Under the terms of the plan, Triplex will move its operations into Empire’s 13,000 square foot Chatsworth facility, and titles will be shipped and invoiced under the Empire name, which will allow both companies to control costs and increase productivity.
According to Triplex President Eric Hannah, the two companies are a natural fit for an alliance because of a longstanding relationship with each other.
“Empire and Triplex have grown along a parallel path and have a great history of cooperation,” Hannah said. “This seemed to us like a natural evolution, especially given the changing nature of the industry.”
Empire President Roy Karch told XBIZ the alliance benefits both companies and their customers.
“We’ve been mirror images of each other for a long time,” Karch said. “This move gives us the ability to buy together and sell together, which helps use better serve our customers. We always been known as service-oriented companies, and that will continue.”
According to Karch, Empire’s warehouse was the logical choice because it offered the most up-to-date, streamlined facility. But he said bringing together both sales staffs was also a key factor in forming the alliance.
“The chance to bring more than two dozen veteran sales people under one roof was too good to resist. It’s an All-Star team the likes of which this industry may never see again. The staff will represent over 450 years of combined experience — four-and-a-half centuries of knowledge and expertise that we’ll be bringing to our customers.”
