Hills Distribution Adds Bender Plumbing Supply

Grove Mountain Partners Acquires Majority Stake in Plimpton & Hills

January 10, 2024

Building Products

Grove Mountain Partners has acquired a majority stake in Plimpton & Hills, a 125-year-old wholesale distributor of plumbing and HVAC equipment serving the Northeast. The Stephens Group made a minority investment to support the transaction; the Hills family retains equity and board representation while longtime executive Susan Montgomery is promoted to President.

R.P. Lumber Agrees to Acquire Bender Lumber

February 1, 2026

Retail

R.P. Lumber, a family-owned building materials retailer and home center based in Illinois, agreed to acquire Bender Lumber, a Southern Indiana building supply company with full-service lumberyards. The deal adds eight Indiana locations to R.P. Lumber’s footprint, bringing its total to 99 stores across seven states.

Trinity Hunt Partners Acquires Blackhawk Supply to Launch HVAC Distribution Platform

July 1, 2025

HVAC & Mechanical

Trinity Hunt Partners has made a majority investment in Blackhawk Supply, a Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based specialty distributor of HVAC parts, to establish a national HVAC distribution platform. Trinity Hunt appointed Troy Vellinga as CEO and Jason Lewis as Chief Development Officer and intends to scale the business through organic initiatives and buy-and-build add-on acquisitions.

First Supply Acquires Able Distributors

January 15, 2026

Building Products

First Supply, the family-owned Wisconsin wholesaler, has acquired Able Distributors, a Chicagoland HVAC supplier with four branches in the Chicago area. The deal adds 48 team members, expands First Supply’s presence in a priority Midwest market and brings Able’s hydronic heat, radiant systems and HVAC product offerings into the First Supply organization.

The Chill Brothers Acquires Tucker Hill Air, Plumbing & Electrical

February 18, 2026

IT Services

The Chill Brothers, an HVAC and multi-trade home services provider, announced the acquisition of Tucker Hill Air, Plumbing & Electrical to enter the Phoenix, Arizona market. The deal adds a local, multi-trade team serving HVAC, plumbing, and electrical needs across the greater Phoenix metro area, with all Tucker Hill employees continuing under the Tucker Hill brand.

Gryphon Investors Acquires Benoist Brothers Supply Co.

February 15, 2022

Building Products

Gryphon Investors has acquired Benoist Brothers Supply Co., a 90-year-old Midwest HVAC/R distributor with 13 branches, and will operate the business as an independent division of its Wittichen Supply Holding Company. Benoist's management and the Benoist family retain a minority stake; the deal creates a multi-region HVAC/R distribution platform to expand geographic coverage and product availability across the Midwest and Southeast.