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Our Mission

At Dealers Warehouse, our mission is knowing our customers have entrusted us with a portion of their reputation, we believe
that our God-inspired mission is to strive for excellence in both the way people are treated and the way business is conducted.
We believe that business principles should conform to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Our Story Begins

…not in southwest Virginia, but in northwest Pennsylvania, high on the Allegheny plateau, in the Pennsylvania county of Forest. Martin Luther Hassinger started his lumber business in Lamonaville, Pennsylvania. In the beginning, Hassinger purchased from a leather company hemlock that had been stripped of its bark, and sawed it at his small mill at Lamonaville. When the oil boom hit northeast Pennsylvania, the Hassinger operation expanded to include the construction of oil derricks. The business prospered over the next 20-odd years; three mills were constructed and two narrow-gauge engines and log trains were operated.

Goodbye Timber

The leather company recognized that it was losing revenue and stopped delivering the cut timber. With this major source of supply gone, Hassinger gave up the business. Hassinger’s three sons – Luther (L. C.), Will, and John – however, decided to continue in the lumber business and find a new source of timber. They looked at some timber in West Virginia and considered going west to Oregon and Washington. That was, until L. C. was sent by his father to southwest Virginia to look over the area, which was virtually untouched and uncut. At the time, a fellow Pennsylvanian by the name of Clark was operating in Washington County, Virginia, a one-horse sawmill under the name of the Konnarock Land and Lumber Company. Liking what he saw, L. C. returned with his father, who ended up buying out Clark and his 6,000 acres of forest, as well as the timber rights to another 14,000 acres, for a total of 20,000 acres.

Goodbye Pennsylvania

Hello, Virginia! The Hassingers relocated their mill from Pennsylvania to Virginia using Norfolk & Western Railway. With no tracks near Azen, equipment was hauled 16 miles from Chilhowie over rugged roads by horse-drawn wagons. Heavy machinery, some weighing up to five tons, required multiple horse teams.

At Azen, they found dead hemlock timber prepared for farmland conversion. They used it to build their bandmill, store, boarding house, and employee housing. L.C. Hassinger's wife, Letisha, named the company town Konnarock, possibly derived from the Tsalagi word "gunas" (grass), meaning "grass-covered rock."

The nearby Whitetop Mountain, once called Meadow Mountain, appears on a 1749 map by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson’s father.

The Last Log

The last log was sawed at the Hassinger Lumber Company’s mill in Konnarock, L. C. Hassinger and his wife, Letisha, were on hand to witness the event. The mill’s closing was inevitable. As John Gable, a longtime resident of Konnarock, simply put it: “It had to happen because the trees were gone.”

Relocation

Instead of risking a potentially disastrous move to North Carolina, L.C. Hassinger purchased the Bristol Builders’ Supply Company, a retail lumber business, in 1929. L.C. and his two sons, Martin and Will, relocated from Konnarock to Bristol, Virginia, leaving their company town to decline.

Train Service

From 1926 until 1930, the U.S. Forest Service, as part of the Weeks–McCary Act, began buying cut-over land to establish the Unaka National Forest (now Jefferson National Forest). Between 1925 and 1930, the Hassingers sold the government about 15,000 acres of cut-over land for reforestation at prices ranging from $2.50 to $3.50 per acre. The final blow came in 1930 when train service to Konnarock was discontinued.

Establishing Central Warehouse Corporation

The Central Warehouse Corporation was founded in Bristol, Virginia, marking the Hassingers' first step into the building materials industry.

Dealers Warehouse Emerges

Dealers Warehouse was established in Knoxville, Tennessee, expanding their reach and influence into a new region.

Hassinger Wholesale Expands to North Carolina

Hassinger Wholesale was founded in Greensboro, North Carolina, further broadening the Hassinger footprint in the building materials market.

Reserve Warehouse Corporation Takes Root

Reserve Warehouse Corporation was established in Chattanooga, Tennessee, solidifying the Hassingers’ presence across the Southeast. At the time it was managed by Don Mirts. Within just twelve years, the Hassingers grew their corporation into a pioneering and successful building materials wholesaler. Their innovative model, previously unheard of, quickly captured national attention through articles, magazines, and advertisements, cementing their legacy in the industry. 

The Leadership and Legacy of Don Mirts

Don Mirts was named president of both Dealers Warehouse and Reserve Warehouse, a role he dedicated himself to until 1993.

Beyond his business acumen, Don Mirts was deeply committed to the Knoxville community. He served on the boards of several prominent organizations. Under Don Mirts' leadership, Dealers Warehouse experienced exponential growth, becoming the influential company it is today. His dedication to excellence in business, as well as his service to the community, left an indelible mark.

Leadership Transition

William E. Hassinger Jr. announced via a family photo and letter that Les Mirts would become the new manager of Dealers Warehouse Corporation, effective January 1, 1993. Les, having grown up in the business, was the natural successor to his father, Don Mirts, who remained president until his passing in 1994.

The Evolution of Marvin Concepts

Dealers Warehouse had been distributing Marvin Windows. In response to growing demand, the Hassingers consolidated their three distribution points into a single company, Marvin Concepts. In 2005, the company transitioned to Marvin Concepts, LLC, coinciding with its relocation to Thunder Lane.

A New Era at Thunder Lane

After 57 years on Sixth Avenue in downtown Knoxville, Dealers Warehouse moved to a new, state-of-the-art 340,000-square-foot facility on Thunder Lane, just a quarter mile from Exit #112 off I-75 North. The new location, over 100,000 square feet larger than the previous site, offered improved efficiency and proximity to the interstate, enabling better service for over 500 customers.

Where Are We Now?

Today, after more than 70 years of serving our customers, we remain committed to maintaining and providing quality goods and services. We are introducing new initiatives in warehousing and logistics, strengthening our capacity to internally manage large multi-family projects, and developing software to build millworked doors online. Additionally, we have a graduate of the University of Tennessee's Supply Chain Management School focused on improving how we measure and reduce damaged products. These efforts represent a significant investment in our goal to serve you, our customers, in an even greater way. This commitment aligns with the vision of our founder, Martin Hassinger, who started Dealers Warehouse 70 years ago. We are dedicated to continuing that legacy and thank you for your business and the trust you place in us.

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