Oakmont, Pa.-based Chelsea Building Products has a new business partner in Hood Distribution for the Everlast composite PVC siding it helped develop years ago for another company.
Founded in 1855, Hood Distribution consists of two operating groups. The McQuestan Group, which has locations in Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts, will supply Everlast to wholesale and retail lumberyards and others in the Northeast market.
“Their energy and expertise, combined with our game-changing product, will yield great success for both companies,” Gary Hartman, Cheslea's vice president of sales and marketing, said in a press release.
Everlast is made from a proprietary mix of inorganic materials with polymeric resins that have an acrylic cap for color. The siding comes in 14 colors produced on line as the product is extruded.
Chelsea's involvement with developing the product goes back years when Owen Corning Corp., which owned Norandex Building Materials Distribution Inc., was trying to come up with a composite siding made of fiberglass.
Norandex then was sold to Cie. de Saint-Gobain, the French parent of CertainTeed Corp., which took over the siding project but couldn't make it work. Chelsea continued the project but switched direction from fiberglass to inorganic fillers and came up with technical solution that Norandex commercialized.
Norandex then sold again to American Builders and Contractors Supply Co., which sold the brand and distribution rights for Everlast products to Chelsea in August. ABC Supply continues to distribute Everlast through its 600 locations.
Everlast is in high demand by Hood customers because it is lightweight but strong, easy to cut and install, and is available with color-matched trim, according to Brad Wanzenberg, director of sales and marketing for Hood Distribution.
“The Everlast product lineup brings compelling value to the siding segment, and will be a welcome addition to our growing portfolio of exterior products,” Wanzenberg said in the release.