On Saturday, Feb. 16, Syndicate Sales Inc., in Kokomo, Ind. officially acquired the E.O. Brody Company. Syndicate also bought the retail florist portion of Indiana Glass from The Anchor Hocking Co.

"We are truly excited to welcome the Brody product line to the Syndicate Sales family," said Del Demaree, Jr., chairman and CEO. "We firmly believe it will be better for the floral industry to have both Syndicate and Brody glassware delivered weekly on 'Big Green' trucks."

Syndicate Sales, Inc. was founded in 1946 by Del Demaree, Sr. and his wife Fern. The company is a manufacturer, importer and distributor of more than 1500 floral products.

David Garcia, president of the Pete Garcia Company, which represented Brody in about half of the U.S., said via e-mail that his company has been advised not to comment on the acquisition. "We are seeking a resolve to this situation, which we were made aware of for the first time on Monday, Feb. 18. Our efforts will be to continue to support our wholesale floral customers in order to satisfy the entire industry."

The E.O. Brody Company was founded by Ernest Oscar Brody in Cleveland back in 1958. The company exclusively sold utility glass floral containers to florists as well as through wholesalers who would turn around and market the product to florists. The Lancaster Colony Corporation of Columbus, Ohio, took over the E.O. Brody Company in 1971. The company name was switched to "Brody Company" in 1988 after merging with Lancaster Colony's housewares division in Cincinnati.

At press time, E-Brief editors were awaiting additional details on the acquisition from Syndicate Sales, including confirmation on whether the company has retained the Brody Company's employees; representatives from Brody had not returned calls.

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org 

 


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