Behlen Mfg. Co. said Monday that it has agreed to purchase a Florida-based company.
The Columbus company said it will buy Trident Building Systems Inc., which is located in Sarasota.
In a news release, Behlen described the deal as a merger, calling it a "combination of two family-owned companies with a great heritage and a bright future."
The release said Trident management will stay in place and the company will continue to produce pre-engineered and structural steel buildings from its manufacturing plant in Sarasota.
This is the 13th acquisition for Behlen, which has been based in Columbus since its founding in 1936. The company, which has annual sales of nearly $200 million, manufactures everything from horse pens to grain bins to commercial buildings. Its other products include hydraulic presses and custom metal parts, and it also has a trucking division.