The Seals, a Charlotte-based distributor of gaskets for commercial refrigeration units founded by a former UNC football player, has acquired The Gasket Guy of Raleigh and established a manufacturing facility near Raleigh.

Terms were not disclosed

Owner and president of The Seals, three-year UNC football letterman Andrew Dinkin, graduated from UNC in 1992 with a degree in speech communications. Since graduating, Dinkin has started several companies and has worked in sales and real estate.

The former owner of Gasket Guy of Raleigh, Andrew Thompson, will now serve as vice president of production for The Seals.

Dinkin said although he and Thompson were once competitors, he thinks he is truly one of the best in the business.

“We were friendly competitors, I have always had great respect for him,” Dinkin said in a statement. “We are excited that we have joined forces.”

After the acquisition, The Seals leased 2,000 square feet at 3337 Air Park Road in Fuquay-Varina where it now manufactures gaskets, cuts custom cutting boards and inventories hardware components.

With the new facility, The Seals can now control its supply chain, expand its customer base and providing its field representatives in Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, Wilmington, Atlanta, Charleston, Greenville, Columbia and Myrtle Beach with same-day delivery of custom gaskets.

“Bringing our manufacturing in-house and closer to our customers greatly reduces our shipping costs and greatly improves our turn-around time,” Dinkin said in a statement.

Since Dinkin purchased the western Carolinas distributorship of Gasket Rock Inc. and renamed the company in 2010, The Seals has expanded in the gasket distribution market across North Carolina.

The company soon plans to expand to the Richmond, Norfolk and Shenandoah Valley areas of Virginia, and will also begin offering franchises in 2019.

The Seals produces, distributes and replaces commercial gaskets for restaurant operators, supermarkets and convenience stores among others.

The company has 13 field employees across the southeast and currently produces 2,000 gaskets a month with expansion plans for 3,000 a month by the end of 2018.