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In late 1959, Hans K.F. Koch established Southwestern Suppliers in the then hub of “southwest” Florida,
the St. Petersburg/Tampa area. Mr. Koch, a German immigrant arrived in the United States in 1949, working
first in the cement business in New York, then in the steel industry in southeast Florida. With this
background he moved to the “other coast” of Florida with an idea for his own business.
The company began with just three employees- Mr. Koch, a bookkeeper and a truck driver; and now, still
family owned and operated, it currently employs over 80, with nearly thirty here for more than ten years
each and fifteen already, or soon to be, celebrating their twentieth anniversaries. Mr. Koch, who passed
away in 1984, believed that the people who worked with him were not just his employees- they were his
co-workers.
This same philosophy holds true with our customers. Customers are not just buyers- they are our business!
That is why we have a strong commitment to offering “value for the price” by providing excellent products
and service. Our customers can always count on the consistency of quality products and efficient service
from Southwestern Suppliers.
Now over 40 years since our inception, this outlook has helped us “outgrow” our name. No longer confined
to southwest Florida, we have expanded to serve the entire state through our three divisions: Wholesale
Building Products, Automated Fasteners, and Rebar Fabrication.
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