Kodiak Building Partners acquires Builders Alliance

Drew Orem and Mike Werner, co-presidents of Builders Alliance, and Kodiak Building Partners announced today the acquisition of Builders Alliance, as of August 1, 2019.  Builders Alliance was founded in 1913 and has remained the area’s largest and longest-serving building supply center, over its 106 years of operation.

Drew and Mike will remain co-presidents of Builders Alliance and have chosen to be a part of the ownership group of Kodiak Building Partners, as many sellers have done.  Builders Alliance will join the Building Materials Group of Kodiak and will report to Pat Flood, co-president of this Kodiak segment.

Mike Werner (Drew’s brother-in-law), joined Builders Alliance in 1991, and together, he and Drew have run the company collaboratively since 1999 and acquired majority ownership by 2009. Drew and Mike still have goals for Builders Alliance and “boxes to check”, and the sale to Kodiak was part of their strategy to further expand the organization and provide more growth opportunities for their 56 employees.

Drew commented that “If you aren’t growing, you are going backwards”; Kodiak Building Partners will help Mike and me continue adding value to our business which, in turn, benefits our employees, customers, and vendors.  We have a stellar group of employees, and by joining the Kodiak family, they will have more opportunities to further their professional development, not only here in Washington but in many other areas of the country as well.”

Kodiak’s CEO, Steve Swinney, shares that it made perfect sense for Drew and Mike to partner with Kodiak.  “As they had researched the opportunities, costs, and risks of either green fielding or purchasing existing businesses to grow their operation,  Mike and Drew recognized that they could utilize our resources and enjoy the benefit of  Kodiak’s experience to make these decisions, while continuing to run their family business; they just happen to now be a part of a larger family!  Additionally, Builders Alliance will nicely compliment Frontier Building Supply, which is also located in Washington state which we acquired in 2018.”

Kellick & Associates was the exclusive advisor to the sellers.

Builders Alliance is a traditional lumberyard that is pro-oriented, with about 60% of its business serving single family home contractors, with DIYers, industrial, and institutional clients rounding out the balance.  Their single location sells building materials, including millwork, cabinets, countertops, and windows and is considered “decking central” in northwest Washington.