Sam Tell and Son buys competitor Premium Supply
Jay Pattinger is owner of Premium Supply Co., which was acquired by Sam Tell and Son Inc. Credit: Newsday / Erica Marcus
Farmingdale-based Sam Tell and Son Inc., a third-generation provider of restaurant and food service supplies and equipment, said this week it is acquiring Deer Park-based competitor Premium Supply Co. The resulting company will have revenues of about $100 million, Premium’s owner said.
The companies both offer restaurants and food service companies kitchen equipment, supplies, and installation and design services. Sam Tell, founded in 1956, reported sales of $69.7 million last year, according to Foodservice Equipment Reports, an industry trade publication.
Jay Pattinger, owner of Premium Supply, said the acquisition gives Sam Tell a “stronger grip on the tri-state” market. Pattinger’s company — which has roughly $30 million in annual sales, he said — was founded on Long Island, and has focused primarily on serving the Island, whereas Sam Tell has roots in Manhattan.
Marc Tell, president and chief executive of the Sam Tell Companies, the parent company of Sam Tell, said, “Jay’s company is a widely known name on Long Island.” The acquisition, the company’s eighth, “fills a hole in Sam Tell’s regional strategy.”
He said the deal is expected to close next month.
Sam Tell will be adding Premium’s employees to its workforce, bringing its total Long Island employee count to 160, Tell said.
Pattinger, who started his business in 1990 after a career in wholesale liquor distribution, said in an interview that “it was time for me” to sell. “I went from selling wine and liquor to selling toilet paper and refrigerators,” he said.
Pattinger said that he suffered a heart attack three years ago, and he wanted to make sure his 65 employees could continue to stay in business in the event of his absence. “I don’t have succession in my family for the business,” he added.
