Jim Kirchdorfer Sr., ISCO Industries Founder

Jim Kirchdorfer, Sr., founder and chairman of ISCO Industries, a Louisville, Ky.-based pipe supplier and custom manufacturer of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) piping products, died Feb. 3.

Fifty years ago, Kirchdorfer, Sr. founded what today is ISCO Industries. He started the company in the same location as his father’s hardware store in Louisville. The company has grown over the years to include more than 25 locations with more than 300 employees worldwide.

He received numerous industry awards during his career, including the Don A. Rossi Award this year from the Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA), which is presented to “an individual who has made a significant contribution to the game of golf and its growth.” In addition, he was the recipient of the Winfrey P. Bunton, II Kentucky Turfgrass Man of the Year Award in 1998 from the Kentucky Turfgrass Council and the GCBAA Perry Dye Service Award in 2006. He also received the 2008 Preservation Award from the Louisville Historical League for the restoration of the building his grandfather built on Baxter Avenue in 1902.

He is survived by his wife Carolyn, daughter Teresa, sons James Jr. and Mark, and seven grandchildren.