Lauren Jones took over as CEO of The Supply Room in the first quarter of 2019, four years after joining the company.
For more news on The Supply Room, read the following:
2022
The Supply Room acquires jan/san specialist
OPI Talk podcast: The Supply Room’s Source acquisition
The Supply Room makes major acquisition
2021
The Supply Room rebrands division
Background information
2022: Founded in 1951, The Supply Room is currently the second-largest independent dealer in the US and the biggest in the state of Virginia. A third-generation family-owned and operated business, it is furthermore a SWaM-certified (small, women- and minority-owned) supplier.
Lauren Jones took on the CEO role at the beginning of 2019, four years after joining the company. She has overseen the rebranding of its Lawrence Environmental division to the Facility Operations unit and introduced a new department that focuses on medical sales.
This year, The Supply Room has been focused on acquisitions. The first, in January, saw the purchase of Source Office & Technology, a significant player in the Denver, Colorado, market. Founded in 1990 by industry peer John Givens, Source is a key asset for the dealer, marking the expansion of the business outside of its mid-Atlantic region. It continues to operate under its own name as a division of The Supply Room.
A purchase closer to home builds on the company’s jan/san expertise. Beach Chemical and Paper, a veteran-owned facilities and foodservice reseller headquartered in Virginia Beach, was bought in August.
Says Jones: “As The Supply Room navigated through 2022, strategic acquisitions have been a major part of our growth strategy. While there have been numerous challenges, especially related to supply chain and workforce stability, we are excited for our company’s collective opportunity heading into 2023.”
2021: Despite the pandemic, The Supply Room exceeded its revenue in 2020 over the previous year. This was achieved through the creation of two additional business divisions, which also helped to better meet the needs of the market, according to CEO Lauren Jones.
One of the new departments focuses on medical sales, while Facility Operations deals with the increased demand for cleaning, maintenance and janitorial products. Not resting on its laurels, The Supply Room continues to diversify its offering through growth in the office and school furniture and breakroom supplies and services categories.
In July 2020, the independent dealer hired Susan Long, who joined the executive team as Chief People Officer with a mandate to direct the company’s human resources department and focus on employee recruitment, retention and engagement.
2019: Lauren Jones took over as CEO of US-based independent dealer The Supply Room on 1 March 2019. She replaces industry veteran Patricia Barber, who will retire in June.
Jones, who has 15 years of marketing, communications, and leadership experience, joined the The Supply Room in 2015 as EVP of Communications. She will work with Barber to ensure a smooth transition.
