Sam Lewin, a maternal great-grandfather of BENDER’s current owner, David Bender, founded New Haven Plumbing Supply with two partners. A grandson and two great-grandsons of one of the partners, Ike Liveten, are also BENDER team members today. 02 Oct In the late ‘30s, the partnership dissolved, and Sam started Lewin and Sons in West Haven. Among its employees were Sam’s daughter Alice and Jack Bender. Displaced (along with thousands of other businesses and residents) by Mayor Richard Lee’s massive urban redevelopment program, Bender Plumbing Supply moved to 550 Grand Avenue.