Our great loss…

It is with profound sadness that we make known the much-too-soon passing of the leader of our company, Doug Hurt, on June 10, 2009

Because Doug was so much more than the driving force behind Neumayer Equipment, we mourn the loss of the unique person he was to so many: father, grandfather, husband, brother, uncle, cousin, boss, mentor, business partner and friend.

Born to Mary Ruth and the late Dean Hurt in 1948, Doug spent many summers at his grandparent’s Kentucky home where he learned the principle of plain old hard work- a work ethic he maintained throughout his entire life.

After serving our country in the United States Marine Corps, Doug supported his young family as a laborer and started working with Neumayer Equipment in December 1969. As his daughter, Neumayer Equipment President, Susan (Hurt) Burkhardt grew, so did Doug’s talents as a gifted businessman.

Groomed in every facet of the business, Doug was well-prepared when the Neumayer family elected to sell the business. With ownership secured, he and his Neumayer family commenced to steer the business through the changing waters of the increasingly-regulated petroleum industry. Under decades of Doug’s energetic leadership, Neumayer Equipment has grown to include branch offices that service a large geographical area across the Midwest.

An active and productive member of numerous industry groups from the Oilmen’s Club of Greater St. Louis, to the Missouri Petroleum Marketers & C-Store Association to the Petroleum Equipment Institute, Doug’s friends and competitors alike, will remember him as a charismatic professional, a steadfast competitor, and a businessman with a common-sense wisdom that earned him the admiration and respect of all.

Doug’s employees will remember a fiercely loyal boss who preferred to not be called “boss”, and whose reminder that “today is the first day of the rest of your life”, made our employment much more than just our “job”. There is nothing that he would ask employees to do that he would not do himself.

Devoted to his parents, siblings, nieces, nephews and cousin, a strong and guiding presence for his daughter, Susan, son-in-law, Todd, and grandsons, Jake and Drew, and demonstrating great love toward countless others, his absence will remain a gaping hole in our lives. We will endeavor to practice the good and noble example Doug set for us all in both our personal and professional lives.

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