Our first Catalog. Circa. 1960	Our catalog today

Rutland Tool & Supply was founded by Lou Weiner in southern California in 1955 with a great attention to detail and hard work. He named the company after the street he lived on in Whittier, California, called Rutland Avenue.  Similar to other early tool sellers, he first sold product out of his car trunk. He grew the business to include two store locations by 1960, one in Whittier and one in Santa Ana, California.  The first catalog was printed in 1962 and as the catalog became his strongest sales tool, his business grew and locations were opened in Texas and Georgia, and more locations in California. By 1996, with over 20,000 customers, Lou decided to allow the company to grow further by selling it to Airgas.  While part of Airgas, Rutland grew its product offering and launched its website, gaining customers along the way and improving delivery times.  In 2005, Rutland Tool & Supply was acquired by Lawson Products (NASDAQ: LAWS) and is now part of the Lawson Family of Businesses.