The Industrial Distribution 2022 Big 50

Distributors take aim amidst the shifting winds of a challenging business environment.

Oct 7, 2022

For many industrial distributors, beating their 2020 sales figures was like swinging at a slow and low softball.

After the economy was shattered by the pandemic, industrial companies who offered critical supplies worked hard to reach their customers, but did so against a backdrop of challenges — shutdowns, shortages and fear of what was to come.

Last year, we saw many businesses limp their way onto this list, posting sales figures down as much as 20 to 30 percent from the year prior.

That’s why assembling this year’s Big 50 has been such an interesting and exciting exercise. Distributors have taken aim and found themselves back on the board, despite what would be considered a massive slate of challenges in any other year. But perspectives have changed, and businesses seem grateful for the opportunity to keep their doors open and offer their clients the improvement opportunities they’re known for.

WATCH OUR BIG 50 COUNTDOWN VIDEOS: Part 1: 50-31, Part 2: 30-11, Part 3: 10-1

This year, we see some companies on this list gain several spots due to massive sales gains supported by a fairly even (or even positive) year in 2020. But most, instead, saw the impact of the high tide raising all ships — meaning they stayed fairly stable in the rankings despite sizable revenue bumps.

Another impact of the rising tide was that, despite challenges relating to the supply chain, inflation and talent shortages, an impressive volume of acquisitions took place. We detail this 2021 activity in the coming pages, along with notable 2022 additions, as well. The strong M&A activity underscores a general business confidence that is reflected in this report, where distributors refuse to yield to temporary market conditions and seem committed to carrying out their strategic plans.

And it seems to be only getting better from here. While this report examines the 2021 fiscal environment, many of the companies on our list are showing marked increases in sales revenue into their first and second quarters of 2022, some posting records.

Congratulations to all of the companies listed in the coming pages; we foresee continued growth as they move forward.

The Industrial Distribution 2022 Big 50
#	Company	Headquarters	2021 Sales	Top Executive	Locations	Employees
1	W.W. Grainger	Lake Forest, IL	$13 billion	DG Macpherson	555	24,200
2	Motion	Birmingham, AL	$7.5 billion	Randy Breaux	850+	9,100+
3	Airgas	Radnor, PA	$6.3 billion	Marcelo Fioranelli	N/A	N/A
4	Fastenal	Winona, MN	$6 billion	Daniel Florness	3,209	20,507
5	Winsupply	Dayton, OH	$5.5 billion	John McKenzie	650	8,161
6	White Cap	Norcross, GA	$4.8 billion	John Stegeman	450+	9,000+
7	MSC Industrial Supply	Melville, NY	$3.24 billion	Erik Gershwind	N/A	N/A
8	Applied Industrial Technologies	Cleveland, OH	$3.23 billion	Neil Schrimsher	568	5,900
9	Wesco (Industrial)	Pittsburgh, PA	N/A	John Engel	N/A	N/A
10	MRC Global	Houston, TX	$2.66 billion	Rob Saltiel	N/A	N/A
11	Würth Industry North America	Greenwood, IN	$2.64 billion	Dan Hill	81	2,499
12	F.W. Webb Company	Bedford, MA	$1.8 billion	Jeff Pope	112	~3,100
13	Vallen Distribution	Belmont, NC	$1.7 billion	Chuck Delph	N/A	N/A
14	DistributionNOW	Houston, TX	$1.63 billion	David Cherechinsky	180	2,350
15	Graybar (Industrial)	St. Louis, MO	$1.4 billion	Kathleen Mazzarella	300+	8,800
16	Ferguson Industrial	Newport News, VA	N/A	Kevin Murphy	1,470	28,000
17	DXP Enterprises	Houston, TX	$1.11 billion	David Little	N/A	N/A
18	Global Industrial Company	Port Washington, NY	$1.1 billion	Barry Litwin	8	1,600
19	Berkshire Tool Supply Group	Novi, MI	N/A	John Beaudoin, Mitch Bair	76	1,300
20	BDI	Cleveland, OH	$824 million	Carl James	187	1,437
21	Turtle & Hughes	Linden, NJ	N/A	Kathleen Shanahan	14	850
22	Optimas Solutions	Wood Dale, IL	$637 million	Daniel Harms	37	1,400
23	Border States	Fargo, ND	$537 million	David White	104	2,600
24	BlackHawk Industrial	Tulsa, OK	N/A	John Mark	46	970
25	D&C North America	Raleigh, NC	$480 million	Philippe Legris	75	1,350
26	R.S. Hughes	Sunnyvale, CA	$461 million	Bill Matthews	51	643
27	Endries International	Brillion, WI	$431 million	Steve Endries	13	1,050
28	Lawson Products	Chicago, IL	$418 million	J. Bryan King	64	3,000
29	SBP Holdings	Dallas, TX	N/A	Craig Osborne	100	993
30	Kimball Midwest	Columbus, OH	$350 million	Pat McCurdy	5	2,050
31	Wajax (Industrial)	Windsor, ON	$344 million	Iggy Domagalski	N/A	N/A
32	Hisco	Houston, TX	$337 million	Bob Dill	N/A	N/A
33	ERIKS North America	Pittsburgh, PA	N/A	Jeffrey Crane	65	~1,000
34	CBT Company	Cincinnati, OH	$270 million	Jay Stahl	3	265
35	DGI Supply	Wheeling, IL	$265 million	Jeff Waller	N/A	N/A
36	Tencarva Machinery Company	Greensboro, NC	$252 million	Ed Pearce	28	374
37	Bossard North America	Cedar Falls, IA	$248 million	David Jones	84	2,700
38	Motion & Flow Control Products	Littleton, CO	$228 million	Ross Surratt	48	598
39	Bridgestone HosePower	Orange Park, FL	$220 million	J. Palmer Clarkson	49	613
40	Mallory Safety and Supply	Portland, OR	$200 million	Tim Loy	32	560
41	Hydradyne LLC	Fort Worth, TX	$195 million	David Parks	31	420
42	Eastern Industrial Supplies	Greenville, SC	N/A	Kip Miller	18	340
43	Shively Bros.	Flint, MI	$157 million	Chris Clarambeau	14	400
44	Martin Inc.	Florence, AL	$156 million	David Ruggles	15	313
45	Echelon Supply and Service	Liverpool, NY	$149 million	Kevin Kilkelly	15	405
46	Banner Industries of N.E.	Danvers, MA	$143 million	Bud Richard	12	100
47	IBT Industrial Solutions	Merriam, KS	$141 million	Jeff Cloud	35	340
48	Cummins-Wagner	Annapolis Junction, MD	$134 million	Doug Ardinger	14	280
49	Valin Corporation	San Jose, CA	$125 million	Joseph Nettemeyer	12	161
50	Mahar Tool Supply	Saginaw, MI	$92 million	Barbara Mahar Lincoln	5	98