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Our Story

It Starts with the Story!

KMS Tools and Equipment is an industrial distributor that carries a huge selection of tools, from high quality heavy-duty professional tools to value-priced occasional use tools. We offer product warranties and service that exist nowhere else and consistently deliver great selection, price and expertise—all with a friendly neighbourhood feel.

Customers who have shopped at KMS for years are aware of our distinct culture. This culture was influenced by our company founder Stan Pridham in the early years and remains strong today.
How did Stan do it?

By staying true to the non-negotiable ideals that he brought to the business:

  • Provide bend-over-backwards customer service
  • Work hard with a can-do attitude
  • Embrace an entrepreneurial spirit
  • Persevere through challenges
  • Research and use the tools we distribute
  • Learn constantly
  • Stay dedicated to family
  • Serve the local and global communities

Stan's core values shaped the direction of the company and have helped KMS build a loyal customer base of industry professionals who trust our research, expertise and recommendations for the best tools for their jobs and projects. In the early 1980s, Stan, a heavy-duty mechanic by trade and entrepreneur by nature, found it hard to find good, reasonably priced tools. He was frustrated by the limited local selection and the lack of available expertise and support for the tools he used. As a woodworking hobbyist and car buff, Stan undertook many projects that left him wondering about the tools he used. He began thinking about how the local tool industry could be better for people who love using tools—people like Stan

A seed of an idea planted in Stan’s basement and bloomed into KMS Tools in 1981. Stan named his new business after his family:



KMS Tools is BC operated and owned. The first KMS location opened in Coquitlam in early 1984. The early days were marked by a lot of hard work and a little adversity, including a fire that destroyed almost everything. Today, more than 30 years later, KMS Tools and Equipment has eleven locations with over 200 employees in:
  • Abbotsford
  • Calgary
  • Chilliwack
  • Coquitlam (Home Office)
  • Edmonton
  • Grande Prairie
  • Kamloops
  • Kelowna
  • Langley
  • Red Deer
  • Victoria
In addition, KMS operates KMS C.A.R. Parts (Custom and Restoration), KMS Tool Repair, an online store and a distribution warehouse in Coquitlam.