PrimeSource acquires California fastener supplier

PrimeSource Building Products has made its second acquisition this year, purchasing Compass International, an Anaheim, Calif.-based fastener manufacturer, for an undisclosed sum.

Compass is best known for its Marker brand of screws for drywall, sheet metal, wood and cement, as well as Marker steel fasteners and driver accessories. Other brands include Dart self drilling screws, Deck mark deck fasteners and Tapmark concrete accessories.

Founded in 1973, Compass also operates locations in Des Plaines, Ill. (near Chicago); Spring, Texas (outside of Houston); and Doraville, Ga. (near Atlanta).

PrimeSource said it will consolidate the Compass products under its Pro-Twist brand and extend its distribution coast to coast. Based in Carrollton, Texas, PrimeSource has 37 distribution centers through out the United States and Canada. Sales in 2007 were an estimated $1.7 billion, a 21.4 percent jump over the previous year’s, according to the Home Channel News Top 150 Distributors Scoreboard.

Earlier this year, PrimeSource acquired 3-G Supply, a Cleveland fastener wholesaler that served Michigan, Indiana and parts of Kentucky and Pennsylvania. 3-G also operated a warehouse in East Brunswick, N.J.

Compass International is the second West Coast company purchased by PrimeSource in the last 12 months. In the fall of 2007, PrimeSource acquired Pacific Steel and Supply, one of the largest independent nail distributors in the West, with warehouses in California and Washington State.

In addition to its Pro-Twist and Grip-Rite brands, PrimeSource carries a full line of building materials , including tools , compressors , fencing, house wrap, insulation, roofing, rebar and drywall.