A Brief History of Clark Associates, Inc.

Timeline

For over 30 years, the Clark Associates companies have been serving central Pennsylvania and the greater east coast. Founded in 1971 by Glenn and Lloyd Clark, the two brothers began in the electrical contracting business with the virtue that if you treat the customer right, they would return. While the Clark Associates companies are now involved in much more than simply electrical contracting, the founding principal of good customer service at a fair price still remains.

Since that first day of business on January 2nd 1971 (Lloyd’s 40th birthday, in fact), expansion has been a regular occurrence at Clark Associates. These growth spurts have always been a result of trying to fulfill customers’ needs. The Clark Associates companies have been formed with a “back of the house” mentality in which they are always finding ways to make it easier for the end user to get the job done. With the founding of Clark Food Service Equipment, Calumet Enterprises, Clark Fire Protection, and Noble Chemical, as well as the acquisition of Hawk Industries and Commercial Stainless through the late 1970’s and 1980’s, Clark Associates offered mechanical, manufacturing, service, and equipment and supplies sales to its customers. With all this expansion occurring, it was certainly time to move into a bigger building.

Moving only a few miles down the road to Smoketown in 1990, the food service companies were able to have breathing room for only a short time in their new headquarters. Moving again in 1993, the foodservice businesses were moved to a separate, larger building on Old Philadelphia Pike. The mechanical division moved to the newly vacated Smoketown building along with Clark Service & Parts, which was now under the management of Glenn’s son, Glenn Jr.

Clark Associates opened its first cash-n-carry Restaurant Store in 1993. This popular method of purchasing food service equipment and supplies resulted in the opening of several other stores across central Pennsylvania and Delaware. Four years before the original founders’ retirement from the company, Fred Clark, Lloyd’s son, took over controlling interest of Clark Associates, Inc. and has served as president since then. In 2004, Fred was honored as Foodservice Equipment & Supply’s Top Achiever – Dealer. That same year he was also chosen by the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association as the Associate Member of the Year.

The most recent ventures by Clark Associates include the launching of its online food service e-commerce site, the WEBstaurantStore.com in 2004, as well as the expansion into the Clark Distribution Center in early 2005. The distribution center serves as the shipping and receiving point for Clark Food Service Equipment, The Restaurant Store, and The WEBstaurant Store.

What started over thirty years ago as an electrical service company with two partners and seven employees has grown into a family of companies that employs over two hundred and seventy people. By carrying out its founding principals of strong customer service at a fair price, the companies of Clark Associates will continue to help its customers get the job done.


Clark Associates, Inc. Timeline

1971 – Glenn & Lloyd Clark founded G/L Clark Associates as an electrical contracting business in Hatville, just east of Intercourse. The business was first formed on Lloyd’s 40th birthday.

1974 – HVAC division is added to G/L Clark Associates

1976 – Lloyd’s son, Fred Clark, joins the company out of high school

1978 – Company moves to a bigger building in the center of Intercourse, PA

1978 – Clark Food Service Equipment is founded

1980 – Calumet Enterprises is founded by Lloyd and Fred

1986 – Clark Fire Protection is founded

1987 – Hawk Industries, Inc. is acquired

1989 – Commercial Stainless, Inc. is acquired

1990 – The G/L is dropped from the name G/L Clark Associates, Inc.

1990 – Noble Chemical is founded

1990 – Clark Associates moves to a bigger building in Smoketown, PA

1990– Clark Service & Parts is founded

1991 – Glenn’s son, Glenn Jr., joins the company to manage the newly formed service division, Clark Service & Parts

1993 - Clark Food Service Equipment and the corporate offices move to a bigger building at 2209 Old Philadelphia Pike

1993 – The first Restaurant Store opens in Lancaster

1993 – Fred Clark takes over controlling interest of Clark Associates, Inc.

1995 – The Restaurant Store opens in Lehigh Valley

1997 – The Restaurant Store opens in Philadelphia

1997 – Glenn & Lloyd Clark, founders of Clark Associates, retire

1999 – The Restaurant Store opens in Wilmington

1999 - Clark Mechanical Services, Inc. is formed out of Clark Associates with Lloyd Clark’s long-time right hand man, Barry Martin, as president and principle

2003 – The Restaurant Store opens in Harrisburg

2004 – Fred Clark is honored as the year’s Foodservice Equipment & Supply’s Top Achiever – Dealer

2004 – The WEBstaurantStore.com launches

2004 – Fred Clark is honored as the Associate Member of the Year by the PA Restaurant Association

2005 – Clark Distribution Center is opened in Lancaster

2005 – The Restaurant Store opens in Reading

2006 – A second Clark Distribution Center is opened in Lancaster, twice as big as the original CDC

2007 – The brand new Clark Associates Corporate Office Building is opened in Lancaster

2008 – Clark Food Service Equipment expands its operations into Sarasota Florida

2009 – Clark named CPBJ's 11th fastest growing company

2009 – Clark Convenience Store Products division is founded

2010 – Third, new warehouse is opened