Milwaukee-based Design Specialties, LLC acquired fireplace door manufacturer Hearth Craft of Clarksville, Indiana, the company announced Tuesday.
Founded in 1956, Hearth Craft specializes in the design and production of fireplace enclosures.
Design Specialties, founded in 1983, designs and manufactures custom, hand-built fireplace doors for masonry and factory-built fireplaces, screens, and hearth accessories, sold through a network of specialty retailers across the United States and Canada.
The acquisition will bring together the fireplace door and hearth accessory offerings of the two brands, according to a press release.
“The Hearth Craft brand and much of its product line will be retained as a separate brand, and the product line will be made available to complement our Design Specialties brand and products,” said Ralph Howard, president and CEO of Design Specialties.
Howard said Design Specialties would be adding more positions, but it’s too early to tell what kind of resources the company will require following the acquisition, he added.
“The Hearth Craft operation will be moved immediately to our Design Specialties facility in Milwaukee, and we will be working diligently to minimize the disruption to Hearth Craft customers,” said Dawn Schefelker, chief financial officer of Design Specialties and Hearth Craft brand manager. “We’re very excited to carry the legacy of Hearth Craft forward and strengthen it through association with Design Specialties.”
