11/6/2015 10:29:00 AM
NEWS BRIEFS

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Four Specialty Tools and Fasteners Distributors Association member companies are merging to form a new fastener business.

“This new company is SouthernCarlson and it 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,” the companies jointly stated.

SouthernCarlson operates more than 150 fastening, packaging and service centers in local cities and towns across 34 of the United States and Mexico. With corporate offices in Muscle Shoals, AL, and Omaha, NE, and nearly 900 employees across the country, SouthernCarlson provides tools, building materials, packaging supplies and equipment to building professionals and manufacturers.

Omaha-based Carlson Systems brings nearly 70 years of experience providing the Western and Midwestern markets with fasteners and fastening tools, as well as packaging and packaging equipment.

Muscle Shoals-based Southern Fastening Systems has spent the last 30 years building a similar presence in the South and Southeast

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.”

SouthernCarlson president Jim Whitley explained the venture.

“When we started looking at each of our businesses individually, we realized the common thread was service. 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.”

Whitley said the new company provides local service with the backing of a national infrastructure.

“Success in our business will always come down to personally serving the customer at a local level. Being involved in our communities, really knowing what our customers need, and being right there on site so that when a customer has a problem, we can take care of it right away.

“To be able to provide additional support for a customer in Colorado with access to new, specialized products and knowledge from an expert service tech in Georgia and to be able to do everything with a single set of part numbers on a single invoice is exciting.” Web: southerncarlson.com