About

Founded August 1, 1982 General Sales of Virginia has the longest record of continuous service of any paper-janitor supplier in Southwestern Virginia. Begun by E.C. ‘Steve’ Stephenson (formerly a salesman with Paper Supply Co, Bluefield, West Va.) , General Sales of Virginia has been home-based in Roanoke, Va. for almost 40 years. Begun in a time of economic uncertainty, the company struggled and finally prospered with the help of dedicated employees and managers. As the company grew, new owner-operators Ken Kemmerer, E.C. ‘Stu’ Stephenson III, and Lee Stephenson joined and helped with management and sales. The four owners have a combined total experience of over 100 years in the paper-janitor supply distribution business.

The company began by selling paper towels, tissue, napkins and trash can liners from a small 5000 square foot warehouse in Eastern Roanoke. The product line has expanded to include cleaning chemicals, food service disposables, janitorial hardware, office papers, and packaging supplies. After five relocations, General Sales of Virginia now resides in a 60,000 square foot warehouse-office facility close to the center of the city. The delivery area covered by General Sales has also expanded. The original coverage zone for the company was the area between Roanoke and the mountains of West Virginia. General Sales of Virginia delivery trucks can now be seen making two to three trips per week to Lynchburg, the New River Valley, and Bluefield in West Virginia , and four to five trips per week up the I-81 corridor to and from Winchester, Va. and to the outlying areas of Washington, D.C.  General Sales also covers the Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point areas of North Carolina, along with northeastern Tennessee.

After beginning business with a used truck and a single warehouse-delivery person, the company has slowly added salespersons, customer service persons, billing & bookkeeping specialists, as well as additional warehouse-delivery personnel. The company now employs over 20 local full time workers. The company also banks and purchases all of its needs locally. The company has always supplied its workers with the finest healthcare available and other benefits that only a small business can provide. As a result, most of General Sales of Virginia’s staff are long-term employees. Thirty year, twenty year, and ten year services are the standard not the exception. The experience and dedication to first-rate customer service is the bedrock advantage that General Sales takes to the marketplace. Beyond that, the combination of employee payroll and company purchasing benefits the economy of Southwestern Virginia.

The markets and the products have changed over the years but goal of the company has been the same. That is to provide quality and dependable products for industrial and institutional customers by the most efficient, economical, prompt means as possible and to be the leader in innovation and service for the consumer.  The company is grateful to its customers, employees , and countless friends for their support through three decades. Going forward, the company will continue to improve its delivery response time and innovation for the benefit of the area it serves.