A 144-year old industrial supply company at the heart of the Benton Harbor Arts District has been sold to a Grand Rapids firm, but will continue to operate as an independent business, continuing service to local clients as they have for years.
Brammall Supply Company, at 196 Water Street in the city, has been acquired by JCT Industries of Grand Rapids which is itself an affiliate of Nemic, Inc. also of Grand Rapids. That means that for the first time in 77 years Brammall will no longer be owned by the Ankli family of Benton Harbor. Ken Ankli, the now former President of Brammall was the most recent owner of the industrial supply house, a third generation owner from the Ankli family, and he not only played a key role in the manufacturing health of Michigan’s Great Southwest, he was a pioneer in the development of the burgeoning Arts District and actually continues to serve as President of the New Territory Arts Association whose headquarters is right next door to Brammall’s long time home.
Brammall Industrial Supply has long been Southwestern Michigan’s largest locally owned industrial distributorship, delivering a broad product line to the manufacturing community including abrasives, carbide cutting tools, high speed cutting tools, mold & die supplies, precision tools & gaging, machine tool accessories, and product lines for maintenance and repair.
Ken Ankli tells us, “After lengthy deliberations, we made the difficult decision to transition our family-owned business to new ownership. While we had the opportunity to sell to larger companies, we chose a buyer whose values and culture is very much like our own. Nemic, Inc. has a similar history of being family-owned and customer focused. We are delighted that Brammall Supply will continue to operate as an independent entitu under the direction of the Nemic family, and will continue to serve its clients in much the same fashion as it has over our 144 years.”
Jason Nemic is a co-owner of JCT Industries. He says that the company have been looking for ways to grow their presence across the region, noting, “Brammall Supply has always had an great reputation in the industry,” and calling it, “A great opportunity for us to take that next step.” He also says, “We chose to keep Brammall as an independent company, and we plan on utilizing best practices from both organizations to further improve the client experience.” He adds, “Brammall customers will continue to work with the same people that they have in the past and will have access to the same product lines they have always had.”
Brammall retains its name and identity, and all employees remain the same. Ken tells me, “Like I told my employees when I broke the news to them, ‘Brammall Supply has been owned by just three families in 144 years, as of this morning, it is owned by a fourth family.'” He adds, “I could not be happier with the firm we chose to sell to, and I have every expectation that Brammall will be around — in Benton Harbor — for many years to come.”
