Honoring Our Founder: Gene Ashe and the Legacy of Multi-Duti Manufacturing

At Multi-Duti Manufacturing, Inc., we stand on the shoulders of a visionary. Our founder, Gene Ashe, has spent a lifetime redefining what’s possible in American manufacturing and the pump industry. At 72, Gene continues to inspire us with the same clarity of purpose that led him to establish this company in 1978—driven by a mission to solve the industry’s most critical challenges and guided by a passion for doing things the right way.

From the beginning, Gene set out not simply to build a company, but to pioneer solutions. The technologies he developed—many of them patented—remain industry benchmarks for reliability and performance to this day. That legacy is embedded in every product we design and every customer relationship we maintain.

A Legacy Rooted in Resilience

Gene represents the fourth generation in a family long tied to the pump industry. One of his greatest influences was his father, whose life offered both inspiration and instruction. “I watched my father come up with many really great ideas for products and also watched them mostly fail,” Gene has reflected. “But the one thing I did observe was his good-hearted response to pick himself back up and try again. I promised myself that this aspect of his story would become a chapter in my story.”

That commitment to perseverance became one of Multi-Duti’s founding values. We don’t shy away from hard problems—we meet them with resolve, creativity, and the belief that progress often begins with a bold idea and little else. As Gene often says, “Some of the greatest inventions of all time came out of someone’s garage.”

Championing American Manufacturing

Gene’s vision has always reached beyond our own walls. He has long been a vocal advocate for bringing manufacturing jobs back to American soil. “The result of sending work overseas? Manufacturing jobs in the U.S. have evaporated. The intellectual property contained in those manufacturing processes has been disclosed or stolen. The quality of those cheaper offshore products has usually declined.”

We share Gene’s conviction that America must invest in training a new generation of innovators, and in keeping the knowledge, quality, and value of manufacturing alive and thriving at home.

A Career That Defines Our Values

Those who nominated Gene for industry recognition said it best:

“Gene Ashe’s life and career exemplify commitment, creativity, and leadership in the pump industry. His contributions have not only advanced technology but also sustained a multigenerational legacy of excellence that continues to grow.”

His story is our story. Multi-Duti exists today because of Gene’s refusal to accept mediocrity and his ability to transform vision into reality, time and again.

Beyond the Industry

While Gene’s impact on manufacturing is profound, he finds joy in the simple things: time with his family, reading the Bible, writing science fiction, feeding birds from his back deck, and fixing things with what’s on hand. As he puts it, he enjoys “the truly simple for its pathway to the profound.”

What This Work Has Meant

For Gene, this work has always been about more than pumps. “It has given me a chance to stand on the shoulders of my forefathers and grow our family’s accomplishments in the pump industry.”

Today, we proudly carry that legacy forward. From every team member at Multi-Duti, thank you, Gene—for your vision, your integrity, and the foundation you’ve built. Your story will continue to inspire the work we do every day.