History

Beginnings

Nick Monsma’s first jobs were in outside building materials sales and distribution at companies including Empire Lumber and US Gypsum. His decision to become a business owner began with following a dream to become a lumber broker, which he did successfully through the early 1970s under the name Monsma Lumber. Then Nick came upon a grand opportunity. Grand Rapids Reserve Supply was formed in 1930 as a reserve warehouse which distributed building materials to lumber and brickyards throughout Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it was up for sale. Previously owned by 30 area lumber dealers, the company was acquired by Nick Monsma in 1972. Nick changed the company’s name to Monsma Lumber shortly thereafter.

Initially distributing mostly commodity products, Monsma Lumber began focusing more on specialty building materials and marketing to the retail lumber and building material industry as a 2-step distributor. Due to the services provided to their core customer base, Monsma Lumber changed its name to Monsma Marketing Corporation in the mid-1980s.

Nick passed away in 1987, and George Brightrall and Jane Lovell began leading the company.

Growth

Adding hearth products to Monsma’s expanding array of building material offerings in 1990 was a huge developmental step for Monsma. We began serving an adjacent industry, which involved adding new vendors and customers, and learning an entirely new category of business. At the time, this was a huge growth curve, but we were scaling our      

opportunities well, attracting more business, and our progress in this segment continued. During this time, Monsma also continued to add new and innovative offerings for the specialty building material industry while we kept growing the lines we already had. As our reputation for excellence in knowledge, service, and delivery grew, so did our sales. Serving new and existing vendors, and adding a hearth division, meant growth in customers, territories, routes, and additional qualified employees to serve them. We were quickly growing ourselves out of our current facility.

Facility

In 1999, Monsma moved just down the road from our  previous 45,000 sq. ft. facility on Buchanan Avenue in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We continue to add to our much larger and more efficient location at 2450 Buchanan Avenue, SW. Our 16-acre property presently contains a 200,000 sq. ft. facility with ample space for our fleet and additional outside storage.

In 2023, Monsma added a second distribution center dedicated to servicing our hearth products.  This adds an additional 60,000 sq. feet of warehousing space and gives us plenty of room to expand to our product offerings. This further enhances our ability to service our customers throughout the Midwest and beyond.

Today & The Future

As much as Monsma focuses on excellence in two-step distribution, we are also proud and mindful of our legacy and roots as an original West Michigan, local, family-owned business. Throughout our growth we remain family-owned, with both second and third generations actively involved in our company and committed to the same standards of trust, reliability, and friendships upon which Monsma continues to be built.

Today, Monsma Marketing continues our focus on two-step distribution for the Building Material and Hearth Industries, and we keep stretching our footprint. Monsma acquired Hansen Marketing Services of Walled Lake, Michigan, in 2023, growing the building materials product assortment within the Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio territories to over 60 product lines. In 2024, Monsma acquired Majestic Hearth Distributors of Denver Colorado, expanding the hearth territory and product assortment to 39 states in the continental US representing over 30 product lines. Our growing premium product mix in both building materials and hearth is backed by a dedication to excellence in product knowledge, service, delivery, and follow through. Dedicated to learning and seeking out industry relevant training and experiences, our staff has grown Monsma to be one of the most well-respected building material and hearth product suppliers in the country. Supplying premium, branded products with a dedication to excellence in product offerings, knowledge, service, and delivery, drives Monsma to be THE distributor of choice for your building material and hearth product needs.