In 1939, the Zoeller family set out to establish its foundation in Louisville, Ky. That year, brothers Carl and Vince Zoeller established Masters’ Supply Inc., a full-service wholesaler of plumbing and heating supplies. It was established alongside the Zoeller Pump company, led by brothers Bob and Jerry Zoeller. 

Both businesses flourished, and in 1957, driven by incredible growth and momentum, Masters’ Supply relocated to central Louisville, where it resides today. Carl and Vince Zoeller’s vision for the company remains true today. “Carl and Vince’s vision for customers was to provide the best service in town for the plumbing and HVAC trades,” says Jack Bell, president of Masters’ Supply. “Today, we still try to be the best service wholesaler to all our customers, emphasizing selling them quality products.” 

How did the company come up with its name? “We are Masters’ Supply, which means we are masters at what we do. ‘Whatever it takes’ has been a company motto since its founding,” he replies. And now, celebrating its 85th anniversary, it’s easy to see how the company has lived up to and exceeded its name. 

In 1997, the company transitioned into an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Today, the now 151 team member-owners take great pride and care of Masters’ Supply, which covers the plumbing, PVF, hydronics and HVAC verticals. Currently, the company has eight locations with showrooms throughout Kentucky.

Memorable Milestones 

Masters’ Supply has experienced pivotal moments shaping its legacy, marked by strategic implementations to meet evolving customer needs and propel company growth. “We are good at adapting to change,” Bell notes. “We strive to serve customers to the best of our ability and find ways to make it easy to do business with Masters’ Supply. We have successfully grown our customers’ businesses through these initiatives and changes.”

In 1984, the demand for PVF supplies rose, and Masters’ Supply included the vertical in its offerings. Today, PVF represents 40 percent of its business. Continuing on its growth plan, as well as listening to the needs of its customers (both contractor and DIY), in 1990, the company created its Creative Kitchen and Bath (CKB) showrooms, providing it an identity by renaming its showrooms and adding a kitchen design team for its fixtures and cabinetry offerings. Its website states, “We operate with one goal: to bring your vision and ideas to life from beginning to end.”

Innovation continued, and in 1996, Masters’ Supply opened the first drive-thru service in the plumbing industry. “The idea came from one of our salespeople. He stated that if a hamburger joint (McDonald’s) can do it, why can’t Masters’ Supply incorporate a quick service to get customers in and out?” Bell says. 

He explains: “We constructed a small building to house material and a dedicated drive-thru lane for order pickup. Customers call their orders in to our sales staff or use our order entry service on our website. They drive up to the building to receive their orders. With our drive-thru service, we average about 125 orders a day. Our goal is to make the customer experience unique. Our motto is, ‘Ease of Business = Profits.’ We constantly strive to better our services.” The company has successfully added drive-thru windows to most of its locations.

In 2015, the company made a significant change and investment by transitioning to an enterprise resource planning system. “We went from a legacy system to Epicor Prophet 21, which helped us grow our business with a distribution tool that made us leaner and more productive,” Bell says. “We have also noticed significant improvements with inventory control, and our losses became minimal.”

The company used its Louisville branch as its central distribution area; however, the increased growth necessitated a new approach. So, in 2021, the company opened its first central distribution center. “The operational challenges and the company’s growth made this a necessary change,” Bell explains. “The change helped us distribute smarter, and the expense savings helped reach the return on investment much quicker.”

Masters’ Supply has also heavily invested in technology, and its website and online ordering are only a start. “We have had online ordering for more than 20 years, and it is in the process of being updated,” Bell says. In addition, the company is in the process of developing a new app and adding updates to its two websites, masterssupply.com and ckandb.com

And, as they say, no man is an island. In 1997, Masters’ Supply joined the Southern Wholesalers Association (SWA);  it has been an active and involved member since the start. “Membership in SWA has been rewarding for our company,” Bell notes. “The vendor participation with the SWA is strong, and the networking opportunities are vast, not only at the annual convention but all year. The educational offerings through SWA have been great for us, too. We send our employees to sales training, the Profit Enhancement school, the valve schools, and other offerings such as best practices and workshops.” 

This investment and giveback has supported the company’s growth initiatives and commitment to  customer service and satisfaction excellence. 

“Masters’ Supply has consistently supported SWA for many years,” says Terry Shafer, executive vice president of SWA. “Jack Bell has served as president and board chairman, and Nathan Wachtel, Masters’ vice president and CFO, has served on the board of directors. They continue to provide leadership to our association and are a guiding force within SWA, significantly bolstering its growth and resilience.” 

Celebrating Team Owners

When it was established 85 years ago, Masters’ Supply’s cornerstone was offering its customers the best products and  ease of business. “We are proud to get our customers’ materials to them promptly and with service that sets us apart from our competition,” Bell says. This is accomplished by the distributor’s  core value: the team in place to execute at the highest level. And that it did. So much so that in 1997, the company transitioned into a 100 percent ESOP entity. 

The transition has defined Masters’ Supply as an employment opportunity with a visible career path. “It is not only a job opportunity, but a career opportunity,” Bell notes. 

In 2016, Masters’ Supply created a new mission, vision statements and five core values. Bell says: “Our mission statement is simple: ‘To employ the best people who provide quality products and superior customer service.’ We display banners in all our branches of the five core values: pride, trust, opportunity, collaboration and dedication. Our employees and customers are reminded of these values when they see them displayed. And we take it further with our employees with discussions and educational opportunities.” Culture is King!

To celebrate the culture, the distributor held its first shareholders’ meeting earlier this year, which took place at the French Lick Casino and Hotel. “More than 80 percent of our employees and their plus-ones attended,” Bell notes. “We incorporated roundtable discussions with information about our ESOP and a dinner/meeting with all attendees to discuss where the company is and our vision for the future. We gave our employees several nice gifts and one employee an extra week of PTO. The event was well received by our shareholders, and everyone is looking forward to our 90th anniversary!” 

Reaching an 85th anniversary is no small feat, especially in an industry as competitive and dynamic as wholesale plumbing. It takes resilience and being tuned into customer wants and needs while delivering unparalleled service. “We are good at adapting to change,” Bell notes. “We strive to serve customers to the best of our ability and find ways to make it easy to do business with Masters’ Supply. We feel that we have been successful in growing our customers’ businesses through these initiatives and changes.” 

Giving Back to Grow

Giving back to its local communities is essential to Masters’ Supply, and the company believes in investing in its communities to drive its growth and health. “We network through meeting people at community events, especially builders’ groups,” Bell explains. “We raise money or collect gifts/clothing for nonprofit organizations. We support youth sports and their fundraisers and use social media in the areas we serve.” It’s all about giving back to grow. 

The company is not slowing down and is celebrating its anniversary in several ways. From fun marketing events scheduled throughout this year to its internal shareholders meeting that took place earlier in the year, as well as planning for its first customer incentive trip post-COVID-19 (taking place in early 2025), there are many reasons to celebrate.

Cheers to Masters’ Supply and its team owners, and here’s to the next 85!