Carter Lumber expands into Savannah with Gaster Lumber acquisition
What's the deal? Carter LumberDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, one of the largest building materials suppliers in the US, has acquired Gaster Lumber and Hardware — a family-owned, three-location supplier serving the Savannah, Georgia, metro area. The deal, announced on May 4, takes effect immediately.
Gaster Lumber was founded in 1985 and remained family-owned until the acquisition. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The three Gaster locations will operate under Carter Lumber's Coastal Carolinas market, led by market vice president Brian Sento. The expanded region now serves professional builders from Wilmington, North Carolina, through northern Florida.
Why now? Carter Lumber says the move was driven by customer demand. "Builders aren't satisfied with the options in the market today, they want partners who value long-term relationships, not just transactions," Sento said.
The acquisition follows a similar playbook to Carter Lumber's Charleston, South Carolina, expansion last year. It gives the company full coverage across Georgia and extends its coastal service presence from Hilton Head to northern Florida.
What could go wrong? Integration is always the risk with acquisitions of family-run businesses. Carter Lumber says it has a track record of preserving local leadership and relationships through these transitions — but maintaining Gaster's culture while scaling operations will be the real test.
Carter Lumber also plans to invest significantly in expanding reach, capacity, and capabilities in the Savannah market, which means upfront costs before returns materialise.
The signal: Carter Lumber's acquisition fits a broader consolidation pattern in the US building materials sector, where large regional players are absorbing family-owned suppliers to build geographic scale. With more than 145 locations across 12 states, Carter Lumber is methodically stitching together a Southeast coastal corridor — from Wilmington, North Carolina, through northern Florida — through targeted acquisitions of established local businesses, betting that professional builders increasingly want supply chain muscle paired with relationship-driven service.
Read more: carterlumber.com
