History

Terminal Supply Company was founded in 1966 by Dave Leslie and his wife, Maureen, in Troy, Michigan. Working out of a 1964 Plymouth, he covered eastern Michigan selling terminals and wire to truck fleets, marinas, and machine shops. The first warehouse was the size of a barbershop and Maureen handled all of the secretarial duties.

As business expanded, so too did the sales force. In the late sixties, he hired several salesmen (including his father, Bill) and moved to a small warehouse to accommodate the growing demand. In 1975, he opened his first warehouse in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

By 1979, the foundation was being laid that would carry Terminal Supply for at least the next 25 years. A new building was erected in Troy at 1800 Thunderbird and with it the establishment of a management team that still exists today. The extra space gave Terminal Supply room to expand its product offering and to spool its own wire. More sales territories were created and business continued to grow.

During the 1980's Terminal Supply grew into more markets throughout the Midwest. Chicago, St. Louis and Cleveland each had a branch and the sales force continued to expand. By the 1990's Minneapolis was added to the list of branches. In 1997, the 18,000 square foot building next door to the home office in Troy, Michigan was purchased to meet increasing need for inventory and office space. By the end of the century, Terminal Supply had over 100 employees in 17 states.

In 2001, Terminal Supply suffered a tragic loss with the death of its founder, Dave Leslie, to brain cancer. Even as he was going through treatments he continued to call on his customers. His positive and energetic personality is missed but his steady work ethic and attention to customers' needs will always be a cornerstone to the company he created.

In 2007, Terminal Supply grew into a third building on Thunderbird to accommodate its growing wire harness assembly division.

Terminal Supply continues to grow as we expand our product lines to include fasteners, brass, specialty cable and more specialty services. We continue to expand our exposure with trade shows and maintain a high level of expertise in our customer service and sales departments. And as our web site expands its capabilities we will continue to be closer to our customers.