Southern Fastening Systems, Carlson Systems and Kentec form SouthernCarlson
New company also adds Duo-Fast Carolinas to strengthen presence in Southeast.
A new company is SouthernCarlson is the result of STAFDA members Carlson Systems and Kentec coming together with Southern Fastening Systems and Duo-Fast Carolinas to create an organization that will provide an unmatched level of service in both the fastening and packaging businesses.
Longtime STAFDA member and Omaha, Nebraska-based, Carlson Systems, brings nearly 70 years of experience in providing the Western and Midwestern markets with fasteners and fastening tools as well as packaging and packaging equipment.
Based in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Southern Fastening Systems has spent the last 30 years building a similar presence in the South and Southeast, while Kentec has been doing business in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic markets for more than 50 years.
Bringing these organizations together as one unified business creates a greater scale and enables the new company to continue to provide the very best products at competitive pricing that customers demand and deserve.
Bringing these individual regional leaders together was an easy decision, as Jim Whitley, company president explains, because despite their different backgrounds, each of the companies was founded upon and has remained successful due to an unwavering commitment to serving the customer.
“When we started looking at each of our businesses individually, we realized the common thread was service," Whitley said. "No matter what we sold, we all realized that if you consistently deliver exceptional service to the customer, you will keep that customer for life.”
New company brings in Duo-Fast Carolinas
The new SouthernCarlson also announced today that it is further strengthening its national presence and overall value to customers through the acquisition of Charlotte-based Duo-Fast Carolinas.Duo-Fast Carolinas President Buddy Cook explained the timing and strategic fit that went into the partnership.
“My grandfather, Roy, and his partner, John F. Smith, started our business in 1948," Cook said. "Over the last 68 years, we have grown from one location with four original employees, to 10 successful locations with more than 70 team members: all on the premise of better service for our local customers. As our leadership team considered the future, we could only join a team where service to the customer was of the utmost importance. That is exactly what we found in SouthernCarlson. I am excited about the opportunities that lay ahead for all of our customers as well as the Duo-Fast Carolinas team.”
For SouthernCarlson President Jim Whitley, the partnership makes sense on multiple levels.
“First, we have been competing with Buddy Cook for years, and it is nice to finally have him on our side! As we build our team, we look at local customer needs and determine the best fit to support our motto ‘Our Promise Means More.’ The Duo-Fast Carolinas team adds depth and expertise that will enable us to improve and grow our business while continuing to deliver great service to our customers every day.”
Assuming the role of Executive Vice President in the company’s Mid-Atlantic division, Buddy Cook will be supported by longtime lieutenants Kevin Trippie and Sam Hardaway, strengthening SouthernCarlson’s proven leadership from Andrei Militaru in the Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Carolinas markets.
The new company unveiled its updated branding and identity for the first time at the STAFDA Convention, with further rebranding to come at store locations in the coming months. Visit www.southerncarlson.com to learn more.
CONTRACTOR SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The April/May 2024 issue of Contractor Supply magazine is here!
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Our cover story, Masters of Fasteners, visits Interstate Screw Corp. of metro Miami, which serves the fastening needs of south Florida, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Also in this issue,our Industry Updates cover Adhesives, Tapes and Sealants, Anchoring Systems and Safety and PPE.
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