GMS Expands in Western U.S. with Acquisition of Arizona Drywall Distributor

July 6, 2016 | By Business Wire News

TUCKER, Ga.

GMS Inc. (NYSE:GMS), a leading North American distributor of gypsum wallboard and suspended ceiling systems, announced today its acquisition of RockWise, LLC (“RockWise”).

Founded in 2009, RockWise quickly became a leading supplier of drywall and stucco to professional contractors in Arizona and subsequently expanded into Colorado. RockWise services large and small projects through its two locations in Arizona and one location in southwest Colorado. RockWise will become part of GMS’ existing operations in Arizona and Colorado, while retaining the entire team, including Tom Pritchard, founder and President of RockWise, and focus on its deep-rooted customer base.

Mr. Pritchard stated, “I am truly excited to become a new member of the GMS family. In just seven years we have grown into an industry leader in our markets. Our success is due to our commitment to provide unsurpassed service, quality products and long term relationships to our customers. GMS shares these core values and provides a perfect fit for the next chapter of our growth.”

Don Taylor, Western VP of GMS, echoed Pritchard’s excitement, “We are very happy to welcome the RockWise team into the GMS family. With three established locations, this team is driven by success and we are excited to help fuel their growth. In turn, the expansion of GMS in Arizona and Colorado will play an important role as we continue to grow in the western U.S. With our national network and their loyal customer base, we expect our expanded regional footprint to continue on its successful path for years to come.”

About GMS:

Founded in 1971, GMS operates a national network of distribution centers across the United States. GMS’s extensive product offering of wallboard, suspended ceilings systems, or ceilings, and complementary interior construction products is designed to provide a comprehensive one-stop-shop for our core customer, the interior contractor who installs these products in commercial and residential buildings.

For more information about GMS please visit www.gms.com.

Forward‐Looking Statements and Information:

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can generally identify forward-looking statements by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” or “should,” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors outside of our control, that may cause our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties may include, among other things: changes in the prices, supply, and/or demand for products which we distribute; general economic and business conditions in the United States; the activities of competitors; changes in significant operating expenses; changes in the availability of capital and interest rates; adverse weather patterns or conditions; acts of cyber intrusion; variations in the performance of the financial markets, including the credit markets; and other factors described in the “Risk Factors” section in our filings with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to update any of the forward looking statements made herein, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in expectation or otherwise.