Southeast Tool was started in 1998 in response to what appeared to be a serious gap in the tooling industry: a tool and router bit supplier that truly focused on the needs of the customer. A year later, the company relocated for the first time.

Outgrowing that location, Southeast moved to a 2,000-square-foot location in an industrial park. Less than four years after that, the company purchased the 20,000-square-foot building it now occupies. In addition to the main warehouse in Conover, North Carolina, the company has additional warehouses in Portland, Oregon, and Ontario, Canada.