Company History

 

NRF Distributors was founded in 1973 by Norman Pomerleau. The company name symbolizes Norman’s dedication to his family as the N represents Norman, the R his brother Roger, and the F their father Frank. Its foundation was built upon the four core principles listed below and still upholds them today. These principles are:   
                     
                      • Dedication to the success of the business

                      • Constantly reinvest in growth and development

                      • Work hard, but do not neglect the family

                      • Give back to the community

 

NRF began on a shoe string budget in a 4,800 square foot building located on Powhatten Street in Augusta, Maine. With a limited Maine service territory and a product line consisting of carpet and cushion, NRF’s six employees and one truck ended their first year in business with a sales volume just under $1 million.  Business continually flourished and Norman saw a need to expand selling into Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.

 

Our evolution during the next decade was substantial as we made huge advances utilizing the technology of the era. Voicemail and barcoding were introduced into operations and at the same time our cutting machine was computerized. NRF also installed wireless equipment in its forklifts, being the first in the flooring industry to do so.  In the later part of the 1990’s, NRF made several organizational changes to increase its efficiency and presence in the market place. The carpet contract department was established, private labeling of products was developed, our trucks were equipped with computers, and hardwood was added to our product portfolio. Throughout this decade we ranked number 12 in “The Top 50 Distributors List” published by Flooring Magazine with annual sales exceeding $40 million.

 

Through a series of acquisitions in early 2000, NRF was able to expand its sales territory further west into western New York and central Pennsylvania. During this territory expansion we were able to acquire additional territory managers, further diversify our product offerings, and deliver twice weekly to our customers with minimal freight charges. 2003 marked the completion of NRF’s 100,000 square foot Gabriel Drive warehouse which was built to store our growing palletized products. In order to bring our service to an even higher level, we added ceramic tile to our product mix and added Saturday hours to our Customer Service Department. Because technology changed the way consumers shop, in 2006 NRF launched its Remote Order Entry (ROE) online ordering system to enhance our customers’ buying experience by providing access to our real-time inventory and real-time pricing. Utilizing the resources from our Information Technology Department and feedback from customers, we are able to continually improve the ROE system in order to remain at the cutting edge of technology.

 

Looking back at NRF’s modest beginnings 40+ years ago, we take great pride in the honest and successful company that we’ve become. Through the total involvement of Norman’s children, grandchildren, and 300+ employees, NRF strives to do everything right the first time, every time. Our success is based on delivering high quality products that represent exceptional values. Today, with 325,000 square feet of warehouse space, we inventory millions of dollars of product lines, and we deliver to over 2,500 customers in 140 counties across 8 states.