PACOA

What PACOA does

PACOA (legally Paint Applicator Corporation of America) is a privately held, family-owned wholesale distributor founded in 1969 by Teddy and Herb Geismar and now led by the third generation (Steve Geismar). The company distributes paint, hardware, lumber, janitorial supplies, and building materials to independent retail dealers across the New York Tri-State area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania). PACOA operates a 92,000 sq. ft. distribution center on six acres in Port Washington, NY, stocking approximately 15,000 SKUs sourced from more than 200 vendor brands including DeWALT, Bosch, and 3M, alongside its own proprietary G-FORCE sub-brand of professional-grade tools.

The business is built on a regional, sales-led B2B wholesale model. A professional direct sales force serves independent paint, hardware, and lumber stores, supported by a Magento-based e-commerce portal for registered resellers, dealer market events, and inside phone customer service. Distribution runs on a 16-truck owned fleet delivering five days per week, offering next-day delivery for orders placed by 5 PM, customer pick-up at the warehouse (7 AM–4 PM), automatic pricing controls, and ongoing promotional programs. A 100% Radio Frequency-based warehouse system and a stated 97% fill rate underpin the operational reliability that is a key functional benefit for dealers.

Revenue is generated through B2B wholesale distribution (quote-based pricing not publicly disclosed), likely under multi-year customer relationships and volume-negotiated terms. The customer base is a long-tail of SMB independent dealers spread across four Northeast states, with no publicly named large-anchor accounts. PACOA has remained continuously owned by the Geismar family across three generations with no disclosed institutional investment or M&A activity.

Name

PACOA

Legal name

Paint Applicator Corporation of America

Website

https://pacoa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

PACOA is a family-owned wholesale distributor of paint, hardware, lumber, janitorial, and building supplies, serving independent retail dealers across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania from a 92,000 sq. ft. Port Washington, NY facility with roughly 15,000 SKUs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Materials Wholesale Distribution

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Distribution Centers (Store Replenishment DCs) (TLALAEAA)

Keywords

• Wholesale distribution services
• Paint and hardware supplies
• Building materials wholesale
• Janitorial supplies distribution
• Lumber and building products

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Distribution: PACOA generates revenue through wholesale distribution of paint, hardware, lumber, janitorial, and building supplies to independent retail dealers. They offer nearly 15,000 SKUs from major vendors including DeWalt, Bosch, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PACOA (Paint Applicator Corporation of America) is a wholesale distributor of paint, hardware, lumber, janitorial supplies, and building materials serving independent retail dealers across the New York Tri-State area (NY, NJ, CT, PA). The company operates a 92,000 sq. ft. distribution center in Port Washington, NY stocked with approximately 15,000 SKUs from more than 200 vendor brands, delivering next-day via a privately owned fleet of 16 trucks with a 97% fill rate. PACOA also offers its own proprietary G-FORCE product line of professional-grade tools and supplies.

Product overview

PACOA operates a B2B wholesale distribution platform serving independent retail dealers across the New York Tri-State area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania). The platform distributes a broad portfolio of ~15,000 SKUs spanning paint, hardware, lumber, janitorial supplies, and building materials from over 200 vendor brands including DeWALT, Bosch, 3M, and others. PACOA's own proprietary sub-brand, G-FORCE, offers professional-grade tools as an alternative to national brands. The platform supports online ordering, next-day delivery, and account management for registered resellers. The company's own PACOA-branded products are also distributed through the platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• G-FORCE: Product line/brand mentioned in navigation menu with dedicated website gforcepro.com

Products and services

• Wholesale Distribution of Paint, Hardware, Lumber, Janitorial, and Building Supplies Wholesale supply of approximately 15,000 SKUs spanning paint applicators, hardware tools, lumber, janitorial products, and building materials from more than 200 vendor brands including DeWalt and Bosch, sold to independent retail dealers across the NY Tri-State area with next-day delivery and a 97% fill rate.
• G-FORCE PACOA's own proprietary sub-brand of professional-grade tools and supplies, distributed alongside third-party national brands through PACOA's wholesale platform and featured in site navigation with a dedicated website at gforcepro.com.
• Dealer E-commerce Ordering Platform Online B2B ordering portal enabling registered independent retail dealers to browse the product catalog, manage accounts, place orders, and request access for new dealer registrations.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DeWalt ToolscoreOthersDeWalt is a major vendor partner for PACOA, supplying power tools and accessories including cutting wheels, diamond blades, oscillating blades, brushes, and saw blades. DeWalt products appear extensively in PACOA's product catalog with hundreds of SKUs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Orgill: One of the largest independent hardware and home center wholesale distributors in North America, supplying tens of thousands of SKUs to independent retailers. Closely comparable to PACOA in product mix (hardware, paint, lumber, building materials) and B2B distributor model serving independent dealers.
• Do it Best: Hardware and building materials wholesale cooperative serving thousands of independent dealer-members across the U.S. Provides comparable distributor-plus-private-label capabilities and an independent-dealer go-to-market model similar to PACOA.
• Emery-Waterhouse: Northeast-based wholesale distributor of hardware, paint, lumber, and building materials serving independent retailers across New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Highly comparable geography and product mix to PACOA's Tri-State focus.
• House-Hasson Hardware: Regional wholesale distributor of hardware, paint, plumbing, and lawn-and-garden products serving independent retailers across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Direct comparable in customer profile (independent dealers), product breadth, and sales-led distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Ferguson Enterprises: One of the largest U.S. distributors of plumbing, heating, ventilation, and industrial building products. Operates a comparable B2B wholesale distribution model serving contractors and dealers but at massive national scale.
• True Value: Hardware cooperative serving independent True Value-branded retailers via its central distribution platform. Comparable channel (independent dealers) and product mix (hardware/paint/building materials) but operates nationally with significant co-op scale advantages.
• Ace Hardware: Large hardware cooperative serving thousands of independent Ace-branded retailers via its distribution and private-label operations. Overlaps with PACOA's dealer base but operates at significantly greater scale and brand recognition.
• HD Supply (formerly White Cap): Large industrial and construction-focused building products and maintenance distributor serving professional contractors. Adjacent to PACOA in product mix and target customers but serves a much larger, more professional contractor base nationally.

Regional players

• Lansing Building Products: Regional wholesale distributor of exterior building products (siding, windows, roofing, decking) serving professional contractors across the Eastern U.S. Comparable B2B wholesale model with regional density, though narrower category focus than PACOA.
• Master Halco: North American wholesale distributor of fencing, hardware, and outdoor building products serving dealers and contractors. Comparable regional wholesale distribution model with similar customer mix, but narrower product specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PACOA-736441966460467
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pacoa

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 PACOA