HOUSTON — Distribution International, Inc. (DI), a distributor and fabricator in the mechanical insulation market, on Tuesday announced it has acquired E.J. Bartells. Headquartered in Renton, Washington, E.J. Bartells is a supplier of mechanical and industrial insulation, fabrication, refractory, and HVAC products throughout the Pacific Northwest and Western states. Houston-based DI is a portfolio company of global private equity firm Advent International.
Celeste Mastin, CEO of Distribution International said, “With the acquisition of E.J. Bartells, we have significantly expanded our North American, coast-to-coast footprint into Alaska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, and Washington state with the addition of the premier insulation distributor in the Pacific Northwest.”
“Providing the best solutions to our customers has always been the focus at E.J. Bartells. The additional products and resources that will be available to our customers through DI will allow us to be even more competitive in meeting our customers’ needs,” said Brian Farnsworth, President of E.J. Bartells.
Rick Smith, CEO of E.J. Bartells and former President of the National Insulation Association said, “DI’s commitment to customers and employees is in keeping with our own philosophy and consistent with our vision for our industry legacy.”
The Houston-based Distribution International has 83 branch locations and provides its customers with mission-critical products and services across the commercial building, chemicals, energy, power, railcar and marine end markets. Most of DI’s sales are derived from ongoing maintenance and repair spending in industrial installations and commercial buildings. The company has grown significantly over the past four years, having completed 14 acquisitions and has the broadest reach of any distributor of mechanical insulation products in the U.S. and Canada.
