NW Synergy Acquires Southeastern Paper Group

GLENVIEW, Ill., Dec. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NW Synergy (NWS), the holding company led by distribution and logistics leader FEMSA and consisting of three regional leaders in the janitorial supply, packaging solutions and specialty distribution, today announced the acquisition of Southeastern Paper Group (SEPG). The addition of SEPG to a portfolio consisting of North American, WAXIE and SWPlus extends the geographical reach of NWS to nearly every corner of the country.

This transaction aligns with the organization's vision of keeping buildings cleaner, people safer and making operations more productive, every day. The addition of SEPG to the portfolio will enable the business to further its position as a national leader in janitorial supply, packaging solutions and specialty distribution. Together, the platform operates 37 distribution centers across the country, with nearly 2,000 employees working to support more than 36,000 customers.

Mark M. Fisher, CEO of NWS said, "The strategic acquisition of SEPG is part of our vision to continue to unite a fragmented market and scale the expertise and success of our core business. They bring the same high-touch, customer-first culture of North American, WAXIE and SWPlus and extend our model of bringing strong category knowledge, industry leading products and a willingness to solve the most demanding problems for our customers." 

SEPG has offered customers innovative solutions for their business needs for more than
50 years. Today it provides food service supplies, facility maintenance solutions, and industrial packaging products across seven states throughout the southeastern United States. With nearly 500 employees, SEPG provides a sizable entry to the Southeast, a key region for NWS.

"Our partnership with North American, WAXIE and SWPlus is a significant step forward in our ability to play a prominent role in the industry for the long-term," said Lewis Miller, second generation owner of SEPG. "Expanded access to expertise and resources will ultimately fortifies our business, providing better service and value for our wide array of customers and a bright future for our employees."

The SEPG acquisition provides NWS increased strength, scale and expanded portfolio offerings. Leveraging FEMSA's distribution and logistics expertise, the combined companies will complement each other's distinct strengths and capabilities for customers and vendors alike.

"Today our organization gets bigger and stronger," said John Miller, Co-Chairman of the Board. "The addition of SEPG establishes our combined entity in new parts of the country, broadening our reach and providing great opportunity to support existing customers." 

"The COVID-19 pandemic has put greater emphasis on the importance of proper hand hygiene and facility cleanliness," added Charles Wax, Co-Chairman of the Board. "By combining strengths, we'll be able to provide more people the products they need to be safe and healthy."

About FEMSA
FEMSA is a company that creates economic and social value through companies and institutions and strives to be the best employer and neighbor to the communities in which it operates. It participates in the retail industry through FEMSA Comercio, comprising a Proximity Division operating OXXO, a small-format store chain, a Health Division, which includes drugstores and related activities, and a Fuel Division, which operates the OXXO GAS chain of retail service stations. In the beverage industry, it participates through Coca-Cola FEMSA, a public bottler of Coca-Cola products; and in the beer industry, as a shareholder of HEINEKEN, a brewer with operations in over 70 countries. Additionally, through its Strategic Businesses unit, it provides logistics, point-of-sale refrigeration solutions and plastics solutions to FEMSA's business units and third-party clients. FEMSA also participates in the janitorial and sanitation distribution industry in the United States. Through its business units, FEMSA has more than 320,000 employees in 13 countries. FEMSA is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability MILA Pacific Alliance, the FTSE4Good Emerging Index and the Mexican Stock Exchange Sustainability Index, among other indexes that evaluate is sustainability performance. www.femsa.com/en/about-femsa/about-us

About North American
North American Corporation is a leading distributor in facility, industrial packaging, and marketing solutions. North American delivers expertise in supply chain, category management, forecasting and planning, product use, service and training to the commercial real estate, education, hospitality, food processing, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail industries. For more information, please visit www.na.com  

About WAXIE Sanitary Supply
WAXIE Sanitary Supply is America's largest family-owned distributor of sanitary maintenance supplies. WAXIE is an industry leader in the distribution of quality cleaning chemicals, equipment, disposables and accessories to the building service contractor, school, hospitality, healthcare, military, government, industrial and retail markets. Additional information about WAXIE Sanitary Supply may be obtained at: www.waxie.com.  

About SWPlus
A fully integrated distributor of facility maintenance supplies and equipment, food service disposables, safety products, skin care and much more. The company grew as a family-owned and operated business since 1938. For more information, please visit www.swplus.com 

About Southeastern Paper Group
Southeastern Paper Group, a third-generation family and veteran-owned business headquartered in Spartanburg, SC, has served the southeastern United States since 1969 as a distributor of facility supplies, food service disposables, and industrial packaging equipment and materials. With expanding national capabilities, SEPG employs almost 500 employees, operates seven warehouse facilities, and proudly offers more than 25,000 stocked products to businesses across the region. Visit www.sepg.com to learn more.

SOURCE NW Synergy