Neptune-Benson, Inc., was founded in 1956 by Junius "Babe" Gertz as a State of Rhode Island licensed professional engineering corporation. In the early years, the Company was comprised of two divisions: Neptune Filter Company and Benson Engineered Products. The Neptune Filter Company name was derived from the mythological god of the sea. Their filters were manufactured primarily for residential and semi-commercial pools and were sold to pool builders nationwide. The naming of Benson Engineered Products had a much more personal meaning, as Junius and Raymond are the "sons of Benjamin Gertz." They formed this company to design and construct large steel swimming pools all over the Northeastern United States for country clubs, municipalities and non-profit agencies. Over the next nine years, both divisions grew and the markets began to merge, so in 1965, Neptune and Benson joined forces to better serve the aquatic marketplace. These early years provided many valuable lessons as the Company looked to diversify and expand their filtration business.