ORS Nasco Acquires AD Member Supply and Alliance Distribution Partners - Modern Distribution Management

ORS Nasco Acquires AD Member Supply and Alliance Distribution Partners

They are the third and fourth acquisitions for ORS since it partnered with Wynnchurch Capital in August 2024, and ORS' CEO called the announcement "the most exciting day in company history."
ORS AD Alliance

MRO products master wholesaler ORS Nasco continues to scale its footprint, announcing two considerable acquisitions on March 2.

The Rosemont, IL-based company said it has acquired AD Member Supply via its Indianapolis, IN warehouse and Alliance Distribution Partners.

AD Member Supply has operated as a bearings and power transmission distribution unit of contractor supplies buying group AD. The company offers both branded and private label solutions.

Alliance is a Hendersonville, TN-based wholesaler catering to industrial supplies and welding markets. With a warehouse in Franklin, KY, the company offers over 300,000 products from 200 different brands across categories of welding, safety, plumbing, janitorial, chemicals and abrasives. Alliance also provides Duracell batteries to retail outlets.

Meanwhile, ORS Nasco — backed by Wynnchurch Capital — is North America’s largest master wholesaler of industrial MRO products. It provides customers across the U.S., Canada and Middle East with approximately 190,000 SKUs sourced from over 250 OEMs. Its footprint includes 13 distribution centers focused on industrial end markets.

“AD Member Supply and Alliance are highly complementary additions to the ORS platform,” ORS Chief Executive Kevin Short said in a news release. “Both businesses expand our product breadth and supplier relationships, while enhancing our ability to deliver value-added solutions to our distributor customers. Together, these acquisitions deepen ORS Nasco’s power transmission and welding capabilities and increase density across key U.S. industrial markets. We look forward to partnering with their teams to drive continued growth.”

Short has been an executive board member of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors since 2021.

“These acquisitions represent another important step in ORS Nasco’s strategic growth plan,” added Greg Gleason, Managing Partner of Wynnchurch. “AD Member Supply and Alliance strengthen ORS’s position as a leading MRO wholesaler and further enhance ORS’s scale, capabilities and end-market exposure. We are excited to support ORS as it continues to execute on its acquisition strategy.”

AD Member Supply and Alliance represent the third and fourth acquisitions for ORS since partnering with Wynnchurch in August 2024. In 2025, ORS acquired safety products redistributor R3 Safety and welding supplies distributor/manufacturer Techniweld USA.

Behind the Deal: Why ORS Nasco Acquired R3 Safety & Techniweld USA (Premium)

Foley & Lardner LLP served as legal advisor to ORS Nasco and Wynnchurch for the AD Member Supply and Alliance transactions.

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