Kentec Inc.

Kentec Inc. (Kentec) is a wholesale distributor of construction and industrial supplies headquartered in Snellville, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta. Established in 1951, what was once a simple mom-and-pop now provides the best specialty tools and fasteners to over 10,000 customers in six states. The company has an 89,000-square foot distribution center and seven branches throughout the Southeast, with facilities located in Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee.

A Go-to Company for Tomorrow’s Technology Today

George Morgan, who is Kentec’s president and has been with the company since 1979, explains the company’s niche as follows: “Air nailing and stapling are at the core of our business; we sell a lot of power tools and hand tools. We represent all of the national and most international brands of construction tools. Our customers are subcontractors who work for single-home and multifamily builders, including framing contractors, trim carpenters and roofers.”

In addition to pneumatic nailing and stapling systems, Kenec also distributes foam insulation, adhesives and MRO (maintenance, repair and operation) products. The company stocks around 32,000 SKUs in total, and has a state-of-the-art ordering and handling system to allow same-day shipping of most orders, guaranteeing on-time, cost-effective products.

Morgan notes that subcontractors are his company’s main clients, as southeastern builders usually hire subcontractors to perform all aspects of the building process. In addition to subcontractors, though, Kentec counts woodworking enthusiasts, homeowners and do-it-yourselfers among its clientele.

Among the industries that Kentec’s staff, which numbers 50, supplies are the boat, cabinet, pallet, furniture and utility trailer manufacturing industries and the motor home production, manufactured housing production, residential contractor, commercial steel construction and rebar contractor sectors.

Offering High-quality Tools

Within the company’s retail division, the focus is on not just meeting the needs of the customer, but also on forging long-term business relationships. The firm’s retail staff is comprised of experts in the product needs of residential and commercial contractors, cabinet and furniture makers and customers interested in woodworking. Kentec offers high-quality construction tools from Senco, DeWalt, Porter Cable, Delta, Max, Interchange and other manufacturers.

Beyond selling equipment, Kentec’s retail staff members can also provide on-site minor tool repair services for pneumatic nailers and staplers and can arrange for more complicated repair work at Kentec Tool Repair Central in Snellville, a full-service center whose staffers boast over 15 years of combined experience in tool repair. The repair center can do warranty repairs for select brands.

Kentec’s industrial division hosts a tool loan program in which the company supplies all fastening tools needed by a client for its production facility. Kentec would in turn be that client’s preferred supplier of fasteners for its production process.

Additionally, Kentec is a Red Diamond Dealer for Dow Chemical and has experts on staff in insulating foam, architectural foam and spray adhesives for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Kentec’s staff also helps its clients save labor costs and be more efficient in fastening wood to wood, wood to concrete, and wood to steel through the Max line of high-pressure tools and Aerosmith pins.

Kentec’s dealer division assists its lumberyard and building material clients as they grow their own businesses and helps them ensure that they have the latest brand name tools, equipment and accessories.

Kentec is a member of STAFDA, the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association, a nonprofit educational trade association for distributors, manufacturers and representative agents of construction and industrial products. Kentec is one of the largest companies within its niche of construction and industrial supplies distributors. Kentec is also one of the founding members of Sphere One, the leading buying co-op in the tool and fastener industry.

Committed to Uninterrupted Service

The economic downturn of the last few years has affected Kentec, as it has most companies associated with the construction industry, due to the steep drop in new home construction. The company has had to decrease the number of its branches in the last five years. However, Morgan, who is a member of the family that has owned and operated Kentec since its inception, notes that he has observed improvements in the economy and an increase in building. He notes, “We’re looking forward to an improved residential construction market, and we’re very optimistic that we’re rebounding and that that will continue. We don’t anticipate expanding beyond our current geographical presence, but we do expect to grow back to nearly the size we were before the financial crisis.”

Given the current uptick in the national economy and the company’s 62-year commitment to distributing high-quality construction and industrial tools to its clients big and small, Kentec Inc. is indeed poised to experience continued growth in the years to come.