Specialty building products distributor Gypsum Management & Supply (GMS) completed the acquisition of Engler, Meier & Justus in Chicago and Blair Building Materials in Ontario, Canada. The distributor also opened a greenfield location in Ontario and two AMES stores in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Olive Branch, Miss.
“We are pleased to welcome the experienced and highly-respected teams from EMJ and Blair to GMS,” John Turner, president and CEO of GMS, said in a news release. “With EMJ, we are expanding our presence in the Chicago market to enhance our service levels and extend our reach in that metropolitan area, while the addition of Blair enables us to further scale our complementary product offerings in the greater Toronto area.”
Engler, Meier & Justus is a distributor of drywall, acoustical ceilings, and related interior construction products to the Chicago market and EIFS related products in the southeastern United States. The company currently operates under multiple brand names, including Westmont Interior Supply House and Contractors Acoustical Supply in Chicago. The distributor’s two Chicago locations will enhance GMS’s commercial capabilities in the market and make the company an Armstrong Ceilings distributor. Engler, Meier & Justus’s EIFS locations in Charlotte, N.C., Raleigh, N.C., and Doraville, Ga., add to GMS’s complementary product offerings in the Southeast. GMS said Engler, Meier & Justus vice president of operations Gary Wietecha will continue to lead the business and will work closely with GMS’s central division.
Blair Building Materials provides exteriors, insulations, and waterproofing products to customers in the greater Toronto area from a single location in Maple, Ontario. GMS said the acquisition represents a strategic opportunity to expand access to exterior product lines such as brick, stone, and masonry. Blair Building Materials president Dante DiGiovanni will continue to lead the business. Blair Building Materials will continue to operate under its existing brand name, but will integrate closely with GMS’s Watson brand in Canada.
The recently opened greenfield location in Ottawa, Canada will operate under the DL Building Materials brand name while the AMES stores in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Olive Branch, Miss., helps GMS execute its growth strategy, according to the company.
“Additionally, we are pleased to announce continued growth with the openings of one new greenfield yard and two new AMES store locations,” Turner said. “Expanding our footprint, scale and product offerings remains a top priority for the Company.”
GMS operates a network of approximately 300 distribution centers with product offerings of wallboard, ceilings, steel framing, and complementary construction products. The company also operates approximately 100 tool sales, rental, and service centers across the United States.
