The Materials To Grow
Deerfield Builders Supply
The year was 1947 and Deerfield Beach could hardly be called a city, with less than 1500 residents. If Ed Dietrich Sr. had followed his first impulse, there would not have been a Deerfield Builders Supply. Ed’s employer owned a concrete block plant in Deerfield which he sent Ed up to manage.
Ed’s first impression was there didn’t seem the need to build a concrete block plant in Deerfield Beach. However, he accepted the challenge and after three years purchased the business, expanding it to include a lumber shed. Borrowing funds to purchase various boards, plywood, doors, nails, and other building materials, Ed Dietrich’s Deerfield Builders Supply had its beginnings.
As one of two of the oldest companies in Deerfield Beach with a continuous family operation, Deerfield Builders Supply rose to prominence, gradually evolving into a lumberyard and hardware store with showroom space, an upgraded truck fleet and a railroad siding for wholesale and export operations.
Along with founding the company, Ed Dietrich played an integral part of the DFB community’s rise in stature from a small farming town to a modern metropolis. He continued to give back to the community that he felt very fortunate to have been a part.
Following Ed’s retirement, his son, Ed Dietrich, Jr. became the president and chief operating officer until 2003 at which time the business was sold.