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I Supply history
I Supply company history timeline
He began his business career in the radio industry, in 1947 going to work for an Augusta, Georgia, radio station owned by J.B. Fuqua.
Asda history and corporate video "Asda History Asda Stores Limited was founded as Associated Dairies & Farm Stores Limited in 1949 in Leeds.
San Luis Obispo County Farm Supply Company, Inc. (FSC) was established in 1950 as an agricultural supply cooperative to serve the members of the Farm Bureau.
We’ve come a long way since 1950, and with any luck, here’s to another 71 years of serving the farmer in everyone!
In 1951, the time was right for expansion.
In 1958 he took the business public, and TSC shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Storefronts followed, and in 1959 Tractor Supply went public for the first time.
Wisconsin Supply Corporation was opened on Mifflin Street in downtown Madison, Wisconsin in 1960.
After he stepped away from the company, Schmidt moved to south Florida in 1964, then at the age of 63 started another career as banker, gaining control of a 27-bank chain, Gulfstream Banks, which became his second company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
In 1965, Farm Supply purchased Walty Pump Company and established its pump department.
1969: The company is sold to National Industries.
1970 – Jerry Parisi, son of our founder, was named President and Joseph Parisi retained the duties of Chief Executive Officer.
1974 – Our founder, Joseph Parisi, passed away in April.
When he rejoined Fuqua in 1974 it was a much more diversified company.
In July 1977, Farm Supply purchased Cal Tech Chemical in Paso Robles.
1978: Fuqua Industries acquires the business.
When John J. Todd founded Guest Supply in 1979, he probably did not realize that he would create an entire industry.
After working 15 years for a New Jersey retail chain, Two Guys Discount Stores, Scarlett came to TSC in 1979, a period of transition in the business.
When management bought the company in 1982 it was generating annual revenues in the $125 million range, drawn from 135 stores.
TSC struggled during this period and only four years later, in 1982, the company became independent once again when five executives of the company orchestrated a leveraged buyout of what was then called TSC Industries.
The company got its start in Minot, N.D. in 1938 as a mail order supplier of tractor parts. It is that mindset that allowed us to launch our customized food service solution in 1982.
Branch #3 (O'Fallon, MO) was built in 1983.
By 1984, some members of the industry had even begun to speak of "over-amenitized" hotel rooms.
Holiday Inns signed on in 1984, contracting with Guest Supply to supply a line of 20 custom-designed amenities in a mandatory program throughout its nearly 1,200-hotel chain, a contract then worth a minimum of $8 million per year to Guest Supply.
By 1984, the company's customer base had grown to 850, representing nearly 2,500 hotels and other lodging facilities.
In 1985, the company posted $18 million in revenues; the amenities industry itself had grown to a $40 million per year business.
Todd was replaced by Clifford W. Stanley, a former vice-president with Johnson & Johnson, who had joined the company in 1985 as chief financial officer.
At the end of 1986, the company posted its first-ever quarterly loss; profit for the entire year was only $812,000.
The company rejected an acquisition bid in early 1987 worth more than $53 million.
In early 1988 Todd proposed to expand the company's operations again, this time to the international market.
In 1988, Rochester Supply Company opened its doors for business, becoming the fourth facility and the first outside of Wisconsin.
As the company neared the end of its 1989 fiscal year, Guest Supply continued to expand its regional sales and distribution network with a thirteenth center in Atlanta.
In 1989, Farm Supply purchased Hanson Hardware on the corner of Main Street and Blosser in Santa Maria.
The North County store (Branch #4) opened in 1989.
Guest Supply's sales grew to $75 million in 1990.
In 1990, Wisconsin Supply became the largest facility in the company when it built and moved to a new location housing 131,000 square feet of offices, warehouse and showroom.
In 1990, two more locations were opened: one in Northern Illinois and the other in Southern Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Kitchen and Bath Showroom (KBS) in Des Peres, MO was founded in 1990.
In February 1992, Hennesy stepped down, replaced as chairman and CEO by Scarlett.
Then, in October of 1992, a groundbreaking took place and construction started on a modern warehouse/office facility for First Supply Milwaukee.
The stock offering was completed in February 1994 and shares began trading on the NASDAQ.
Following its initial public offering, TSC made a push into North Carolina in 1994, and for the year added 13 stores to the chain with plans to add more at a clip of 20 stores per year.
Contract manufacturing, which accounted for 14 percent of 1995 annual sales, is a fast-growing segment of Guest Supply's business.
Originally scheduled to open in September 1996, the warehouse was beset with construction delays.
TSC also looked to the Internet starting in 1997, purely as a way to provide information to its customers.
In 1997 the company launched a pilot program to address this issue.
In 1997 as preparations were underway for celebration of the company’s 100th birthday, the company made its largest change to date.
In 1998, Kretschmer-Tredway in Dubuque, Iowa was purchased.
Branch #7 was opened in Washington, MO in 1998.
In 1999 it had merged with Central Tractor Farm & Country of Iowa, making it the largest farm store retailer in the United States, but the debt incurred, as well as a clash in corporate cultures, led to severe repercussions.
In 1999, First Supply Owatonna was opened in Owatonna, Minnesota.
In January of 2000 First Supply Group made Pumpco of Minnesota its most recent branch and is now First Supply Brainerd.
The price of TSC stock dipped to the $8 range in late 2000 as investors questioned the wisdom of the company's rapid move into Florida, but when it was clear that the gambit was paying off investors began to drive up the price.
In November 2001 the company was forced into bankruptcy.
2002: Sales top $1 billion.
Growth continued and in 2003, Rockford Supply moved to its present location in Machesney Park.
In 2004, Farm Supply built a brand new facility at its current location at 224 Tank Farm Road.
On May 23, 2005, the Glendale location opens its doors which later merged with neighboring Brookfield.
In 2006 two more facilities open: Janesville on June 5 and Delavan on November 2.
Cedar Rapids opens on February 5, 2007 to become the second facility in Iowa.
The successful facility continued to grow and in March 2007 relocated to its current location on Chavenelle Drive.
The May 1, 2007 acquisition of The H.W. Theis Co., Inc. adds three more branches in Brookfield, Burlington and Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Our Alton, IL branch was opened in 2008.
On July 12, 2010 First Supply added a second Illinois location in Freeport on 115 E. South Street servicing customers west of Rockford and covering central and western areas of the state.
First Supply later moved its Winona location to a building a block away in August of 2010 opening as a new self-pick concept store filling the need for a quick, well stocked and efficient one-stop-shop for that market.
On August 30, 2010, First Supply acquired the assets of J.J. Koepsell Co in Sheboygan, also a Wisconsin based family owned plumbing distribution company, with roots dating back 120 years.
In November 2010, Gerhard's in Brookfield launched Wisconsin’s first Next Generation Premier Kohler® Registered showroom, a brand new take on product design and demonstration – incorporating global trends and an enhanced consumer experience.
In 2011, Plumbers Supply acquired Meyer Supply Co with branch locations in Cape Girardeau and Sikeston, Missouri.
With a strong, long-lasting history of bringing products to homeowners and the trade through trusted distributors, KOHLER heightens its accessibility with the opening of the first KOHLER Signature Store in Edina, Minnesota on April 21, 2012.
In December, 2012, Plumbers Supply acquired our current Belleville, IL branch (located at 400 West Monroe) from Cregger Company.
On February 25, 2013 First Supply acquired the KitchenCraft location in Minnetonka, Minnesota and transitioned it to a Gerhard's store.
On October 10, 2013, the company celebrated its 75th anniversary by ringing the opening bell at the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York.”
First Supply in Kenosha moves to 9016 58th Place, Suite 400 on September 14, 2015.
He's the kind of shopper around whose precise needs and habits Tractor Supply has built a $6.2 billion (2015 revenues) business . The typical Tractor Supply customer owns land, keeps pets, raises chickens and drives a pickup.
Long-term debt stands at just $167 million as of the end of 2015.
Tractor Supply has 1,500 locations spread across 49 states; the company plans to open around 115 stores in 2016 and about 120 stores per year after that until 2,500 are in operation, mostly in rural or exurban areas.
2017 – January brought in a revitalized commitment to ensure company growth and raise levels of excellence throughout the organization.
On July 5th, 2017, First Supply opened its doors in the Wausau market at 5506 Sternberg Ave., Suite B, in Weston, Wisconsin.
The Company celebrates 80 years of business with a yearlong campaign and by ringing the closing bell at the NASDAQ on September 4, 2018.
In 2019, a new eCommerce website (FirstSupply.com), was launched making it possible for customers to research, see inventory by branch, and order products 24/7.
When the COVID-19 pandemic made product sourcing more difficult in 2020, First Supply remained focused on customer needs to help keep essential HVAC, Plumbing, and Waterworks services running.
Katie Poehling Seymour was announced as Chief Executive Officer and President of First Supply on June 8, 2021.
On April 11th, 2022, First Supply opened its doors to customers in the Northwest suburbs of Minneapolis at 8900 109th Avenue N., Suite 200, Champlin, Minnnesota.
In 2022 First Supply kicked off a year-long celebration commemorating 125 years in business.
© 2022 First Supply LLC. All rights reserved.
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I Supply competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mooney-General Paper | 1917 | $44.0M | 50 | - |
| Keany Produce | 1978 | $300.0M | 7 | - |
| Spokane Produce | 1946 | $32.0M | 200 | 3 |
| Sid Wainer & Son | 1914 | $2.6M | 50 | - |
| Farner Bocken | 1939 | $70.0M | 750 | - |
| Fresh Direct Holdings Inc | 2000 | $378.6M | 1,800 | 42 |
| West Springfield Auto Parts | - | $99.1M | 100 | - |
| Baker Produce | - | $27.0M | 350 | - |
| Produce One, Inc. | 1920 | $2.9M | 50 | - |
| Poultry Products Northeast | - | $104.9M | 100 | - |
I Supply history FAQs
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I Supply may also be known as or be related to I Supply, I Supply Co, I Supply Co. and I Supply Company.