Key Takeaways

• Royal Brass and Hose was founded in 1949 in Columbus, Ohio, as a wagon jobber operation distributing brass fittings to local industry.

• Over 75 years, the company grew from a single-person operation into a national distributor with 11 locations across 10 states.

• Key milestones include early physical location openings, adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Product Information Management (PIM) technology, and the launch of a B2B ecommerce platform.

• The company became an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in 2014, giving employees a direct ownership stake in the business.

• Royal Brass and Hose continues to expand its digital and physical presence, building on 75 years of customer relationships and distribution expertise.

Seventy-five years is a long time to be in business. It means surviving recessions, adapting to new technologies, navigating supply chain disruptions, and staying relevant as customer expectations evolve. Royal Brass and Hose has done all of that, and then some. Here is a look at the milestones that brought the company from a one-person brass fitting operation in 1949 to a national industrial distributor with 11 locations today.

1949: The Foundation

Royal Brass and Hose was founded in Columbus, Ohio, by Drew MacDonald's grandfather. The business began as a wagon jobber operation, with the founder driving to industrial customers and selling brass fittings directly from his vehicle. It was a hands-on, relationship-first model that would define the company's culture for generations.

1962: Getting Physical

The company opened its first brick-and-mortar location, moving from a mobile sales model to a fixed branch with stocked inventory. This gave customers a place to come in, see products, and get immediate help from staff who knew the product lines.

1970s: Expanding the Product Line

Royal Brass and Hose began expanding its product portfolio beyond brass fittings into hydraulic hose and fittings, industrial hose, and related components. The expansion reflected growing demand from manufacturing, agriculture, and construction customers who needed a broader range of fluid transfer and connection products.

1980s: New Locations

The company opened additional branch locations to serve customers across a wider geography. Each new location was staffed by product specialists who could provide the same level of service that made the Columbus operation successful.

1990s: Building the Team

The 1990s were a period of organizational growth for Royal Brass and Hose. The company invested in training, built out its sales team, and strengthened its supplier relationships. This groundwork supported the physical and product expansion that would follow in subsequent decades.

2000s: Technology and Systems

Royal Brass and Hose implemented Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to manage inventory, orders, and operations across its growing branch network. ERP integration gave the company better visibility into stock levels, order fulfillment, and customer history, laying the groundwork for a more scalable operation.

2010: Continuing to Grow

Additional branch locations were added as the company expanded into new markets. The focus remained on staffing each location with people who had deep product knowledge and strong customer relationships, consistent with the company's founding philosophy.

2014: Becoming an ESOP

Royal Brass and Hose became an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) company in 2014. Under an ESOP structure, employees receive ownership shares in the company as part of their compensation, making them direct stakeholders in the business's success. This transition reinforced the company's commitment to its people and created a strong alignment between employee performance and company outcomes.

2018: Investing in Product Data

Royal Brass and Hose began a major initiative to clean, structure, and enrich its product catalog data in preparation for an ecommerce launch. This work involved implementing Product Information Management (PIM) software and partnering with Ntara to develop the product data strategy needed to support a digital sales channel.

2020: Launching Ecommerce

Royal Brass and Hose launched its B2B ecommerce platform, enabling customers to search the full product catalog and place orders online. The launch represented years of work on product data, digital infrastructure, and system integration. For the first time, customers could access the Royal Brass and Hose catalog 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To read more about the ecommerce journey, see: CEO Drew MacDonald: 75 Years of Innovation

Today: 11 Locations and Growing

Royal Brass and Hose today operates 11 locations across 10 states, including Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Texas, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa. The product catalog spans thousands of SKUs across hydraulics, industrial hose, pneumatics, pressure washer equipment, fasteners, thread sealants, and more.

The company's ecommerce platform continues to expand, bringing the full product offering to customers who are not near a physical branch location. And the fundamentals that have always defined Royal Brass and Hose remain constant: product expertise, reliable service, and a commitment to building lasting customer relationships.

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Connect with Royal Brass and Hose

Contact us today or reach our team at 800-669-9650 or visit one of our 11 locations to speak with a product specialist.