GMS Inc., a leading North American specialty building products distributor, announced today that Travis Hendren has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer for GMS, effective Aug. 1. In this newly created role, Hendren will be responsible for all field operations supporting the company’s distribution yards. Hendren joined GMS in 2014 and has been serving as President of GMS Canada since June 2019.

“Travis is an outstanding leader and trusted partner with extensive knowledge of our business and a track record of success,” said John C. Turner, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of GMS. “He has made valuable contributions as a member of the GMS leadership team over the last several years, not only most recently leading our Canadian operations, but also helping to drive our expansion through acquisitions and greenfield locations in his prior role as the head of corporate development for the company. As GMS continues to grow, the creation of the COO role will allow us to better execute on our strategic priorities and support our overall operations and our team, who is directly serving our customers. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Travis as we drive share gains in our core products, pursue platform expansion, leverage our scale and technology to drive improved productivity and profitability, and grow our complementary product offerings.”

Hendren is an accomplished executive who worked for 17 years in the financial services industry prior to GMS, primarily working with building products companies. During that time, Hendren developed a strong knowledge of the construction materials industry and its participants. Hendren joined GMS in 2014 to build the company’s Corporate Development Team and to oversee its M&A efforts. During his time as Vice President of Corporate Development, GMS opened 33 greenfield yards and completed 30 acquisitions, including the acquisition of WSB Titan, which represented GMS’ entrance into Canada. Since 2019, Hendren has served as President of GMS Canada, significantly growing the company’s Canadian revenues and profitability.