TAL Holdings acquiring Mount Vernon Building Center
TAL Holdings LLC, the dealer with 10 retail building material centers in Oregon and Washington, reported that it has reached an agreement in principle to acquire Mount Vernon Building Center (MVBC) in Mount Vernon, Wash.
An all-employee meeting was held to announce the acquisition by TAL to the MVBC employees, TAL said.
After a transition period, Mount Vernon Building Center will begin operations as part of the TAL family of companies on April 19. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Mount Vernon Building Center was founded in 1981 by Milt and Sue Armstrong as a sister location to three other area lumberyards. Business growth forced a move to a larger facility in 1991.
In 1997, Milt Armstrong sold his portion of the business to three employees. In the same year, the business was relocated again to its current location in Mount Vernon. In 2008, one employee/partner retired, and her shares were purchased by the remaining two partners. In 2017, a second employee/partner retired and sold his shares to the remaining partner, Kevin Kok, who is the current owner of the MVBC.
“Since MVBC’s beginning, the company has been focused on builders, remodelers and do-it-yourselfers,” said Kevin Kok, MVBC owner. “The company has always been involved in the Mount Vernon community as sponsors of many non-profit entities such as schools, churches, homeless shelters as well as youth sports activities. The community-mindedness of MVBC fits well with the mission statement of TAL Holdings which is ‘Helping Build Better Communities.’”
“The culture of Mount Vernon Building Center, the market they serve, and the quality of their personnel make MVBC an excellent fit for our organization,” said TAL CEO David Dittmer. “Because of their strong brand recognition, they will continue to operate under the name of Mount Vernon Building Center.”
TAL currently operates a reload center in Burlington, Wash. where it receives, reloads, and ships every weekday on the Washington State Ferry system. All products are stocked and sold at TAL’s Friday Harbor, Wash. location.
The dealer said that it will be transition the Friday Harbor reload center from its current leased site to the MVBC location over the next few weeks.
“We are excited to join the TAL Holdings Team,” Kok said. “TAL’s resources and operational support coupled with their market strength makes for an excellent combination. I am pleased that TAL has decided to continue to operate under the Mount Vernon Building Center name.” Mr. Kok will be joining the TAL organization in the day-to-day management of the MVBC location.
“Mount Vernon Building Center has a strong, experienced employee group. Their years of experience in our industry make their locations the place to go for building solutions for the consumer as well as the contractor,” noted Dittmer. "This acquisition is an excellent addition to our company. We are anxious to expand our footprint in this growing market,” added Dittmer.
Based in Vancouver, Wash., TAL Holdings operates five LBM/Home Center divisions.
The dealer's divisions include Tum-A-Lum Lumber, founded in 1906, serving the Hood River, The Dalles, and Pendleton markets in Oregon; Marson and Marson Lumber, founded in 1955, serving the Leavenworth, Wenatchee, and Cle Elum markets of Washington; Browne’s Home Center, founded in 1947, serving the San Juan Islands of Washington; Gerretsen Building Supply, founded in 1923, serving the Roseburg, Ore. market; and Lake Chelan Building Supply, founded in 1979, serving the Manson and Chelan markets of North Central Washington.
All five divisions provide contractors and homeowners with a wide assortment of building material products and services.