LDI Ltd. - Portfolio Companies

Portfolio Companies

Tucker Rocky was acquired in 1989 and is a national leader in the wholesale distribution of aftermarket parts, apparel and accessories for the powersports industry. Tucker Rocky sells over 75,000 products for street motorcycles, dirt bikes and ATVs.

Tucker Rocky is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and operates distribution centers in: Ft. Worth, Texas; Visalia, California; Portland, Oregon; Denver, Colorado; Bolingbrook Illinois; Jacksonville, Florida; and Jessup, Pennsylvania. These seven facilities provide next day ground delivery service to powersports dealers across the United States. Tucker Rocky also exports products to international distributors and dealers.

After LDI purchased Tucker Rocky, we invested additional resources to upgrade operating systems, strengthen the management team, expand the product offering and make several acquisitions, including Biker's Choice, a leading cruiser aftermarket wholesaler; Malcolm Smith Racing (MSR), a leading off-road motorcycle apparel company; Answer Racing, a motocross apparel and parts company, Firstgear, a premier line of technical apparel for street bike riders, and other regional distributors. Tucker Rocky has also developed its own QuadBoss brand of ATV parts and accessories and carries numerous lines of other leading brands on an exclusive basis.

What Makes Tucker Rocky Different

Customers say that it is easy to do business with Tucker Rocky and the company has earned this distinction by providing many years of steady, outstanding customer service. Exciting products, reliable fill rates, consultative selling, customized merchandising programs and a can-do attitude are the hallmarks of Tucker Rocky. As its customers and customer base have grown, Tucker Rocky has enjoyed partnering in their growth and success.

As a product of an extensive strategic planning process to acquire an additional portfolio company, LDI decided to enter the business of distributing aftermarket automotive paint in 1995 with the acquisition of a $12 million Florida paint distribution operation from a multi-product distributor to the collision industry. In 1996, LDI acquired majority control of FinishMaster, the leading national independent distributor of automotive paint, coatings and related materials to the $2.5 billion automotive paint refinishing market in the U.S. FinishMaster provides a full line of brand-name and private-label refinishing products to collision repair shops, automotive dealerships and fleet operators. These high quality products are manufactured by leading companies such as BASF, DuPont, PPG and 3M.

FinishMaster’s history has three roots. The first root is the original FinishMaster company established in 1968 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Originally, FinishMaster served the Great Lakes region and later expanded its branch network to also cover Texas, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The second root is Thompson PBE, which began as the Thompson Lacquer Company in the 1930s. Thompson’s initial focus was primarily California but, by the 1990s, the company had expanded into the Southeast and New England and had become the largest jobber in the nation. The third root is LDI AutoPaints, a medium-sized distributor operating in Florida. In 1995, LDI acquired LDI AutoPaints, a $12 million spin-off from an automotive parts company. In 1996, LDI purchased a controlling interest in FinishMaster. In 1997, FinishMaster completed a tender offer for California-based Thompson PBE and shortly thereafter acquired LDI AutoPaints from LDI in order to consolidate all three businesses on one platform with national coverage.

As part of LDI’s consolidation plan, FinishMaster relocated its headquarters to Indianapolis and has worked steadily to hone internal systems and improve its service to local and national customers alike. FinishMaster employs over 1,700 associates throughout a national network of more than 180 sales branches and three distribution centers in 28 states. Senior management includes members of the Thompson (from Thompson PBE) and Lacy families.

What Makes FinishMaster Different

Not only does FinishMaster reliably deliver paint to its customers on a just-in-time basis coast-to-coast, but FinishMaster employees are professionally trained to help its customers increase sales and cash flow. The Company distinguishes itself with predictable fill rates, national coverage, state-of-the-art technology, and the deep technical knowledge of its sales force. In addition, FinishMaster's growing private label initiatives are designed to share more margin with its customers and strengthen their profitability. Never satisfied with the status quo, FinishMaster continues to refine its service model and product offerings to keep its customers delighted with favorable results.