Nicklas Supply

What Nicklas Supply does

Nicklas Supply is an employee-owned wholesale plumbing, kitchen, and bath distributor founded in 1956 by Elmer Nicklas in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, and operating exclusively in the Pittsburgh region of Western Pennsylvania. The company runs six physical branches — Cranberry Township (the flagship main branch opened in 1992), Collier Township/Bridgeville, Murrysville (14,500 sq ft, since 2005), Glenshaw (the original 1960s site), Waterway/Mt. Oliver (acquired from the Coulter family in May 2008), and Elite/Latrobe (the latest addition). Its core trade is wholesale plumbing supply — pipes, valves, fittings, fixtures, boilers, hot-water heating systems, and in-floor radiant heat — with adjacent kitchen and bath product categories including cabinetry, sinks, faucets, vanities, toilets, tile, and stone.

Revenue is generated through direct counter sales to plumbers, contractors, builders, remodelers, and selective homeowners, supplemented by the SPLASH sub-brand showrooms (decorative plumbing, cabinetry, tile, hardware with working displays) at the Cranberry, Collier Township, Murrysville, and Glenshaw branches. The product catalog spans more than 100 vendor brands including Kohler, Moen, Delta Faucet, Sioux Chief, Uponor, Omegaflex, and others, with pricing ranging from roughly $49 vanity tops up to $5,128 medicine cabinets at unit pricing, plus a liquidation/display-sales channel for discounted discontinued items. The company also operates an e-commerce storefront at shop.nicklassupply.com and an MVP customer-loyalty program combining 1-point-per-dollar rewards (with double points on featured vendors such as Moen and Omegaflex) with a bi-annual all-inclusive vacation trip promotion valued at $8,000-$10,000 per couple.

The business model is traditional B2B wholesale distribution with a horizontal segmentation across SMB plumbers, contractors, builders, remodelers, and a smaller B2C retail slice through SPLASH showrooms targeting discerning homeowners. Customer acquisition is sales-led with inside sales at physical counters; marketing leans on trade events (notably golf outings), the online store, and the MVP loyalty program rather than explicit digital marketing. Ownership is fully employee-held with no disclosed institutional investors or parent company, and the EO-Certified badge is displayed on the company website. There is no disclosed technology platform beyond the public-facing e-commerce site, and no app, API, AI, or proprietary software is described in available sources.

Name

Nicklas Supply

Legal name

Nicklas Supply Inc.

Website

https://nicklassupply.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Employee-owned wholesale plumbing, kitchen, and bath distributor founded in 1956, operating six branches across the Pittsburgh region to serve plumbers, contractors, builders, remodelers, and discerning homeowners through counter sales, SPLASH showrooms, and an online store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Plumbing Supply Distribution

NAICS

Hardware, and Plumbing and Heating Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (4237), Plumbing and Heating Equipment and Supplies (Hydronics) Merchant Wholesalers (423720), Hardware Merchant Wholesalers (423710)

SIC

Wholesale-Hardware & Plumbing & Heating Equipment & Supplies (5070)

akta.pro primary industry

Plumbing Parts & Supplies Retail (Pipes, Valves, Fittings) (CRAIADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Plumbing Fixtures & Faucets Showrooms (CRAIAFAC)

Keywords

• Wholesale plumbing supply
• Kitchen bath products
• Plumbing distribution
• Commercial plumbing supplies
• Kitchen bath showrooms

Headquarters

HQ city

Cranberry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Plumbing Supply Distribution: Revenue generated from selling plumbing, kitchen, and bath products to plumbers, contractors, builders, remodelers, and homeowners through six physical locations and an online store. Product categories include pipes, valves, sinks, faucets, toilets, vanities, fixtures, tiles, and cabinetry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nicklas Supply is an employee-owned wholesale plumbing distributor that sells pipes, valves, fittings, kitchen fixtures, cabinetry, sinks, faucets, vanities, toilets, tubs, tile, and decorative plumbing hardware to plumbers, contractors, builders, and remodelers across six physical locations in the Pittsburgh region of Western Pennsylvania. The company also serves discerning homeowners through its SPLASH kitchen and bath showroom concept and operates an online store plus a liquidation/display sales channel.

Product overview

Nicklas Supply is an employee-owned wholesale plumbing distributor founded in 1956, operating six locations in the Pittsburgh region of Western Pennsylvania. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio centered on three core product categories: wholesale plumbing supply (pipes, valves, fittings), kitchen products (cabinetry, sinks, faucets), and bath products (vanities, toilets, tubs, fixtures). The SPLASH Showroom sub-brand provides an interactive showroom experience for kitchen and bath products at select locations. The company also operates a liquidation/display sales channel for discounted discontinued items, an e-commerce online store, and two customer loyalty programs (MVP Trip Promotion offering bi-annual luxury vacations and MVP Online Rewards Points for merchandise redemption). Nicklas Supply distributes products from over 100 vendor brands including Kohler, Moen, Delta, Sioux Chief, and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SPLASH Showrooms: Kitchen, bath, and home products showroom offering decorative plumbing fixtures, cabinetry, tile, stone, and hardware for kitchen and bath remodeling projects.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Splash ShowroomscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-branded kitchen and bath showroom concept operated alongside Nicklas Supply locations. Features decorative plumbing fixtures, tile & stone, cabinetry, and hardware with working displays. Available at Cranberry, Murrysville, Glenshaw, and Collier Township locations. Allows customers to try items before they buy.
• KohlercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor vendor partner providing faucets, sinks, toilets, vanities, and bath fixtures. Products frequently featured in liquidation sales and showrooms.
• MoencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary faucet and accessory vendor. Featured in monthly MVP Point Builder promotions with double points for purchases.
• Delta FaucetcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor vendor providing faucets and related plumbing products.
• UponorminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides plumbing systems including PEX and related fittings.
• OmegaflexminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFlexible gas piping systems vendor. Featured in monthly MVP Point Builder promotions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Winsupply: Co-op-style wholesale distributor of plumbing, HVAC, and industrial supplies operating through local company-owned branches across the U.S.; comparable due to its branch-based B2B plumbing distribution model and strong contractor focus, similar to Nicklas Supply.
• Hajoca Corporation: Large U.S. wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating, cooling, and industrial supplies operating through a network of local trade counters; comparable as a regional-branch plumbing distributor with a similar mix of professional and showroom customers.
• Johnstone Supply: Cooperative wholesale distributor of HVAC and plumbing supplies serving contractors through independently owned local branches; comparable in branch-based B2B contractor supply model, although HVAC-skewed.

Broad incumbents

• Ferguson Enterprises: Largest U.S. wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating, cooling, and waterworks supplies, serving professional contractors with a national footprint of branches and showrooms; comparable as the dominant scale player in plumbing distribution that Nicklas competes against in its served markets.
• Reece Limited: Australia-headquartered global distributor of plumbing, water, and HVAC products operating retail and trade-counter networks; comparable as a large, established plumbing distribution peer, though geographically separate.
• White Cap (formerly HD Supply Construction): U.S. distributor of construction supplies including concrete, fasteners, tools, and plumbing-related products serving professional contractors; comparable as a broad construction-supply distributor with overlapping contractor customers.

Regional players

• Central Plumbing Specialties: Mid-Atlantic-focused plumbing and heating specialty distributor serving contractors from regional branches; comparable as a smaller-scale, multi-branch regional plumbing distributor with similar customer base.
• Apex Supply Company: Regional plumbing, HVAC, and industrial products distributor serving the Pacific Northwest and parts of the Mid-Atlantic with showrooms and trade counters; comparable as a regional plumbing distributor with both wholesale and showroom channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nicklas Supply