffrey E. Griffin "Jeff" came on board as the Vice President of Marketing and shortly became vested as part owner within a few years. Mr. Griffin took the helm as sole Owner and President in January 2020 when he purchased the remaining interests held by Lewis Caswell and Jeffry Caswell.

Jeff Griffin has set a course to meet the market requirements for state-of-the-art HVAC systems and matched with highly trained service technicians to continuing building customer confidence. Jeff's leadership and Core Value principles follow the path of previous W.O. Blackstone owners — Quality, Integrity, and Efficiency in every aspect of what we do.