A SINGLE SOURCE FOR HORTICULTURAL, LAWN & GARDEN & PLANT PRODUCTS
BFG Supply Co. was founded in 1972 by John Gander after seeing the need for a horticultural distributor in the Great Lakes region. Starting small, business was managed out of a local barn, distributing to area greenhouse growers. Staffing with friends and family, the business began to grow. Soon a warehouse was built and additional employees added. Gradually expanding and developing new territories, BFG became a well-known and respected business.
In 2000, BFG welcomed Cardinal Ventures LLC onboard as principal owner. Cardinal, a private equity firm based in Indianapolis, IN, shared our commitment to providing unparalleled service and quality products to our customers. Their resources and expertise enabled us to grow and exceed even our own expectations. At that point, BFG was 8 locations strong covering Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
From 2002 through 2008, BFG Supply made series of acquisitions (including J.G. Smith & Co, Brighton By-Products, MDM Horticulture Supplies and the Kalamazoo Co-Op) and opened new warehouses to further expand our service coverage.
In September 2010, BFG Supply Co. was acquired by Tricor Pacific Capital, Inc., a Vancouver private equity firm with offices in Vancouver, B.C. and Lake Forest (Chicago), IL. Tricor was founded by individuals once immersed in our industry, with the principals being former executives of Hines Nurseries and SunGro.
Having grown substantially the last 10 years in the Nursery and Greenhouse marketplace, BFG set its sights on expanding into the Lawn & Garden arena. In 2011, BFG acquired Wetsel Inc., a company with a 100 year history in the industry, allowing us to effectively enter the Lawn & Garden marketplace while expanding our service territory to 23 states. Less than two (2) years later in January of 2013, BFG secured the former Commerce facility in Grand Rapids and hired over 70 of their employees in areas such as sales, customer service, marketing, IT, and warehouse management.