Baltimore—Fishman Flooring Solutions recently announced has purchased Sobol Sales of Cleveland, Ohio. Sobol has been distributing products to the flooring installation industry in Northern Ohio since 1957. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The purchase of Sobol gives Fishman a strong foothold in the greater Cleveland area, as well as the Toledo market, where Sobol expanded in recent years. The acquisition is part of Fishman’s ongoing strategic plan that includes expanding its product line, acquiring established companies in new territories, as well as growing its business organically.
“We conducted extensive due diligence before concluding this transaction and the feedback from the marketplace was that Bob Sobol and his team have set the highest standards for quality products, information and service,” said Bob Wagner, president and CEO of Fishman Flooring Solutions. “Our mission now becomes building an even more loyal customer base in Northern Ohio by combining the things that made Sobol successful over the years with Fishman’s complementary product line and our approach to efficiently and effectively managing a flooring product distribution business.”
Bob Sobol will continue to be involved in the firm’s day-to-day operations, acccording to Wagner, as will several other members of the Sobol team. The objective, he said, is to have “familiar faces” interact with customers and continue to provide them the best in customer service.
Sobol customers will now benefit from the state-of-the-art technology Fishman uses to operate its business. This includes an advanced website, remote access to customer information, advanced truck routing and state-of-the-art purchasing capability, which enables it to quickly fill special orders.