CRW Parts, Inc., formerly Chesapeake Rim & Wheel Distributors, opened for business on March 12, 1962, specializing in replacement wheels and brakes for passenger cars and trucks. The company began with fourteen people, all veterans of the automotive aftermarket. Each had worked for R.W. Norris & Sons, a wholesaler with roots going back to the 1850's. Due to the death of several of the principals of that firm, the decision was made to liquidate the 112 year old business which had spanned through five generations, thereby, opening the opportunity for CRW to select the most promising product lines and personnel from the liquidated firm.
CRW opened its first branch in Landover, Maryland in 1967 and subsequently others in Norfolk, Richmond and Roanoke, Virginia; following later with Salisbury, Maryland, Wilmington, Delaware and Jessup, Maryland.
In 1996 we changed the Company's name from Chesapeake Rim & Wheel Distributors, Inc. to CRW Parts, Inc. to more adequately reflect the wider range of products offered. In 1998, we acquired the assets of Standard Wheel & Rim Co. Our company currently employs approximately 105 people in 8 locations.
Over the years, CRW has expanded into related lines of exhaust, suspension and drive line products, but always attempted to maintain its specialization in exhaust products, wheels, brakes and undercar parts.
We currently have over 150 sales categories supplied by roughly 250 vendors. Our sales are to fleets, exhaust shops, tire dealers and installers, automotive jobbers and miscellaneous industrial accounts in the Mid-Atlantic states.
It is the continuing goal of CRW to furnish our customers with dependable parts and service at competitive prices. Our industry is an extremely competitive one, but we are optimistic in the outlook for the future of our business, provided we listen to the needs of our customers and work to efficiently serve those needs.