BOARDMAN 2 Pa. men buy building supply

Boardman Supply has new owners and a new name.
THE VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
BOARDMAN -- Two New Castle men hope to bring renewed energy to a Boardman building supply company that was started more than 60 years ago.
Jon Rich and Mark Fulena have bought Boardman Supply Co. on Southern Boulevard and renamed it Boardman Concrete and Builders Supply. Rich said they changed the name slightly to let people know they intend to be aggressive in expanding the business.
"There is value in the Boardman name, but there is also value in something new coming to the area," he said.
The partners bought the business from James Pipoly for an undisclosed price.
The Pipoly family had owned the business since 1938. George Pipoly had acquired a controlling interest in East Youngstown Supply Co. in 1925 and then took over Boardman Supply in 1938. He had come to the United States from Hungary at age 17 in 1898 with his mother.
What happened
Rich said he and his partner had been looking for a business to buy for about a year when they learned Boardman Supply was for sale.
They liked the business because of its Boardman location and its longtime presence in the building industry, he said.
Rich had been a commercial lender for six years with National City and First National Bank of Pennsylvania. Fulena has owned Fulena Paving of New Castle for the past five years and had been co-owner of Castle Builders Supply. He sold his interest in Castle Builders Supply a couple years ago.
Rich said the blending of his finance experience and Fulena's construction experience make them a good match.
He said the partners want the company to be a one-stop shop for building products, such as concrete, brick, sand and stone.
He said he hopes to build the company's business with walk-in retail customers who are interested in buying brick, tools and other items for small landscaping jobs.
The company also is working to spruce up the property and buy new trucks. It has 15 employees, eight mixing trucks, two boom trucks and four dump trucks.
shilling@vindy.com