RJ Kool – a commercial laundry distributor with headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. – recently purchased BDS Laundry, a distributorship based in St. Paul, Minn. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The sale of BDS includes its vended and on-premises laundry equipment operations, as well as the company’s online parts and service businesses. However, BDS Laundry Management, a provider of route laundry services and equipment sales to multi-housing customers, was not included in the sale.
The purchase of BDS expands RJ Kool’s presence in the Midwest. In addition to its existing sales and service operations in Kansas City; St. Louis; Springfield, Mo.; Omaha, Neb.; and Tulsa, Okla., the company will begin serving customers in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
“The purchase of BDS represents a major milestone in our company’s strategy to become the premier commercial laundry distributor in the United States,” said RJ Kool co-owner Bill Kimmel. “We are thrilled to expand our footprint and accelerate our growth.”
BDS employees will be retained, and the company will be rebranded as RJ Kool in the coming months. Moreover, BDS second-generation owner David DeMarsh will remain active in the business and serve as a consultant during the transition.
“We are excited to welcome BDS employees and customers to our company,” stated Darren Harding, co-owner of RJ Kool. “BDS has a long history of success and innovation in the industry, and we look forward to continuing this tradition.”
“Customers can rest assured knowing their existing relationships with BDS sales and service representatives will continue uninterrupted,” DeMarsh explained. “I am confident in RJ Kool’s leadership team and look forward to supporting the company during the transition.”
