Marketing & Sales Associates

What Marketing & Sales Associates does

Marketing & Sales Associates (MSA) is a privately held manufacturers' representative firm founded in 1982 and headquartered at 1 Merrill Industrial Drive, Hampton, New Hampshire. The company acts as the external sales and marketing arm for 19 building material brand principals, including AFCO Columns & Railing, Eva-Last, Kebony, Feeney CableRail, IG Railing, CUTEK, FootingPad, HIDfast, Perma-Column, Sharkskin, KOMA, Spectis Moulders, and others. The portfolio spans structural columns and footings, composite and cedar decking, cable and aluminum railing systems, wood protection, hidden fasteners, roof underlayment, outdoor lighting, and architectural trim — a curated basket that covers the full outdoor living space value chain. MSA does not manufacture or own any proprietary technology; its core offering is the rep relationship itself.

The firm's go-to-market is sales-led and executed through in-person product knowledge training, web-based training calls, trade show participation, and informal dealer engagement events such as local coffee-and-donuts sessions. Marketing channels include an email newsletter subscription, a content library of downloadable technical documents, brand-specific video galleries, and online quote forms for selected products such as Feeney CableRail Cablerail and DesignRail kits. The customer base consists of building material dealers, distributors, contractors, and builders across the New England region, with occasional out-of-territory project exposure via brand principals (e.g., a featured Kebony installation at Kresge College, University of California, Santa Cruz).

Revenue is generated on a commission basis as MSA earns a percentage of sales routed through its dealer and contractor network on behalf of its brand partners; the firm itself does not set product pricing. With 11-50 employees and no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or public valuation, MSA operates as an independent regional rep agency with founder Jay McCarthy listed as owner. No information on operating geographies beyond the New England territory, ownership structure, or financials is publicly available in the source data.

Name

Marketing & Sales Associates

Legal name

Marketing & Sales Associates

Website

https://msaconnects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marketing & Sales Associates is a privately held New England manufacturers' representative firm founded in 1982 that represents 19 building material brands to dealers, distributors, contractors, and builders across the region, earning commissions on routed sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hampton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Manufacturer Representative Services: MSA generates revenue by representing building material manufacturers and earning commissions on sales through their dealer and contractor network. They serve as the sales and marketing arm for their brand partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Marketing & Sales Associates is a manufacturers' representative firm that acts as the outsourced sales and marketing arm for 19 building material brands in the New England region. The firm introduces dealers, distributors, contractors, and builders to represented product lines spanning decking, railing, columns, footings, fasteners, roofing underlayment, outdoor lighting, stone veneer, architectural trim, sealants, and wood protection. Revenue is generated via commissions on sales through MSA's dealer and contractor network, supported by product training, quote facilitation, trade show presence, and a library of technical literature and installation videos.

Product overview

Marketing & Sales Associates is a manufacturers' representative firm serving the building materials industry. The company represents a portfolio of 19 distinct building material brands spanning structural components (columns, footings, posts), exterior finishes (composite decking, cedar, stone veneer), hardware systems (railings, fasteners), and architectural elements (mouldings, louvers, shutters). The portfolio includes outdoor lighting, roofing underlayment, and specialty construction products. Rather than offering a unified software platform, the company provides a curated selection of complementary building material products that work together in residential and commercial construction applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AFCO Columns & RailingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents AFCO Columns & Railing brand, providing sales and marketing support for their building material products in their territory.
• Eva-LastcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents Eva-Last brand of building materials in their sales territory.
• KebonycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents Kebony sustainable wood products. Featured project: Kresge College at UC Santa Cruz.
• Feeney CableRailcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents Feeney CableRail, providing quote forms and product support for their cable railing systems.
• Boyce HighlandsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents Boyce Highlands building material products.
• CUTEKminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents CUTEK wood protection products.
• DAP & Level.UpminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents DAP & Level.Up building material products.
• FootingPadminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents FootingPad foundation products.
• HIDfastminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents HIDfast building material products.
• IG RailingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents IG Railing products, featuring them prominently on their website.
• In-LiteminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents In-Lite outdoor lighting products.
• KOMAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents KOMA building material products.
• Perma-ColumnminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents Perma-Column building material products.
• SharkskinminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents Sharkskin roof ventilation and moisture management products, including Ultra SA, Ultra, Comp, and Ultra Radiant lines.
• SilvaStarminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents SilvaStar (SilvaCedar) cedar building material products.
• Silvermine StoneminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents Silvermine Stone veneer products. Available literature includes product catalog, installation manual, and training materials.
• Spectis MouldersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents Spectis Moulders architectural trim and moulding products. Literature includes price list, mouldings, louvres, columns, balustrade systems, medallions, brackets, entrance systems, and shutters.
• ThruFlowminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents ThruFlow building material products.
• TsarsiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSA represents Tsarsi building material products.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• ABC Supply Co. ABC Supply is the largest US wholesale distributor of exterior building products, including roofing, siding, and decking categories that touch MSA's brand portfolio. It serves as the deep-pocketed downstream channel for many of the same manufacturers MSA represents, making it a broad incumbent comparable rather than a direct competitor.
• Foundation Building Materials: Foundation Building Materials is a national distributor of building products including interior/exterior categories relevant to MSA's portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent distribution channel and indirect competitor for shelf space at dealers MSA calls on.
• Boise Cascade: Boise Cascade manufactures and distributes building materials including engineered wood products and other categories adjacent to MSA's building material portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent supplier-side player operating in adjacent building material categories.
• Cameron Ashley Building Products: Cameron Ashley is a national distributor of building products (siding, roofing, insulation, exterior categories) overlapping with portions of MSA's represented portfolio. Comparable as a broader incumbent distribution channel that competes for the same dealer relationships.
• Lansing Building Products: Lansing Building Products is one of the largest US distributors of building products including decking, railing, and exterior categories that overlap with MSA's represented portfolio. It is a broader incumbent — distribution plus light rep functions across many geographies — versus MSA's regional rep-only model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 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 Marketing & Sales Associates