Soderholm & Associates

What Soderholm & Associates does

Soderholm & Associates is a private, employee-owned manufacturer's representative agency founded in 1959 by Chuck Soderholm Sr. and headquartered in Ramsey, Minnesota. The firm sells and supports plumbing, HVAC, and water treatment products on behalf of more than twenty manufacturers — including American Standard, AO Smith, Watts, Grohe, Takagi, DXV, Febco, and WCC Water Treatment — across a contiguous nine-state Midwest territory (Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula). Its revenue model is commission-based: the agency earns a percentage of sell-through generated by its outside sales team, stocking capabilities, and channel relationships with wholesalers, mechanical engineers, and licensed contractors. Supporting services include product specification, technical troubleshooting, customer service, and a state-of-the-art training center that delivers ASSE 5110/5130 certification and continuing-education courses for licensed plumbers.

The business is structured as a 100% employee-owned ESOP since 2015, with day-to-day leadership under President Chaz Norrgard (appointed 2024) and Principals that include Brian Soderholm of the founding family. Operations run from three regional offices (Ramsey, MN; Menomonee Falls, WI; Lenexa, KS) staffed by outside sales, inside sales, technical support, finance, HR, IT, and digital operations functions. End customers are primarily small-to-mid-market plumbing and HVAC contractors plus wholesale distributors; the supply-side counterparties are the represented manufacturers, whose brand rights and commission structures are the core economic asset.

Growth signals are modest and incremental — additional manufacturer partnerships, expansion of CEU training, and selective operational hires (Digital Operations Coordinator, IT Generalist) — with no disclosed funding rounds, M&A, or geographic expansion beyond the existing nine-state footprint. The agency competes on 65-plus years of territory relationships, exclusive manufacturer contracts, technical-support depth, and employee-owner alignment rather than on technology, with no proprietary software, AI capabilities, or digital channel infrastructure identified in the available data.

Name

Soderholm & Associates

Legal name

Soderholm & Associates

Website

https://soderholmassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Soderholm & Associates is an employee-owned manufacturers' representative agency, founded in 1959 and based in Ramsey, Minnesota, that sells and supports plumbing, HVAC, and water treatment products from 20+ manufacturers across a nine-state Midwest territory for contractors, wholesalers, and engineers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Manufacturer Representative Services (Plumbing, HVAC & Water Treatment)

NAICS

Refrigeration Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423740)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

HVAC, Water Heaters & Indoor Air Quality Distribution (CRAOAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water Treatment, Filtration & Softening Systems (EDAOACAJ)

Keywords

• Manufacturers representative agency
• Plumbing HVAC distribution
• Water treatment products
• Backflow prevention training
• Contractor continuing education

Headquarters

HQ city

Ramsey

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Manufacturer Representative Commissions: As a manufacturer's representative agency, Soderholm & Associates earns commissions from manufacturers for representing their products and driving sales through distribution channels in the plumbing, HVAC, and water treatment industries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Soderholm & Associates is an employee-owned manufacturers' representative agency providing outside sales representation, customer service, technical support, selection and quoting assistance, and CEU-certified training services for plumbing, HVAC, and water treatment manufacturers across nine Midwestern states. The company represents more than 20 manufacturers and earns commissions on product sales through wholesale distribution channels serving contractors, wholesalers, and mechanical engineers.

Product overview

Soderholm & Associates is a manufacturers' representative agency for the plumbing, HVAC, and water treatment industries. Rather than offering a unified software product, they provide sales representation, technical support, customer service, and training services for a portfolio of 20+ represented manufacturers including American Standard, AO Smith, Watts, Takagi, Grohe, State, and others. Their service offering includes Outside Sales support with dedicated representatives across their territory, Customer Service team handling product inquiries, Technical Support for specification and troubleshooting assistance, Selection and Quotes services for product specification, and a Training Center offering CEU credit courses including ASSE 5110/5130 certification and recertification programs, water heater installation/service training, and water softener training. The company operates as an employee-owned business since 2015, serving contractors, wholesalers, and mechanical engineers across nine Midwestern states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CEU Training Courses Contractor continuing education credit courses covering water heater service, backflow prevention, water treatment, and related plumbing topics delivered at the state-of-the-art training center in Ramsey, MN.
• ASSE 5110 Certification Program Five-day intensive certification program providing essential knowledge and hands-on training to test, maintain, and troubleshoot backflow prevention assemblies including RPZ, DC, and PVB devices, priced at $1,300 per participant.
• ASSE 5110 & 5130 Recertification Program One-day recertification program for ASSE 5110 and 5130 professionals covering current codes, standards, industry best practices, and recent updates related to backflow prevention and cross-connection control, priced at $600 per participant.
• Water Heater Installation & Service Training Training courses covering residential and commercial water heater installation, service, and maintenance with focus on code compliance and real-world applications.
• Water Softeners 101 Training 2.5-hour training course on water treatment solutions including water softeners, arsenic filters, nitrate filters, and whole-house RO units, with catered breakfast and 2 MN Technical CEU credits included.
• Manufacturer Representation Services (Outside Sales, Technical Support, Customer Service, Selection & Quotes) Outside sales representation, technical support, customer service, and product selection and quoting services delivered for plumbing, HVAC, and water treatment manufacturers across nine Midwestern states.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American StandardcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmerican Standard is represented by Soderholm & Associates for plumbing and bathing products in the Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri markets.
• AO SmithcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAO Smith water heaters and water treatment products are represented by Soderholm & Associates in their 9-state territory.
• WattscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWatts drainage solutions, regulators, backflow prevention, and water quality products are represented across the Soderholm territory.
• American Water HeaterscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmerican Water Heaters brand represented in the Midwest territory for residential and commercial water heating solutions.
• State IndustriescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState Industries water heating products represented across the 9-state territory.
• TakagicoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTakagi tankless water heaters represented in the Midwest market.
• GrohecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGrohe premium plumbing fixtures and fittings represented in the Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri markets.
• DXVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDXV luxury bathroom products represented by Soderholm & Associates.
• FebcocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFebco backflow prevention products represented in the territory.
• AmescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmes irrigation and water control products represented in the Midwest market.
• BluchercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBlucher drainage products represented for commercial and residential applications.
• DormontcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDormont gas connectors and kitchen products represented in the territory.
• Little GiantcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLittle Giant pumps and water removal products represented.
• PowerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPowers controls and valves represented in the Midwest.
• Leak DefensecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeak Defense automatic water shut-off systems represented.
• Mueller StreamlinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMueller Streamline copper and brass products represented.
• OrioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrion drainage products represented for commercial applications.
• American WheatleycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmerican Wheatley HVAC and specialty products represented.
• DenlarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDenlar mechanical draft dampers and ventilation products represented.
• ZflexcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorZflex gas venting and HVAC products represented.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ferguson Enterprises: Largest U.S. plumbing/HVAC distributor with deep Midwest presence. Comparable because it sits at the same node in the supply chain (wholesaler to plumbing contractors) that Soderholm's rep agency supports; differs in that Ferguson is a vertically integrated distributor, not a rep firm.
• WinSupply: Plumbing, HVAC, and industrial supplies co-op/distributor serving Midwest contractors. Comparable distribution-channel counterpart; competes for the same contractor mindshare that Soderholm's represented products target.
• Hajoca Corporation: Large national plumbing supply distributor serving contractors and wholesalers across the Midwest and beyond. Comparable as a channel intermediary in plumbing contractor supply; Soderholm's principals (American Standard, Watts) sell through Hajoca branches in shared territories.

Others

• Watts Water Technologies: Manufacturer of water quality and conservation products; one of Soderholm's core principal partners (drainage, backflow, water quality). Comparable because it is the underlying product company whose rep arrangement drives Soderholm's commissions; not a competitor but an ecosystem participant.
• A. O. Smith Corporation: Manufacturer of residential and commercial water heaters and water treatment products; a flagship principal for Soderholm. Comparable as the source of commission revenue, not a competitor; useful for sizing potential rep commissions and for benchmarking territory performance.

Direct peers

• Marketing Solutions Inc. Midwestern manufacturers' rep agency focused on plumbing, HVAC, and mechanical products sold through wholesalers to contractors. Comparable model - commission-based rep coverage, multi-state territory, similar product categories - making it a direct competitive counterpart.
• R.E. Dimick & Associates: Plumbing and HVAC manufacturers' representative covering Michigan and the Midwest. Comparable as a regional rep agency serving overlapping geographies (Soderholm covers UP of Michigan and WI; Dimick covers lower MI) with similar product portfolios.
• CW Sales & Associates: Midwest manufacturers' representative agency serving plumbing and HVAC manufacturers into contractor and wholesaler channels. Highly comparable business model (commission-based rep agency, similar product mix, similar territory structure) and directly competes for principal appointments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soderholm-&-associates
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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Soderholm & Associates