A Midwestern plumbing and HVACR supplier with footprints in Illinois and Indiana is planning on opening its first Wisconsin location, in Milwaukee.
Porter Pipe & Supply Co. recently applied for a commercial alteration permit to outfit the 9,800-square foot former Standard Roofing building at 1820 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in the Harbor View neighborhood for offices and storage purposes.
Headquartered in Addison, Illinois, family-owned Porter Pipe supplies commercial and industrial building contractors with plumbing supplies, pipe, valves, and fittings, as well as HVACR equipment and mechanical products. It currently has locations in Chicago, Rockford, Indianapolis and Hammond, Indiana, in addition to Addison.
Having served Milwaukee over the last two years, sending trucks daily from Illinois, company officials decided it was time to open a Milwaukee location, said Stephanie Porter, director of marketing and brand for the supplier.
The plan is to open the new office sometime this summer, she said. About 10-15 employees would work out of the Milwaukee location. The company purchased the building in October, according to state records, paying $875,000 for the property.
Jimmy Porter, Jr., an outside sales representative at Porter Pipe, who has worked actively with vendors and customers in the Milwaukee market, said he was eager to open the company’s first brick and mortar location in Wisconsin.
“The people I’ve gotten the chance to work with in the Milwaukee market have really welcomed us with open arms," he said. "We’ve always held ourselves to the highest standard of service. It’s evident that people in this market want to work with people who will service them well and who they can trust.”
Nick Porter, chief executive officer of the three-generation family business also said he was excited to further cement the company’s Milwaukee footprint.
“We’re a genuine family business. We’re values, and people focused, and we thrive on building partnerships for the long run,” he said. “The Wisconsin business communities (we serve) seem to operate with similar values and focus. When business and personal values line up well, good things will happen, and we see great things ahead in Wisconsin.”
