GranQuartz Gets Somaca

Jeff Fox, Harbour Group's CEO, announced on July 30 that GranQuartz would be acquiring the Somaca assets. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
“C.R. Laurence has a great business and is clearly the leader in its industry,” Mr. Fox said. "Similarly, GranQuartz and the other businesses in our tool distribution group, including Pearlman/Keystone Tools, Stone Tool Supply and Dimensional Tools, are the leading distributors of tools, supplies and equipment for the stone fabrication and tile industries.”
C.R. Laurence, a Los Angeles-based manufacturing and supplier of glass-industry tooling and machinery, acquired the Somaca stone division when it bought Sommer & Maca Industries Inc. ("Somaca") in March 2008. Somaca, founded in 1920 and based in Cicero, Ill., also served the glass industry for years before starting its Somaca Stone operations.
Shortly after it acquired Somaca, C.R. Laurence completed a strategic review of its business and elected to focus on its core glass-fabrication market.
“We'd known Somaca for decades and thought very highly of their team and in particular their entrepreneurial spirit, as evidenced by the stone business they started from scratch a few years ago,” said Don Friese, C.R. Laurence chairman/CEO. “While Sommer & Maca had begun to build a very strong presence in the stone and tile industry, what we really want to do is focus our attention on serving our core glass fabrication customer better than anybody else in the world.
“At the same time, we wanted to make sure the customers who had supported the growth of the Somaca Stone division would be serviced by the best-possible supplier in the world to that market.”
Harbour added the Somaca assets to GranQuartz, the Tucker, Ga.-based supplier of tooling and stone-fabrication accessories. Harbour acquired GranQuartz in a deal finalized on July 7.
“We are looking forward to providing Somaca's customers with a broader product line and industry-leading customer service, including multiple ordering and delivery methods,” Fox added. “Harbour Group has demonstrated its dedication to this industry, and we will continue to aggressively grow our businesses through both internal investment and acquisitions of other leading complementary businesses."
Harbour Group, a St. Louis-based privately owned company based in St. Louis, operates a number of companies in various industrial-manufacturing sectors. Since its founding in 1976, Harbour Group completed over 150 acquisitions in 34 industries.