Hardware and Plumbing and Heating Equipment Merchant Wholesalers

Businesses and organizations in the Hardware and Plumbing and Heating Equipment Merchant Wholesalers industry (NAICS code 4237, part of the Wholesale Trade sector) received 10,297 PPP loans totaling $1.89B during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The average loan for this industry was $183,391 — above the national PPP average of approximately $67,000. This reflects the relatively large size of many businesses in this sector, which tend to have higher payroll costs and more employees.

92.9% of loans in this industry were forgiven — totaling $1.86B. To qualify for forgiveness, borrowers had to demonstrate that they maintained headcount and compensation levels and used at least 60% of loan proceeds for payroll expenses.

Notable recipients in this industry include BRADY TRANE SERVICE, INC. of GREENSBORO, NC ($8,314,800); THE HABEGGER CORPORATION of CINCINNATI, OH ($7,961,616); and LONG BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES, INC. of LITTLETON, CO ($7,557,500).

The loan amount distribution for this industry shows a more even spread across loan sizes, suggesting a mix of small and mid-sized businesses. Because borrower names are withheld for loans under $150,000, a substantial portion of recipients in this industry may not appear by name in this dataset.

As part of the broader Wholesale Trade sector — selling goods to retailers, industrial, commercial, institutional, or professional business users. — businesses in NAICS 4237 were particularly reliant on PPP assistance to bridge the gap between declining revenues and fixed overhead obligations during the shutdown period.