Kent Distributors Incorporated history

In 1952 a modern feed manufacturing plant was built in Muscatine to meet increasing demand.

With government financing, the firm built a grain alcohol manufacturing plant to supply the synthetic rubber program of World War II. GPC leased the plant from the government with the option to purchase, and then purchased the plant in 1953.

In 1955, the first acres were purchased for Kent to open and operate a production development center.

Manufacturing plants were maintained in both New York and Indiana until 1969 when AB Electrolux of Sweden purchased the company.

Kent Electronics was established in 1973 by Morrie Abramson and James Corporron.

Kent phased out its radio and television parts business in 1978 and began selling industrial parts, mainly to the oil and gas industry in Texas.

By April of 1982, Kent was generating 80 percent of its $8.6 million in sales from selling its broad line of electronics products to the oil service industry.

In 1983 the company expanded into contract manufacturing and established K*TEC Electronics in Houston as a wholly owned subsidiary.

Kent's geographic expansion since 1986 had been dramatic, but it was also the result of a disciplined, orderly expansion plan.

Kent launched its strategy to become a multiregional distributor and manufacturer of electronics connectors by purchasing Electro-Sonic Components, located in southern California, in September 1987 for $204,000 in cash and a promissory note for $400,000.

In January 1988, Kent Datacomm launched an aggressive marketing campaign that included distributing a catalog to voice and data communication end-users to increase the new company's visibility.

As demand increased, a separate division, K*Power, was set up in 1989 to market and manufacture the K*Power line of power sources.

A further geographic expansion took place in January 1990, as Kent Datacomm entered the Midwest market with a center in Chicago.

Kent moved to become a national distributor and manufacturer in its specialty electronics field when it negotiated an option agreement on April 4, 1991, to acquire Shelley-Ragon, Inc., an electronics distributor located in St Paul, Minnesota.

In 1993 it strengthened its position as a single source for the networking needs of its customers by expanding its offerings to include intelligent products such as hubs, routers, bridges, and modems.

Kent began expanding its physical facilities in Texas in March 1995, when it purchased a 66-acre parcel of land with an option to buy an additional 30 acres in Sugar Land, Texas, located near Houston.

In October 1996 Kent announced that its fourth new business unit, Futronix Systems, would be headed by Terrence M. Hunt, the founder of Futronix Corporation.

In the fall of 1998, Nilfisk-Advance and AB Electrolux of Sweden agreed to merge Nilfisk-Advance with Euroclean and the Kent Company.

In 2006, Blue Seal Feeds expanded their product line to include a focus on growing the dog and cat food line, By Nature® brand, into pet specialty stores beyond the Blue Seal Feeds retail stores and dealer distribution channels.

In 2007, after three generations of joint ownership by the Kent and Stein/Kautz families, the Kautz family sold their ownership to Muscatine Foods Corporation and Chairman Terry Kautz, grandson of S. G. Stein, retired from the company.

In 2008, Blue Seal Feeds acquired I. L. Richer, a major manufacturer and supplier of dairy feed products and services to the central and eastern New York dairy market.

In 2010, Blue Seal Feeds joined with Kent Feeds, Inc. to form the Kent Nutrition Group Feed Division.

In 2012, the company changed its name from Muscatine Foods Corporation to Kent Corporation.

In 2015, KPFG acquired Sqwincher Corporation of Columbus Mississippi, a leading provider of hydration drink solutions.