Safeway Services' Third GSA Contract Affirms Company's Continued Growth in Industrial Distributor Market

MACHESNEY PARK, Ill., Jan. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Safeway Services of Rockford Inc. (http://safewaysite.com), a distributor of high-end industrial grade products for a wide range of businesses, recently received its third contract from the U.S. General Services Administration. "Less than two percent of contractors who have GSA contracts ever obtain more than one contract at a single time," said Tom Lynde, Safeway's president and founder. "This third contract shows that the U.S. government recognizes and trusts the quality of our products and service."

Safeway's most recent contract is for supplying special-use furniture to the military and other government agencies. The items under this contract include cafeteria furniture and classroom furniture. "We have already shipped some of these products to schools around the country and are currently bidding on a project in Iraq," Lynde said. Products under this contract are manufactured by the Palmer Hamilton Company.

"With more than 6,000 SKUs and 30,000 options, we carry the largest selection of material handling and storage products of any company selling to both the government and general industry," said Lynde. "In fact, we are North America's leading distributor of high-end industrial grade products used for those purposes. Our expansion into this new market will help catapult us to a new level in sales volume."

Safeway's e-commerce platform (http://safewaysite.com) allows customers to order material handling products online and receive instant freight quotes. "We are one of just a few brick-and-mortar companies in the industry offering an e-commerce division," said Lynde. "We plan to move all our products to an e-commerce platform in the next 2 years so that our general industry customers have that option on everything we distribute."

Despite the economic turmoil in almost every sector, Safeway has thrived, realizing a more than 35 percent increase in government sales last year. In 2007, the company outgrew its warehouse and built a new 16,500-square-foot facility in Machesney Park, Ill. This new warehouse and office space support the company's e-commerce division and is the platform from which Safeway is now increasing its sales to general industry.

"Safeway is family owned and operated," said Jamie Hanson, Lynde's daughter and Safeway's customer service manager. "And our guarantee is among the best in the industry. Everything we sell carries the best warranties in the business. Because our standards for distributing a manufacturers products are so tight, we are continually turning down requests from manufacturers for representation."

Safeway Services distributes products for Palmer Hamilton Co., Rollair Inc. and Bradley Corporation in Wisconsin; Power Team Corporation, Jamco Products and Stackbin Corporation in Illinois; and Rizk Manufacturing in Michigan. "We are continually looking for quality manufactures who need representation to the federal government, but who lack the internal knowledge to do it themselves," said Hanson.

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SOURCE Safeway Services of Rockford Inc.