Matthew Gelles Promoted to President & CEO of NEFCO

HARTFORD, CT  — NEFCO, a distributor of construction supplies and engineering services has announced the company’s succession plan. David Gelles, President of NEFCO, has announced that his son Matthew Gelles will be promoted to succeed him as President & CEO of NEFCO, effective April 4, 2022, and his son-in-law Ron Cipriano will be promoted to EVP & COO. David Gelles will transition to Executive Chairman of NEFCO. The new roles are reflective of the extraordinary impact Matthew and Ron have had on NEFCO’s growth and the exceptional confidence David has in these next-generation leaders.

In 1981, David Gelles, alongside his father Gerry, acquired a small fasteners distributor in East Hartford, Connecticut. Since then, under David’s tenacious leadership, NEFCO has grown into the leading supplier of SHARP®, tools and construction supply products up and down the East Coast. David leads by example through his grit, determination, and unmatched work ethic, which is at the heart of NEFCO’s culture. As Executive Chairman, David will focus on supporting his strong relationships with NEFCO’s suppliers, driving sales, and furthering NEFCO’s larger strategic goals.

READ MORE: NEFCO Acquires Fellow Construction Supplies Distributor Russell Supply (Jan. 11)

“Having started NEFCO in 1981 and led the business as President for the last 41 years, I feel this is the right time to transition to the next generation. I am very proud of what Matthew has accomplished over the last 12 years at NEFCO; he has proven himself as a true leader with exceptional vision and ability to execute on his vision. Ron has been a tremendous asset to our leadership team and has provided great counsel and management over the last 12 years. NEFCO couldn’t be in better hands, and I cannot wait to further support our next generation leaders as they continue to grow and expand NEFCO.”

Matthew Gelles will take over as President & CEO of NEFCO on April 4, 2022. In this capacity, Matthew will provide leadership for the entire company, with an emphasis on long-term value creation, growth, profitability and return on investment. Matthew will be responsible for NEFCO’s strategic, financial, and operational execution with oversight over all NEFCO’s departments.

Matthew joined NEFCO full time in 2010 and has been serving as Executive Vice President since 2019. He has led NEFCO’s strategic planning for the last decade and has been the driving force behind NEFCO’s ambitions to become a large national supplier. Since joining NEFCO, Matthew has led the successful execution of NEFCO’s strategic growth plan, which he designed in 2012, implementing a wide array of growth strategies including acquisitions and organic branch openings.

“I am excited and grateful to take on the role of President & CEO. I have learned so much from my father and have huge shoes to fill, both literally and figuratively,” Matthew said. “Our vision at NEFCO is to partner with contractors across every jobsite in America. Every day we are delivering on that vision, and I feel incredibly fortunate to take on this role and support our 500 associates as we build NEFCO into a national distributor. We are building a dream team and a truly special company. While we have grown tremendously over the last decade, we have a lot left to accomplish and, in many ways, we are just getting started.”

Ron Cipriano will take on the role of Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of NEFCO on April 4, 2022. In this capacity, Ron will be responsible for several functions that support all NEFCO’s entities, including heading and planning all operational facets of NEFCO including the logistics, human resources, information technology, customer service and engineering departments. He will continue to oversee all legal issues while ensuring NEFCO’s customer experience remains an industry leader as it continues to grow via organic openings and acquisitions.

Ron joined NEFCO full time in 2010 and has been serving as Senior Vice President Operations & General Counsel since 2019 where he has been focused on organizational development, operational efficiency, and acquisition/branch integration.

“I look forward to partnering with Matt in our mission to be the single best partner for contractors whenever they build while continuing to provide sound counsel, guidance and direction to our championship team in their pursuit of building a fulfilling career at NEFCO,” stated Ron.

Matthew Gelles
Matthew joined NEFCO full time in 2010. Since then, he led NEFCO’s first E-Commerce initiative; designed, developed, and executed the company's strategic growth plan; and created and oversaw the rollout of SHARP®, an all-new go-to-market brand for NEFCO’s leading products. He also led the establishment of NEFCO’s first organic (Orangefield) branch opening in New York City which now represents NEFCO’s third largest revenue branch. Since 2019, as Executive Vice President, Matthew has overseen all Divisions and Departments, with primary oversight over Sales, Marketing, Pricing, Purchasing and Finance and a significant focus on strategic planning & development, growth, and profitability. In 2021, Matthew led NEFCO’s rebranding and culture initiatives which has enhanced NEFCO both internally and externally. Matthew graduated from Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management with a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management and Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprise and then received a Master of Industrial Distribution (MID) from Texas A&M’s College of Engineering & Industrial Distribution.

Ron Cipriano
Ron joined NEFCO in June 2010 at the company’s East Hartford headquarters as Director of Technical Sales focusing on the revitalization of the company’s engineering divisions while collaborating and executing on NEFCO’s strategic plan to grow its geographical footprint via organic openings, acquisitions and upgraded distribution facilities. Recently, Ron served as Senior Vice President, Operations and General Counsel where he was instrumental in driving operational efficiencies across the company’s supply chain and ensured risk mitigation tactics were instituted, monitored, and enhanced throughout the organization. Prior to joining NEFCO, Ron was an attorney with Reid and Riege, P.C. in Hartford, CT focusing his practice in the areas of general corporate law, mergers and acquisitions and business succession planning. He graduated from the University of Michigan and received his JD from the University of Miami.

NEFCO is a family-owned and operated construction supply company providing a broad range of products and services to a large variety of professional contractors. With 16 locations along the East Coast, NEFCO provides localized, contractor-centric services including extensive industry expertise, large local inventories, fast dependable jobsite delivery, turnkey engineering services, and specialty fabrication and assembly of construction materials.