Johnstone Supply, Inc. celebrated the opening of its 400th location in Toms River, N.J. as part of the Kenilworth Group, one of the cooperative’s leading members. Owner-operators of the group, Bob Zimmermann and his wife Kate, brother Bud Zimmermann, and sister Marydette Holt, were on hand along with DeWight Wallace, Johnstone Supply’s CEO and Mark Askew, vice president of membership, to officially cut the ribbon on the new branch located at 1001 Corporate Blvd. in Toms River. This latest location is the sixth owned by the Zimmermann family in the greater northern New Jersey area.

At 12,500 sq. ft., the branch contains 4,000 sq. ft. of showroom space and an 8,500 sq. ft. warehouse. George Morgan serves as regional manager for both the Toms River and Tinton Falls locations, with assistant branch manager Ray Carbone responsible for the day-to-day operations of the new branch.

Together the men have 34 years of combined HVAC experience to bring to the business, and 19 years of combined service at Johnstone Supply. Both men hold NJ Master HVACR licenses.

Well known in the area for their superior customer service and product availability, the new store is just one part of a continuing program to remodel and relocate their facilities to larger locations to keep up with their growing business. “The Zimmermanns represent some of the very finest of Members in the cooperative and we were all very excited that their group would be opening the 400th location,” remarked Wallace.

The Zimmermanns joined the cooperative in 1987, with the opening of their Kenilworth store. Prior to that, Bob owned his own mechanical contracting company and Bud had been a salesman with Pitney-Bowes. They opened the South Plainfield branch in 1993, the Tinton Falls (previously Eatontown) branch in 1996 and the Whippany branch in 2002. The group’s last expansion was in 2007, with the opening of the Saddle Brook location. Marydette Holt joined her family in January 1997 and serves as CFO.

Johnstone Supply members serve both urban and rural contractors, with locations in 47 states across the country and in Guam.