Dan K. Anderson, Diversified Supply, Inc.

Anderson is the President & CEO of Diversified Supply, Inc., a distribution business with more than 60 employees providing products and services to some of the largest corporations in the U. S.

Although Diversified Supply has 10 branches and satellite offices in other cities throughout the country, Chattanooga remains its headquarters for centralized operations such as finance, information technology, human resources, etc. Anderson attributes much of the attraction to Chattanooga to its central location.

In fact, he feels that Chattanooga’s location makes it an optimal site for many businesses involved in distribution. He points out that not only is it within a two-hour drive of some of the largest urban centers in the southeast – Birmingham, Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville – it also has easy access to both Interstate 24 and 75.

In the mid-80s Chattanooga also provided Anderson with several valuable experiences that have served him and the business well. The first was his position as purchasing agent at TVA where he purchased electrical supplies. The second was his position as a stockbroker with Merrill Lynch. While employed with both he learned a great deal and later applied that knowledge to his business. His ability to transfer what he learned about marketing, operations and research has attributed to the success of his business.