A week after the announced pending sale of its wholesale hardware business, Bostwick-Braun is going all-in on its industrial distribution services and products unit.

The Toledo, OH-based distributor shared March 26 that its strategic decision to make its industrial services and products unit be the company’s exclusive business was the key motivator behind the sale of its wholesale hardware arm to House-Hasson (Knoxville, TN).

“Selling our hardware division enables us to focus all our energies on Bostwick-Braun Industrial,” the company’s CEO, Pete Richichi, said in a March 26 news release. “We serve thousands of industrial customers in four states and sell nationally through our website. This transaction will deepen our industrial customer relationships and expand our product offerings.”

Primarily serving manufacturers, construction companies and metalworking shops, Bostwick-Braun Industrial is a family of companies supplying goods and services to industrial customers. The company detailed that these companies and key product offerings include:

• Columbus Fasteners Corp. (CFC) — providing fasteners, anchors, strut, other construction and industrial supplies
• Wayne Fasteners, Inc. — providing fasteners, power tools, metal working tools, abrasives and band saw blades
• EBN Industrial Supply – providing general construction and industrial supplies, including a wide variety of fastener and metal working tools
• JMC Sales & Engineering – providing metalworking tools, tooling accessories, saw blades and customized blades and serving as an authorized Lennox Welding Center
• MSI – providing power tools and accessories, ladders and other general industrial supplies

Collectively, Bostwick-Braun Industrial companies distribute 125,000 stock-keeping units (SKU) from 13 warehouses in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.

Bostwick-Braun’s history dates to 1855. Until 12 years ago, the company principally supplied independent hardware stores. Its business started to change when, through acquisitions, Bostwick-Braun entered the industrial services field.

“Bostwick-Braun has a remarkable, and in many ways, unequaled history,” Richichi said. “A business doesn’t survive and grow over nearly 170 years without evolving. We will continue to provide customers with an extensive line of quality products by employee-owners who are committed to great customer service.”

Bostwick-Braun is an employee-owned company with 240 employee-owners.