About Us
For over five decades, Spray Equipment & Service Center has been a leading provider of industrial finishing solutions for businesses across North America. We're committed to helping you achieve success through a comprehensive range of services:
Spray Equipment & Service Center: We service what we sell, and go the extra mile to support your success.
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Here's what sets us apart after serving thousands of clients for nearly 50 years:
Spray Equipment & Service Center Inc. was founded in 1969 by Doug and Vonnie Spatz in Wichita, Kansas. The company began by distributing automotive paint and application equipment. In early 1970, Doug approached Al Hammar about leaving Sherwin-Williams. At the time Al was manager of the downtown Wichita Sherwin-Williams. Al decided to make the move on one condition: Spray Equipment & Service Center had to drop the automotive paint line and focus exclusively on distributing finishing equipment. Doug and Vonnie agreed and on March 1, 1970, Al joined the company.
During the 1970s, Doug handled the parts and service departments, Vonnie handled the administration and Al was in charge of sales. Times were lean and the hours long. The base business was built account by account, transaction by transaction. The hard work paid off and in 1979 Doug, Vonnie and Al sold the company. Doug and Vonnie retired while Al ran the company under new ownership.
In 1983, Al bought the company back. The economy was in a recession and the previous owner had drained most of the equity out of the company. Over the decade Al was able to revive the business and expand Spray Equipment & Service Center's geographical presence. The Springfield, MO facility opened in 1985 followed by the Omaha, NE facility in 1988.
In 1997, Al stepped down as president of Spray Equipment & Service Center, Inc. His son, Mark Hammar, who graduated from Wichita State University with a degree in Business Administration, took over as the new president of Spray Equipment. Al remained on as a corporate director until his death in February of 2021.
SprayLab, a state-of-the-art testing and training facility, was completed in 2000 at the Wichita, KS facility. It sets Spray Equipment & Service Center apart from other distributors in the region. It provides companies the capability to test a wide array of industrial and protective application methods without having to halt their production lines. Spray Equipment's geographical presence increased yet again with the opening of a facility in the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX Metroplex area in 2005.
This decade was one of rapid growth for Spray Equipment & Service Center, Inc. Our Conway, AR facility opened in 2011. In 2016 we opened facilities in Pella, IA, Columbus, IN and Mexico City, Mexico. Spray Equipment also has sales offices in several major cities in the Midwest including Oklahoma City and Minneapolis/St. Paul. We also have sales offices in Aguascalientes, Mexico and Leon, Mexico.
In March of 2019, Spray Equipment & Service Center, Inc., headquartered in Wichita, KS, and Dudley C. Jackson, LLC, headquartered in Helena, AL, merged to form Spray Equipment & Service Center, LLC.
Dudley C Jackson was founded by Dudley & Caroline Jackson in 1949 just outside Chicago, IL. In 1958, they moved to Birmingham, AL, where along with their sons, Chad and Ken, they set up shop in the basement of their home. With a handful of people, and driven by a thirst for helping others, their clientele list grew. After a short time period, they build an office in Helena, AL.
The merger utilizes the best of both companies while taking on the challenges of the 21st century.