National Ladder & Scaffold Co. is a testament to the enduring power of family, quality, and service. Since 1935, we’ve been a cornerstone of the construction industry, providing top-tier products and expertise to customers across the United States. For over 85 years, our family-owned business has grown from a small shop in Detroit to two state-of-the-art facilities in Madison Heights and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Our warehouses span a combined 100,000 square feet, stocked with the finest construction-grade products available. We offer the finest construction grade products available for purchase. We ship ladders, scaffolding, truck and van equipment, in addition to lifts and fall protection products across the United States.
About National Ladder & Scaffold Co.
Exciting News: We've Joined White Cap
White Cap, a leading distributor of specialty construction supplies and safety products for professional contractors, has acquired National Ladder & Scaffold Co., a Michigan-based distributor of safety products, equipment and workwear for contractors serving residential, commercial, industrial and public infrastructure end markets.
National Ladder & Scaffold Co. is now part of the White Cap suite of brands, branches and value-added services.
For nearly 90 years, National Ladder has served as a trusted supplier of safety products across the Midwest, and we know their experienced associates, product offerings and established locations will strengthen our ability to provide broader access to quality products and excellent service for local customers.
— Alan Sollenberger, CEO of White Cap
We believe our new partnership with White Cap reaffirms our commitment to delivering a world-class service experience and broad suite of differentiated products to our customers. This partnership also enhances our ability to provide new development opportunities for our associates at a growing company with a national footprint and a family-oriented culture.
— Corrado Corradi, President of National Ladder & Scaffold Co.
Founded in 1935 in Detroit, Michigan, the company's original focus was on manufacturing straight and extension wood ladders to customers in a wide variety of end markets across the Midwest. In 1984, the company established the Contractors Clothing segment to distribute workwear clothing specific to the construction trade. By 2024, these two entities had merged to become National Ladder & Scaffold Co. Now in its fourth generation of family management, the company has developed a strong reputation as a leading distributor of direct-to-jobsite safety products, equipment, clothing and personal protection equipment.
About White Cap
White Cap and its affiliates serve as a one-stop shop, providing concrete accessories and chemicals, tools and equipment, building materials and fasteners, erosion and waterproofing products, and safety products to professional contractors by meeting their distinct and customized supply needs in non-residential, infrastructure, and residential end markets. White Cap operates approximately 450 branches across North America with more than 9,500 employees supporting approximately 200,000 customers. For more information about White Cap, visit about.whitecap.com.
Our Journey
Our Core Values
Reliability
Our experienced sales staff consists of trained professionals, ready to help you in any way possible. We are committed to offering our customers the highest quality equipment available on the market, with safety training available for all product lines.
Responsibility
We feel a responsibility to keep all of our customers happy and informed of any new products that may make their jobsite safer and more efficient. We take pride in offering only the highest quality products.
Availability
National Ladder & Scaffold Co. is committed to keeping the largest inventory in Michigan, ensuring that when our customers need something, it is readily available. We have the largest inventory of ladders, scaffolding and safety equipment in Michigan.
Our Trusted Suppliers
All of National Ladder & Scaffold Co. suppliers have deep roots in the United States and are leaders in their respective industries. Our suppliers are committed to research and development, always looking to improve new and existing products. We make significant efforts to use Michigan suppliers, as well as products made in the United States.
| Cotterman Co. | Croswell, Michigan |
| Werner Ladder Co. | Greenville, Pennsylvania |
| Sumner Manufacturing Co. | Houston, Texas |
| Miller Fall Protection | Franklin, Pennsylvania |
| ZipWall®, LLC | Arlington, Massachusetts |
| Knaack and Weather Guard | Crystal Lake, Illinois |
| Bil-Jax Scaffolding | Archbold, Ohio |
| Adrian Steel | Adrian, Michigan |
| Michigan Ladder | Ypsilanti, Michigan |
Featured Customers
Our large inventory enables us to provide products to a wide spectrum of companies, including:
Fortune 500 Companies
Aerospace
- Boeing
- General Dynamic
- Lockheed Martin
Government Agencies
- US Army EOD
- US National Park Service
- US Postal Service
Universities
- Indiana University
- The University of Arizona
- University of Michigan
International
- McDonald's
- Trinidad Power Co
- Pandora Radio
Food Industry
- General Mills
- Kellogg
- Kroger
- Tyson
Industrial
- Airgas
- Johnson Controls
- DuPont
- BorgWarner
Our History
From Humble Beginnings to a Fourth Generation Business
The business was started and named American Ladder. The first store was located on Oakland Ave. in Detroit, which manufactured wood straight and extension ladders. As the country recovered from the Great Depression, the company supplied the growing industrial business base of Detroit.
The business was renamed National Ladder & Scaffold Co. and moved to 12222 Woodrow Wilson Ave. in Detroit, where wood ladders continued to be sold and made. We soon outgrew the little shop and were storing ladders and parts in several friends and family member's garages.
As the business continued to grow, more space was needed. National Ladder & Scaffold Co. moved to the first of 3 locations on John R Rd. in Madison Heights. At that time the company began to expand into other products (steel scaffolding, aluminum and fiberglass ladders).
Growth continued and space became an issue again. So National Ladder & Scaffold Co. moved literally down the road, several blocks on John R Rd. to the old Jim's Lumber location. During this time we continued to add new products (Truck and Van Equipment, Job Boxes and Fall Protection).
The company established the Contractors Clothing segment to distribute workwear clothing specific to the construction trade.
In the mid 1990's the business was growing at a very fast rate and the need for an additional location in western Michigan. We opened in Grand Rapids, MI. with about 30,000 square feet of showroom and warehouse space.
National Ladder & Scaffold Co. continued to gain customers and products. This created yet another space issue, so in 1997 we began construction on our current location, just up the road, again on John R Rd. in Madison Heights. We moved in this location in the spring of 1998.
We took a gamble and jumped on to the Internet. Now, after many years, National Ladder & Scaffold Co. is one of the largest internet sellers of ladders, scaffolding and other contractor industrial supplies!
National Ladder & Scaffold Co. and Contractors Clothing had merged to become one entity. The company joined the White Cap family of brands, enhancing our ability to serve customers nationwide while maintaining our commitment to quality and service.