Empire Machinery & Supply

Our original building burned down in January 1950 during the second-largest fire in Norfolk history.

After the fire, Empire began construction of a new facility on the same waterfront site as the original building. At that time, there were no bridges between Norfolk and Portsmouth, VA. Our employees living in Portsmouth rode the ferry across the Elizabeth River to and from work every day. Empire’s main customers in those days were in lumber mills, construction, shipbuilding and ship repair, and the government.

In 1960, Empire bought property in the Norfolk Industrial Park and began construction of a modern office and warehouse facility. We moved into our new building in 1964, which also marked our 50th year in business.

In September 1980, we opened our Hampton, VA office and warehouse in the Hampton Industrial Park. This branch currently serves Hampton, Newport News, Yorktown, Gloucester, and Williamsburg.

In 2014, Empire Machinery & Supply was purchased by C. E. Thurston and Sons Distributing, LLC and gained additional locations in Richmond and Roanoke. Today all four locations trade as Empire Machinery & Supply.