The Chadwell Story

Three brothers. One dream. This is the story of how a band of brothers made good on a promise - to always value their profession, community and most of all, each other.

Tampa, FL. Early 1970s. David, Jim and Larry Chadwell found themselves in a bind. The three brothers were working as builders in the struggling construction market. David visited a maintenance business in Dallas, Texas, and returned with an interesting proposition for his brothers: What if we thought in terms of construction maintenance, rather than new construction? Thus began a successful business spanning nearly four decades.

Getting Started

The team of brothers - which also included brother Don in the early days - sat down and worked out a plan of action. Coupled with their extensive construction, mechanical, roofing and landscaping knowledge, Larry focused on sales and marketing. Don was the HVAC expert. David and Jim would handle the accounting and business management, as well as remain in the construction industry. The brothers always had one goal in mind - to treat their community as they would each other, with fairness and respect. On this solid foundation, they opened Chad Supply - one of only two "one source" maintenance supply companies in the state of Florida.

Larry ventured out to local apartment communities and asked them one simple question: What do you need? At lunchtime, he would return to the office and call construction vendors and quote prices on supplies for the communities. He delivered most products that afternoon, or at the very latest, the following day. Larry found that their customers really needed and appreciated next-day delivery, so this benefit became a standard service. Once the brothers found themselves successful in the local area, they expanded their territory across central Florida.

With the growing success of Chad Supply, the brothers would routinely get together at lunch - working as a cohesive team to solve problems, answer questions and address issues. This meeting soon became a regular part of the workday. Through the years, the brotherhood did face its share of challenges. In 1979, Larry grew a bit weary of the supply business. Instead of closing up shop completely, the brothers simply swapped responsibilities. After Don departed to focus on real estate, Jim took over Chad Supply, and Larry joined David in the construction business. After nearly a decade, the brothers agreed to exit the building and construction business completely. They decided to work together and focus 100% on providing local communities with maintenance supplies.

Moving Forward

The brothers successfully owned and operated Chad Supply until 1998, when they sold the company to Hughes Supply (which, was eventually purchased by HD Supply - a group including Home Depot and other investors). After selling Chad Supply, the brothers raised their families and explored other interests. However, they never completely removed themselves from the industry or the community. They continued close relationships with their customers, who had become good friends throughout the years. In 2007, their sons (who had learned about the industry and worked with their fathers in manufacturing for several years) expressed an interest in starting the family business again. The newly named "Chadwell Supply" would operate under the same customer-centric principles as Chad Supply, and utilize modern-day technology that had only been available within the past decade.

Chadwell Today

Keeping time-honored traditions alive, the second generation now operates Chadwell Supply. Their fathers also play large roles in the company, where you will still find them discussing important issues over lunch - every single day.