The Underwood family has been drilling wells since 1926. Charles R. Underwood, Inc. turned that knowledge into a full-capability water company — and still runs it the same way: know the water, size it right, stand behind the work.
Our story
A drilling family that became an institution
It started with a drill rig and the Underwood family's knack for finding water in the North Carolina ground — work that goes back to 1926. In 1965, Charles R. Underwood, Inc. was incorporated, and over the decades it grew from well drilling into a complete water company: pumps, field service, groundwater work, and a 75,000 sq ft shop that rebuilds what others replace.
Along the way CRU developed the Underwood Pumps vertical-turbine line — its own equipment for the high-volume municipal, industrial, and agricultural work that demands it. Today the company is led by Russell D. Underwood, President, and remains what it has always been: your source for pumping solutions across NC and the Southeast.
Drilling since 1926 · incorporated 1965
Three generations of the Underwood family
Russell D. Underwood, President
Owner-led and accountable
2000 Boone Trail Road, Sanford, NC
75,000 sq ft pump shop & the Underwood Pumps line
Who we serve
One company, every scale of water
Municipal
Public water supply
Production and test wells, well-field service, and vertical-turbine pumps for the systems communities depend on.
Industrial
Process & supply water
Reliable high-volume water for plants and facilities — engineered, installed, and kept running by one accountable partner.
Agricultural
Irrigation & farm supply
Wells and pumps sized for irrigation and livestock, from a company that knows the region's groundwater firsthand.
Residential
Homes & small farms
New wells, pump replacement, and water-supply repair — the same expertise engineers trust, at your well head.
Demo noteReal photos win here: Russell and the crew, the shop floor, a rig on a job, a vertical-turbine pull. A century of capability is far more believable in your own images than in stock footage — we'll help you capture them. Also confirm the founding-family details (dates, names) so the story is exactly right.
Your source for pumping solutions.
Talk to CRU about water for your home, farm, facility, or community.