Great Lakes Rubber & Supply, Inc. (GLR), a local 3rd generation family-owned sealing distributor, has acquired Reliant Rubber Company, LLC in Wake Forest, NC. Reliant Rubber is a manufacturer and supplier of quality custom molded rubber products including die-cut and lathe-cut gaskets, extruded and molded rubber products, and a wide variety of customer rubber products. They have been serving all industries, including automotive, medical, and filtration industries since 1982. Before the ink was dry on the company’s first acquisition of Chinook O-Rings, GLR officially expanded from coast-to-coast. The official announcement was made from GLR’s headquarters in Milwaukee in November. The deal was signed on Friday, November 12th.

“We are excited to welcome the Reliant brand and its people into the Great Lakes Rubber family,” said President George Baumann. “This acquisition allows GLR to better serve the Southeast United States and our value-added services and wider variety of products will hopefully help us become better partners with Reliant’s customers.”

With this acquisition, GLR will be able to improve its manufacturing capabilities, increase its presence nationwide, and focus on its philanthropic endeavors in local communities. Welcoming Reliant into the GLR family allows the GLR brand to become a nationwide presence as well as increases its gasket manufacturing capabilities instantaneously. With access to Reliant‘s vendor portfolio this also gives GLR’s current customer base access to additional product lines. Strengthening GLR’s manufacturing capabilities furthers GLR’s goals of becoming a leading value-added industrial supplier and bolsters its capabilities including Vendor Managed Inventory, Kitting, Product & Application training, and Assembly. Now that GLR has a stake in the Wake Forest community, it is also excited to contribute at a philanthropic level and see how GLR can help grow the community.

“With the addition of this East Coast location, GLR now has full nationwide coverage which will help us meet our customers’ demands even faster. Not only does this acquisition bolster our product portfolio, but it also opens the doors to increased Global sourcing capabilities to help provide the best quality and speed,” said Controller Ben Stanczyk. “The market potential in the Wake Forest area is amazing and we look forward to expanding our name in the Southeast. This is the perfect addition to our expanding business!”

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