Salem Stone, Bergman-Blair Merge

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Salem Stone Division of Salem Distributing Co. and Bergman-Blair Machine Corp. are being combined.
The two companies announced the deal on Oct. 15. No terms were announced.
John Bergman will operate the new Bergman-Blair Division, which will remain in Oyster Bay, N.Y. He will answer technical questions, sell new equipment and recommend tools and other consumable products from Salem Stone’s extensive line.
“We anticipate a sales and service network second to none,” notes Bergman. “Our present and future customers should benefit immensely, and as the industry continues to grow, the structure will be in place already to meet all future demands.”
Salem Distributing Co., based in Winston-Salem, is now in its 70th year of continuous operation, and the origins of Bergman-Blair date back to 1895. Salem Stone markets a complete and comprehensive line of tools and consumable supplies and Bergman-Blair has long represented some of the world’s premier builders of stone machinery.
Salem Stone will now have access to the superior machinery represented by Bergman-Blair. These machines include Gmm S.p.A. saws, Montresor & C S.r.l. edging machines, stonelec multi-functional machines and Fraccaroli & Balzan S.p.A water-purification systems; one new addition to the line is Bimatech S.r.L. CNC work centers. Salem Stone will also continue to represent the Bovone StonEdge vertical edging machines.
“We are very excited about the combination of our two companies, which has formed one of the largest machine and consumable supply forces in the stone industry,” says Bob Long, president of Salem Distributing. “We are especially pleased to be working with John Bergman, not only because of his extensive knowledge of the stone industry and equipment but also for his impeccable reputation and history of fair and honest dealing.”