Tencarva Acquires Southern Sales Company

In business since 1923 and in its current form since 1968, Southern Sales Company has headquarters in Nashville and represents a broad range of water and wastewater products and services, with territory in Tennessee, Kentucky, and portions of Indiana and Ohio. Former owners and officers of Southern Sales Inc. joining Tencarva will be Bill Allen, as VP of municipal sales, and Ed Guffee, as GM of the Southern Sales Division.

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Greensbor, NC — Tencarva Machinery Company, a distributor of pumps, pumping systems, fluid handling systems and related products, headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., has acquired the assets of Southern Sales Company Inc., of Nashville, Tenn., a municipal sales and service organization, effective November 30, 2012, according to Rod Lee, president of Tencarva.

In business since 1923 and in its current form since 1968, Southern Sales Company has headquarters in Nashville and represents a broad range of water and wastewater products and services, with territory in Tennessee, Kentucky, and portions of Indiana and Ohio. Former owners and officers of Southern Sales Inc. joining Tencarva will be Bill Allen, as vice president of municipal sales, and Ed Guffee, as general manager of the Southern Sales Division. All of the 26 employees of Southern Sales have been offered positions with Tencarva.

In announcing the acquisition, Lee points out, "We expect to take advantage of Bill's and Ed's expertise in the municipal market to grow our business in all regions. Southern Sales has several lines in common with Tencarva, including Gorman-Rupp and Lightnin. In addition to rotating equipment, they have significant sales of large process equipment for the municipal market."

Lee explains, "Southern Sales Company has a customer-oriented culture, very compatible with Tencarva's and an extensive service organization. Southern Sales Company's employees have worked cooperatively with Tencarva's Municipal Division on many projects over the years. They are in a strong growth mode, with recent expansions into Ohio and additional areas in Indiana. The access to Tencarva's accounting and personnel management infrastructure, as well as our financial strength, will enhance this growth."

Allen emphasizes, "Ed and I are excited at the opportunity to join forces with an organization as strong and well respected as Tencarva. This acquisition helps to guarantee that the almost 90-year history of municipal success for Southern Sales will continue for our customers, suppliers and employees. We see a very bright and strong future for everyone involved."

The Southern Sales Division is located at 2929 Kraft Drive, Nashville, TN 37204. Southern Sales' product lines include pumps and pumping systems, blowers, aeration and submersible mixers, filtration systems, wastewater equipment and systems, wet well cleaning and conditioning systems, flow meters, sludge handling and dewatering equipment and systems, valves, flow metering equipment and more. For information on the local product lines, please call (800) 843-5523 or (615) 254-0066. Product information is also available at www.southernsalesinc.com. In addition, Tencarva's Industrial Division Nashville Branch Office is located at 839 Fesslers Parkway, Nashville, TN 37210. For information on Tencarva's full line of products and services available through the Nashville Branch Office, call  (615) 742-3101.

Tencarva most recently was named 35th in the North Carolina Mid-Market Fast 40 ranking published in a supplement to the November 2012 issue of Business North Carolina and verified by Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, LLP, certified public accountants and consultants headquartered in Richmond, Va. Earlier this year, Tencarva was honored nationally as 42nd in the 2012 “Big 50” list of Industrial Distribution magazine. Tencarva was listed as 23rd in the 2012 “Fast 50” companies selected by The Business Journal Serving the Greater Triad Area. Tencarva also ranked 48th in the “Grant Thornton North Carolina 100” privately owned companies as published in Business North Carolina in October 2012.   

Tencarva Machinery Company, headquartered in Greensboro, N. C., is a distributor specializing in pumps, liquid process, and custom-designed systems for the industrial and municipal marketplace. Tencarva is dedicated to providing the highest quality process machinery, coupled with superior customer service and integrity.

Founded in 1978, Tencarva Machinery is committed to providing superior service by supplying innovative engineering assistance, professional equipment selection with extensive product and parts inventory, as well as preventive maintenance and repair services to all its customers. With the addition of the Southern Sales Division, Tencarva has 334 employees at 27 branches in eight states, including Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

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