The Salem Stone Division of Salem Distributing Co. and Bergman-Blair Machine Corp. are being combined to form a leading distributor of supplies and machinery to the stone industry in the U.S. and Canada. Salem Distributing Co. is now in its 70th year of continuous operation, and the origins of Bergman-Blair date back to 1895. Salem Stone markets a complete and comprehensive line of tools and consumable supplies, and Bergman-Blair has long represented some of the world's leading builders of stone machinery.

John Bergman will operate the new Bergman-Blair Division, which will remain in Oyster Bay, NY, and he will be available to answer technical questions, sell new equipment and to recommend tools and other consumable products from Salem Stone's broad line. “We anticipate a sales and service network second to none,” Bergman said. “Our present and future customers should benefit immensely, and as the industry continues to grow, the structure will be in place already to meet all future demands.”

The sales force of Salem Stone will now have access to the machinery that has been represented by Bergman-Blair. These machines include GMM, a leader in stone saws; Montresor edging machines; Stonelec multi-functional machines, Fraccaroli & Balzan water purification systems and a new addition to the lineup, Bimatech CNC work centers, as well as other equipment. Salem Stone will also continue to represent the Bovone StonEdge vertical edging machines. “We are very excited about the combination of our two companies, which has formed one of the largest machine and consumable supply forces in the stone industry,” said Bob Long, president of Salem Distributing Co. “We are especially pleased to be working with John Bergman, not only because of his extensive knowledge of the stone industry and equipment, but also for his impeccable reputation and history of fair and honest dealing.”