New distribution center on schedule

Date: 12/9/2008

By Debbie Gardner

PRIME Editor



CHICOPEE Construction is right on schedule for the planned March 2009 opening of Salesmaster Associates new 40,000-square-foot distribution center at 140 Pagett St. in the Westover Industrial Park "It's about 75 percent done. The walls are up and they're building the offices as we speak," Salesmaster President Steven Kurtz told Reminder Publications by telephone from the company's Deer Park, N.Y., headquarters. "We're very excited to be opening this facility. We think its going to be great for our company, great for our people and great for our customers."

Salesmaster Associates is one of the Northeast's largest wholesale distributors of of commercial flooring products to contractors, home improvement centers and installers. It currently operates stocking locations in Albany, N.Y., Edison. N.J, Hartford, Conn., Woburn, Mass., and at its headquarters in Deer Park, N.Y.

The new, state-of-the-art SuperCenter facility in Chicopee will allow the company to provide faster service and larger inventory selections to its other locations as well as to retail customers such as Sherman Williams, Lumber Liquidators and independent retail floorcovering stores.

According to Kurtz, approximately 15 employees will work out of the new facility, including inside staff, warehouse workers, drivers and salespeople.

"We're bringing an existing workforce in [for now]" Kurtz said. "We've got some excellent people , and all have chosen to come with us."

"As we grow the facility we will be hiring from the area," he added.

"Kurtz said he did "a little research" before choosing the Chicopee site as the company's newest location and found "housing was affordable and the school systems were good for hiring [employees] down the road."

"The greater Springfield area is a perfect logistical location [with] access to major highways and a good work force," he said. "We weren't the first company to figure that out"

Founded in 1961 by the president's father, Bert Kurtz, as a small counter operation in East Meadow Long Island, Salesmaster has expanded over the past 50 years to become an industry leader in the distribution of commercial flooring products to the northeast United States.

Its floorcovering line includes products by Roppe, Dramatic Surface Products, Mannington, Chapco, Mapei, Bostick and carpeting by Shaw, Mohawk and Coronet.