Founded by Jim Hedger, Sr. in 1938, Graves Spray Supply began as a distributor for coating equipment. The company, and its reputation for excellence, quickly grew with a client list that included Ford, Chrysler, GM, GE, and many more. To satisfy customer needs for equipment, Graves transitioned to manufacturing automated paint-spray equipment, reaching full production in the early 1950s. Maintaining its tradition of full service equipment distribution, Graves then created Magnum Industries and dove into the developing industry of spray-up fiberglass manufacturing dispensing systems. Meanwhile, across the country, Venus Products was also hard at work in the emerging FRP industry. Founded in 1954 by Frank Ives near Seattle, Venus designed, patented, and produced the first equipment with internal mix fiberglass spray technology.

In September 2000, Graves Spray Supply (Magnum Industries) acquired Venus Products, and Magnum Venus Products (MVP) was born. After merging two reputable and innovative companies, MVP established itself as the leader in the FRP industry through its commitment to truly advanced technology. Today, MVP has solidified its leadership and continues to pave the way for innovation and customer focus.

In response to changing business needs and increasingly strict emissions standards, Venus designed and produced its patented FloChop technology to reduce styrene emissions during the spray-up process. The industry has trended toward lower emissions, and the Advanced Engineering Division at MVP has met that challenge, patenting its FIT systems (Fluid Impingement Technology). FIT exceeds the emission reductions of FloChop and can be easily implemented.

Furthermore, MVP saw the limitations of rigid light RTM molds and the need for an advanced system, especially in the production of complicated parts. To overcome these limitations, they developed the Flex Molding Process, an MVP innovation that utilizes pumping systems, unique accessories, and patent-pending seals to produce more complex parts than rigid molding processes.

“We allow our customers to operate at the highest levels of excellence, and we… know that if they look good, then we are doing our job and we look good,” says Peter Hedger of MVP. “We do this through direct sales and service to each customer in the US, with our family atmosphere, and by listening to the needs of our market.”

MVP serves its clients by supplying quality products to a variety of industries. These products include pumping systems, spray guns, and filament winding systems. The team at MVP is compelled to go beyond meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of its customers. “MVP is a family-owned company that has taken pride in not only serving the composites industry, but shaping and driving that industry to excellence,” says Hedger.