Category: News

Lubker Distribution Announces Ownership and Name Change

West Chester, PA – February 2024

Rick Lubker, President of Lubker Distribution, has announced the purchase of all remaining corporate stock, becoming the sole Owner of Lubker Distribution.

Since its inception in September 2001, Lubker Distribution, a Carrlu Company has been owned and operated as a partnership between Rick Lubker and Jim Carrigan. The twenty-three years together produced a multitude of positive operational and sales changes resulting in consistent year-on-year growth.  The company has become a trusted quality supplier to leading OEM’s and service companies located throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

In late 2023, Jim announced his intent to retire. He provided ample notice and support of task reassignment and maintained that the ultimate ‘date’ would coincide with corporate readiness. The goal at retirement remained the same for Jim as it did on day one, to ensure the ultimate success of the company.

Following significant restructuring that included new personnel hires, and existing personnel reassignments and promotions, the company proved its readiness in early 2024. The transactional necessities proceeded smoothly; the ownership change commencing February 2024.

In concert with the change, the corporate name has been updated to reflect current ownership, now known solely as Lubker Distribution, Inc.

Lubker Distribution is a supplier of fasteners and related products, specializing in WIN Systems Vendor Managed Inventory supply programs. Lubker Distribution is committed to best-in-class customer service and on-time delivery and has ensured a seamless transition of customer accounts and sales leadership to Vice President of Sales Steve Gillmor.

For more information about this announcement or to request additional information about the company, please contact Jason Ewing, General Manager, at jewing@lubkerdist.com or Steve Gillmor, Vice President of Sales, at sgillmor@lubkerdist.com

Lubker Distribution Announces Key Promotions

Lubker Distribution is excited to announce several significant changes within our company’s leadership team. These changes reflect our continued dedication to recognizing and nurturing exceptional talent while embracing opportunities for growth and improvement.

First and foremost, we are pleased to announce the promotion of Steve Gillmor to the position of Vice-President of Sales. Over the past few years, Steve has played a vital role in our company’s growth, while demonstrating exceptional leadership. Steve has been a trusted mentor to the sales and operations staff, providing guidance, support, and inspiration needed to help the entire Lubker team surpass targets and exceed customer expectations. We are confident that Steve’s strategic mindset, exceptional sales acumen, and unwavering commitment to success will continue to positively drive our initiatives. In his new role, Steve will play a pivotal part in further expanding market presence, optimizing sales strategies, and elevating overall corporate performance.

Furthermore, we are excited to welcome Jason Ewing to our team as the newly appointed Director of HR. Jason brings with him expertise in human resources, coupled with an extensive background in operations and process management, making him an ideal fit for Lubker Distribution. In addition to traditional HR responsibilities, Jason will also be responsible for management of departments including Information Technology and Accounting. Jason has ‘hit the road running’ in this new position and has proven to be an outstanding leader and mentor to the entire staff. We are excited to see the continued positive impact he will have on our team.

Lastly, we are excited to announce the promotion of Sean Michels to the role of Inside Sales Manager. Sean has been an essential member of our sales team for several years, and we are thrilled to see him take on this new leadership role. As the Inside Sales Manager, Sean will assume additional responsibilities including team leadership, sales optimization, and forging strong client relationships.

These promotions signify our commitment to recognizing and rewarding outstanding talent within our organization. We are confident that Steve, Jason, and Sean will flourish in their new roles, bringing fresh perspectives and innovative approaches to their respective departments.

It is important to note the departure of Jeff Laub from the position of General Manager. While Jeff’s departure required significant redistribution of tasks and responsibilities, it has provided us with a valuable opportunity to reassess the importance of various tasks, improve our processes, and empower our staff to take greater ownership of their disciplines. This period of transition will undoubtedly lead to enhanced collaboration, increased efficiency, and improved overall performance.

We are immensely grateful for the dedication and resilience demonstrated by each and every member of our team during this transition period. We continue to encourage embracing this moment as an opportunity to further develop skills, take on new responsibilities, and contribute unique perspectives to the shared team success.

Please join us in congratulating Steve Gillmor on his promotion to Vice-President of Sales, extending a warm welcome to Jason Ewing as our new Director of HR, and celebrating Sean Michels’ promotion to Inside Sales Manager.

Lubker Distribution Acquires Penny Parts

West Chester, PA – April 2022

LUBKER DISTRIBUTION is pleased to announce that it has acquired certain assets of Penny Parts, Clifton Heights PA.

Penny Parts was founded by Jim Lemisch. The company has been a long standing and trusted supplier to OEM’s of electromechanical assembled products and standard and specialty fasteners (stainless, steel, brass, nylon & more).  

Lubker Distribution is a leading distributor of fasteners, assemblies, and related Class-C components serving industrial Original Equipment manufacturers (OEM’s) worldwide. From its headquarters in West Chester, PA, Lubker Distribution provides over 100,000 SKU’s to its customer base. Lubker Distribution operates primarily through a Vendor managed Inventory model, managing C-part categories for its customers across diverse industrial end-use markets.

Lubker Distribution is excited to welcome Penny Parts associates, customers, and suppliers into the Lubker family. Jim Lemisch will be assisting through a transition period, following the transition he will remain available as a liaison between previous Penny Parts customers and suppliers and Lubker Distribution. Though Jim will be (at least) semi-retired, he welcomes the opportunity to maintain a certain level of customer contact and support of on-going relations. The transition will include relocation of Penny Parts into the Lubker Distribution headquarter facility located in West Chester, PA.

Happy Holidays and a bit of NEWS from Lubker Distribution

(West Chester, PA) December 2019 Happy Holidays from Lubker Distribution     (Download .PDF Version)

The holiday season brings upon happiness and glee, a time to spend with family and friends reflecting on the past and building visions of the future. It also is a time to give thanks to all those surrounding us who bring joy, happiness, comfort, and stability to our world.

All of us at Lubker Distribution are grateful for our relationship with you. When we started this business 18 + years ago, we made a pledge to take absolute care of the tenets most important to our success, our CUSTOMERS, our SUPPLIERS, and our PEOPLE. To this day we proudly remain committed to that pledge by providing world class customer service, forging respectful and partnering vendor relations, and treating our employees to the finest wage, benefit, and profit-sharing programs available to industry. Together these tenets define our difference, a difference we plan to maintain for many years to come.

 The New Year will bring a few changes to the Lubker landscape.

Tom Falcone, long time Lubker Senior Inside Sales Associate (and a lifetime industry veteran) has decided to retire at the beginning of the year. Though this news brings sadness to our fastener family, we are also happy for him, knowing that he will have plenty of time to spend with family, take long walks, and simply enjoy the serenity of a well-deserved retirement. We will miss you Tom, and we are ever grateful for your many years of loyalty, commitment, and superior service to the company and the customers you have managed. THANK YOU!

In preparation for Tom’s retirement, we have been busy the last few months reviewing customers’ expectations and intricacies, discussing best suited account redistribution options, hiring, and training….lot’s of training!  Moving into December, we are confident that our planning will make the transition virtually seamless. Though we know Tom will never truly be replaced, we are sure to come close, with many hands sharing the many roles and responsibilities previously held by Tom.

We are very excited to announce FOUR new hires to our sales force!

Steve Gillmor joins us as Director of Sales. Steve is an industry veteran spending 10+ years in the Manufacture Rep business as sales manager. The business specialized in Fastener, MRO, and Safety supplies. Following his tenure there, Steve was recruited to become Director of Sales for Leatherman Tool, where he was credited with building national sales teams tasked with increasing market share of the high-quality Leatherman brand of tools. Steve is anxious to get on the road and looking forward to the opportunity to meet and learn about you and your company, with the opportunity to provide world class service, support, and solutions.

Bolstering our Inside Sales team, we are excited to announce the hire of three new Sales Assistants, Riley, Sean, and Spencer. These gentlemen all came on board the same day and have been training for the past five weeks on everything Lubker. They are talented, eager, and have a passion to learn. As you might imagine, it can be daunting to come to a new company, in a new (to them) industry, and with a dead-line for knowledge absorption. They however haven’t waivered, they embrace new daily challenges, and are committed to forge their path toward successful industry careers.

Helping with this successful transition are Bryan Tirney (Senior Sales Associate) and Dan Scruggs (Inside Sales Associate). In addition to the time being spent with Tom, our Sales Assistants have spent considerable time training with both Bryan and Dan. The breadth of knowledge these two provide is just another way we are preparing for continued excellence in customer service.

Jim and I both thank you for your continued patronage, and the support and confidence you have showed us over the years. Please know, that as we pledged 18 + years ago, we both remain committed to YOU and your success, and remain engaged in guiding the path of service and supply excellence you have come to expect.

Hoping you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a safe, happy, and healthy new Year!

Our Best Regards,

DEERWOOD FASTENERS and BIG TIMBER adds Lubker Distribution as Master Distributor

(West Chester, PA) May 2019. Lubker Distribution sales department announces supply partnership

Lubker Distribution is proud to announce that it has been named a Master Distributor of DEERWOOD FASTENERS.  The leading provider of woodworking and cabinetry screws, DEERWOOD FASTENERS offers the widest product range and highest assembly capability quality in the industry. Specially designed drives and thread configurations make sure that the woodworking screws you purchase will meet every expectation. Faster assembly, less waste, and eliminated splitting are all characteristics unique to the DEERWOOD product line.

In addition to the DEERWOOD product line, the supply relationship also includes the BIG TIMBER CONSTRUCTION FASTENER line.  This line of wood building and decking fasteners offers the market place unique configurations that speed assembly while at the same time reduces chance of cam-out or after assembly loosening.

Contact you Lubker Distribution Sales Representative for more information on this, and all products supplied by LUBKER DISTRIBUTION.

Obituary: Fred Lubker, Founder Lufasco Inc.

Obituary
Frederick George Lubker, Jr.
LUFASCO INC.
September 1, 1942 – December 7, 2018
Stone Harbor, New Jersey

LUBKER, FREDERICK GEORGE JR., 76, of Stone Harbor, NJ, passed away on Friday, December 7, 2018. Born in Darby, PA to the late Frederick George Lubker, Sr. and Elizabeth North Lubker, he moved to Stone Harbor in 2000 from West Palm Beach, FL. .Fred  

established Lufasco Inc. (Lubker Fastener Company) in 1967, leading the company until its sale in 1998. Fred was a mentor to hundreds within the industry and an active member of the NFDA.

He was regarded as an expert in business entrepreneurship, and was called upon to lecture on many occasions at leading industry events and University classrooms. After the sale of Lufasco, Fred established Lubker Development, developing properties in the Southern New Jersey area. He was a member of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish St. Paul Church where he was an usher and attended daily mass. A member of Philadelphia Country Club and Ibis Golf and Country Club in West Palm Beach, he enjoyed golfing and boating.

Fred is survived by his wife of 58 years, Joanne M. Carrigan Lubker; his children, Pamela Lubker, Frederick Lubker, III, Christopher Lubker, and Benjamin Lubker; his sister, Lois Miller; and nine grandchildren.

Fastener News History

Fred started his career in the early 60’s with the Wynne Bolt and Screw Company located in Philadelphia, PA. He primarily was awarded the job based on his skills as a typist, when ‘back in the day’, being a quick and accurate typist was key to landing office work.

Fred quickly adapted his people skills and ‘uncommon’ common sense to learn both the industry and to endear his customers. His role as an inside sale representative grew more significant with each passing year, as did his passion and understanding of the fastener distribution business.

In 1967, with his third child recently born, Fred (beaming with confidence and self-assurance) thought it time to venture out on his own to create his spot in the fastener landscape. With an ‘open check’ loan from a supporting acquaintance (the story is that Fred wrote the ‘blank check’ in the amount of $1,000.00, big bucks in those days, with a promise he quickly honored to repay), Fred started Lufasco Inc. (LUBKER FASTENER COMPANY). Realizing shortly there-after that he would need additional support to provide the service the customers were expecting, Fred asked Rich Procopio to join him.

The company grew steadily through the years as Fred and Rich honed their skills and became more competent and confident in the business they had built. Lufasco quickly became a leading provider of fasteners in the Mid-Atlantic region, and was recognized and awarded with more and more significant OEM business opportunities. The company with Fred and Rich at the helm forever maintained a reputation of high quality, superior service, and fair pricing.

Good things however have a way of coming to an end. In this case, with both partners having growing families and increased wants and desires, it was decided that the partnership should end. In 1984, Fred purchased Rich’s share of the company and assumed full ownership of Lufasco.

At about this time Fred’s son Rick started with the company on a full-time basis. Son’s Chris and Ben would join a few years later, all playing significant roles in day to day operations as well as strategic development of the company. The business grew during these years from a single facility located in Exton PA., to four facilities with head-quarters in Exton, PA and satellite facilities in Morgantown, PA, Hagerstown, MD., and Rock Hill, SC. 

In 1998, Fred received an ‘offer he couldn’t refuse’ and decided to sell the business to Purchased Parts Group of Memphis, TN. At the time of the sale, Rick was President of Lufasco, Chris was Branch Manager in Rock Hill, and Ben was integral in Customer Sales and Service.

Fred remained a mentor to son’s Rick, Chris, and Ben. Rick would go on to establish Lubker Distribution in West Chester, PA, Chris becoming Branch Manager of Thruway Fasteners in Atlanta, GA., and Ben moving from the industry into a finance role with Vanguard.

Rich Procopio went on to establish Specialty Resources, Inc. His sons remain in the business with Randy serving as President of Specialty Resources and Rusty serving as Vice President.

VEND SAFE offered by Lubker Distribution

(West Chester, PA) August 2018. Lubker Distribution sales and operations departments announce the successful launch of VEND SAFE industrial vending solutions.

The VEND SAFE industrial vending solution provides a safe and secure distribution platform for use when distributing shop supplies, tools, and other MRO products.  Protected with PIN access limiting features, these machines keep track of who, when, and where supplies have been dispatched. Detailed reports help the allocation of costs process at the individual workforce level.

Contact your Lubker Distribution Sales Representative for more information on this, and all material handling and distribution solutions offered by LUBKER DISTRIBUTION.

LUBKER DISTRIBUTION NOW OFFERING IRONCLAD® GLOVES

(West Chester, PA) April 2018 . Lubker Distribution Sales and Marketing Department announces the additon of Ironclad® gloves to our extensive range of industrial safety product offerings. Through an exclusive arrangement, Lubker will have access to the full line of Ironclad® gloves including the  KONG®, EXO Tactical and Industrial\Commercial series.  Variants include cut resistant, oil & waterproof, cold weather and hi-dexterity models. 

Visit our e-commerce site at WWW.PROFERRED.TOOLS to see our entire Ironclad® glove lineup. We are adding new models every day but if you don’t see what you’re looking for, use the ‘CONTACT US’ form on this site for more information.

LUBKER DISTRIBUTION BECOMES MEMBER OF DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS OF AMERICA (DPA) BUYING GROUP

Effective May 1, 2017 Lubker Distribution has been approved for membership into the Distribution Partners of America (DPA) Buying Group. The DPA Buying Group is a member-driven marketing and procurement group of independent distributors and national suppliers in the Janitorial/Sanitary, Safety Equipment & Clothing, Industrial, Packaging and Restoration industries. DPA distributors work with the group’s preferred supplier partners for mutual sales and growth opportunities. Lubker Distribution is excited to partner up with a great group.

LUBKER DISTRIBUTION LAUNCHES E-COMMERCE WEB SITE www.proferred.tools

(West Chester, PA) February 2016. Lubker Distribution sales and marketing department announces the launch of www.proferred.tools an e-commerce portal designed specifically for the marketing and sales of the BBI Proferred Tools product line. 

As an authorized distributor of these professional grade tools, Lubker aims to engage both existing customers and new prospects, making available to them the highest quality tools at the absolute lowest price. Perfect for installers, contractors, repair and maintenance personnel, the e-commerce Proferred Hand Tools by Lubker Distribution site offers the advantage of no minimum order requirements, free freight on orders over $100.00, lifetime product warranty, and robust factory and distribution point availability.

Whether ordering on-line or through your existing Lubker Distribution sales contact, you’ll get the same great service and same low price. Qualifying customers of Lubker Distribution may also elect to include tools and/or wipes within existing VMI replenishment programs, making ordering even easier and supply delivered direct to you on a When it’s Needed basis. 


Contact Lubker Distribution sales department for more information related to this exciting new product supply category.
sales@lubkerdist.com