RepSouth, like many leading rep firms, began as a single person agency when George W. Strickland began operating Strickland Sales out of his car and a small office in his home in Charlotte, NC. Not unusual, his first employee was his wife Jean who served as office manager and bookkeeper.

Strickland Sales moved into an old house that served as its first standalone office.  The growth continued when the company started stocking Elkhart Fire Protection and Fiat Products, leading to its first Office/Warehouse facility. With the new space, the company soon began stocking toilet partitions, sinks and faucets.

George Strickland retired, as Robert D. Robinson became the president, and Robert C. Smith became vice-president. Under their direction, the company rebranded itself with a new name, RepSouth, and expanded into Virginia, Maryland, and DC, opening office/warehouses in 3 new locations throughout the Southeast. The company continued to grow its footprint as they opened an office/warehouse in Raleigh, NC.

RepSouth split into two companies – RepSouth (NC/SC) and MidAtlantic RepSouth (VA/MD/DC). Although separate entities, the two companies continue to operate as sister companies, sharing inventory and resources.

In the first 56 years, the company only had two presidents. In 2019, Mitch Clark became the third president of RepSouth, along with Jason Abernethy, EVP; Brent Hood, VP; and Chuck Pearson, VP. The new leaders are continuing the strong growth pattern focused on high end kitchen and bath fixtures; commercial construction, water heating, and water filtration solutions.

RepSouth continues to have a strong corporate culture of caring for their customers, their employees, and the outstanding manufacturers that they are happy to represent in their territory, with Sales and Marketing support. The company’s 32 employees have an average of 13.5 years of industry experience.