Among the optimistic Americans who migrated westward in the late 1800's was A.C. Houston, who founded A.C. Houston Lumber in 1884. The pioneers of the time had set out to build new lives, and Houston established the company that would provide building materials to do so. The first A.C. Houston Lumber yards opened in the small Kansas towns of Eureka and Hamilton. More than one hundred twenty-five years later, A.C. Houston Lumber yards can be found in three western states of California, Idaho, and Nevada with the corporate headquarters being located in North Las Vegas. The corporate headquarters was located in Kansas until 1998, when it relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada.Much has changed since 1884, but the business philosophy of A.C. Houston has been passed down unchanged to third-generation family member, Robert A. Houston, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Our goal is to sell products of quality and strength, give the customer their money's worth, and to treat each customer the way we, ourselves, would want to be treated," Houston says. A.C. Houston Primarily a volume supplier of lumber and building materials to the professional contractor, A.C. Houston Lumber operates retail centers offering products that supplement the construction trade. We fabricate roof and floor trusses at our manufacturing plants using computerized, state-of-the-art equipment in addition to providing engineering assistance and truss design. We encourage you to stop by one of our locations and chat with our staff. They are eager to assist you with all of your building material needs.

Aaron & Company was founded in the early 1900s by plumber Isadore Aaron. His grandson Jeffrey retired from in 2002, leaving the firm without an Aaron for the first time. Aaron & Company knows a thing or two about staying cool. Catering primarily to contractors in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, the wholesaler offers plumbing and HVAC supplies through half a dozen locations in the Garden State. Three of these locations house Aaron Kitchen & Bath Design Galleries, which feature complete kitchen and bathroom set-ups to help customers with building and remodeling plans. Aaron & Company is served by a single 120,000-sq.-ft. distribution center.

Founded in 1960 by the Libman family, Pennsylvania-based Hajoca Corporation acquired Able in 2005. President Barry Libman still runs the business. This company is ready, willing, and, well, you get it. Able Distributing Company supplies contractors with plumbing and heating products through a half-dozen locations in Arizona and Wisconsin. Its locations include showrooms with mock kitchens, bathrooms, and custom installations showcasing fixtures, pipes, tubing, and other items from such brands as Kohler, Delta Faucet Company, and Axor, among others. The company also provides related products and services through subsidiaries Able Technology and Able Field Services.

Luckily, Ace has John Madden up its sleeve. Despite the growth of warehouse-style competitors, Ace Hardware has remained a household name, thanks to ads featuring Madden, a former Oakland Raiders football coach and retired TV commentator. By sales the company is the #1 hardware cooperative in the US, ahead of Do It Best. Ace dealer-owners operate about 4,500 Ace Hardware stores, home centers, and lumber and building materials locations in all 50 US states and more than 60 other countries. From about 15 warehouses Ace distributes such products as electrical and plumbing supplies, garden equipment, hand tools, housewares, and power tools. Its paint division is also a major paint manufacturer in the US.

ACES A/C SUPPLY, INC. was founded in 1983 by president Bill Davenport. When it comes to keeping the Lone Star State cool, this company has an ace in the hole. ACES A/C Supply distributes residential and commercial heating and cooling equipment through some half a dozen locations in Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Corpus Christi, Texas. The company offers systems, parts, and accessories from such brands as Trane (formerly American Standard), Aspen, Climatemaster, Fujitsu, Mortex, and RV Products. ACES A/C Supply sells to HVAC contractors only, but it also provides marketing support, financing, rebates, training, and lead generation to its co-op members.

ACO Hardware, Inc. Founded in 1946 by Ted Traskos and his four brothers, ACO Hardware is still owned by the Traskos family. ACO Hardware can provide both the food and the supplies if you want to get your floor clean enough to eat off. The company's outlets sell automotive supplies, electrical goods, food and beverages, hardware, housewares, paint, lawn and garden necessities, patio furniture, and tools. It also rents equipment for carpet cleaning, plumbing, and home maintenance. ACO Hardware operates about 70 stores in southeastern Michigan, primarily in the Detroit area. Customers can view weekly specials and find hardware tips on the company's Web site.

Chairman Max Gondon founded AMS in 1969. The company was acquired in 2007 by CRH, an Ireland-based building materials maker. Acoustical Material Services (AMS) sells the materials builders need to put a roof over your head -- not to mention hold your whole house together. The company provides acoustical ceiling products, lath and plaster, drywall, doors, and frames, as well as other construction supplies. Customers include large and small contractors, subcontractors, building owners, and dealers. AMS distributes products from about 20 locations in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah, as well as Mexico (via AMS De Mexico). It also exports to markets in Guam, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

Adams Fairacre Farms was founded in 1919 by Ralph Adams Sr. as a roadside produce stand where the Adams family sold the excess from its 50-acre farm. The company added other items as customers requested them. Descendants of Adams, including some third generation members, own and run the family business. From seeds to seafood and fertilizer to fencing, Adams Fairacre Farms has a few things covered. The company's three locations in New York's Hudson River Valley offer groceries, including fresh produce, power equipment (John Deere tractors and mowers, chippers, chain saws), fencing supplies, landscaping materials, and gifts and gardening supplies (plants, seeds, soil, pest control).

Agri-Starts was founded in 1984 by owners Randall Strode and Gerri Abner. Agri-Starts produces and wholesales tissue culture liners and micro cuttings. Put more simply, the company clones plants. The cloning process begins with a single growing tip cut from a plant. From this cut thousands of small plants are grown on a gelled nutrient-rich medium with growth regulators in a temperature- and light-controlled environment. Once the plants are large enough to harvest, Agri-Starts sells them as liners in cell packs to nurseries worldwide. The company maintains about 1,300 plant varieties, and its specialties include elephant ears, bananas, blueberries, and coleus plants.

Walter Alexander, the company's president, is a grandson of the founder, John Alexander, who ran Alexander Lumber until his death in 1944. Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote One Hundred Years of Solitude, and Alexander Lumber can tell you about 100 years of selling wood. More than a century, in fact. The family-owned company was established in 1891. Alexander Lumber conducts wholesale and retail sales of tree products from about 25 retail lumberyards in Illinois and Wisconsin. Alexander Lumber's manufacturing division, Cortland Components, designs and builds wooden trusses and joists for construction at a plant in Cortland, Illinois.

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