Safely Ahead of the Game

To Acquire Is to Grow

Shortly after his buyout of the company in June 2005, Longo says he intended to make acquisitions and acquire a new distribution center. Then this past May, he followed through. Northern Safety acquired Safeco, an occupational safety products supplier based in Kingsport, Tenn. Immediately following the close of the acquisition, the company purchased a 160,000-square-foot warehouse in nearby Church Hill, Tenn., and started refurbishing the building to house both a distribution center and office space for customer service and sales. At press time, the facility was partially open and was expected to be fully operational by mid-August.