Company History
In 1962 Mobile Distributing Company started as a regional distributor for Gordon's Potato Chips. Like
the other Gordon distributors across the country, they delivered to the local independent grocery
stores in the signature red van. Around 1969 the company began selling counter display tubs filled
with Bic and Lindy pens. Over the next few years the business added a small assortment of specialty
office products.
Nabisco bought Gordon's in 1972 and decided to buy back the franchises. Suddenly Mobile Distributing
was out of the chip business. It had been suggested over the years to one of the owners that they
enter the wholesale pen business. Soon after the buyout, the company expanded into the specialty
office supply and pen wholesale business. The company was renamed Mobile Pen Company, Inc. (MPC)
and operated out of a 7,500 square foot facility.
In 1978, Frank Summersell and a partner bought MPC and rapidly grew the business into a 15,000
square foot facility. The company serviced college bookstores, independent office product
retailers, stationers, drug stores, and jewelry stores throughout six southeastern states. During
the mid to late 1980's the company's customer base began to shrink due to the onset of mass-market
retailers with huge stand-alone stores. By 1992 all that was left were the college bookstores and
a few independent retailers.
During the late 80's and early 90's, MPC bought other regional wholesalers in Florida, Tennessee
and Maryland in order to survive. Meanwhile Mr. Summersell launched a medical office management
and medical magazine diversifying the company in search of a new niche. In 1992, at the suggestion
of a friend and CEO of a large office products supplier, the founder and his wife attended the
NSSEA Fall Show in Nashville, TN. The company began a relationship with a large catalog
publisher, rented an 8,000 square foot warehouse, and filled it with educational products.
Educators Resource (ER) began as a division of MPC in 1993 servicing independent educational
retailers and catalog distributors. The company soon dropped out of the medical management and
publishing businesses to concentrate its resources on ER. In 1994 the company relocated both
operations into a larger facility which is now 90,000 square feet. In 1995 Mr. Summersell
purchased his partner’s interest in the company.
In 1996, the MPC division was sold to further concentrate resources on ER. In recent years,
the company has expanded into specialty toys and 100% fulfillment services for individual
catalog dealers and e-commerce businesses. ER is the leading wholesaler in the education
industry in service, product selection and distribution technology.