Member News

Mars Electric Hosts Open House, Announces Promotions

Mars Electric in Cleveland, Ohio hosted an open house and new product expo on Sept. 14 at its new Mayfield Village location. More than 50 manufacturers and hundreds of contractors, project managers and maintenance personnel from all over northeast Ohio visited Mars Electric’s new 108,000-square-foot operation.

Guests were treated to food, drinks, more than $10,000 in prizes and entertainment while they toured Mars Electric’s newest location.

“We were so honored to show our customers and manufacturing partners around our state-of-the-art facility. We’re very proud of our people who tirelessly made the move and open house a success,” said Fran Doris, CEO of Mars Electric.

In other company news, Mars Electric announced the promotions of Michael Doris to executive vice president and Michael Mammone to vice president of sales.

Doris joined Mars Electric in 2010 in marketing and finance and became the director of operations in 2014. He was also the recipient of a 2015 tED magazine “30 Under 35” award. Prior to joining Mars Electric, Doris was a pricing and then data analyst for Progressive Insurance.

Mammone’s Mars Electric career started in 2013 as sales manager. Before that, he served as a product and then sales manager at Eaton Corporation.

For more information, visit mars-electric.com.

Summit Electric Supply Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Summit Electric Supply is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a leader in the electrical distribution industry. For the past four decades, Summit has built a tradition of excellence in providing innovative solutions and exceptional customer service.

Founded by Victor Jury Sr., David Meredith and Victor Jury Jr., Summit began operations on Aug. 15, 1977 with a staff of five in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After 40 years of innovation and steady growth, the company has expanded to 25 service centers in five states, employing more than 600 associates. The company also operates a service center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and has divisions devoted to marine; engineering, procurement and construction, as well as international sales. Summit is ranked No. 19 among the nation’s top electrical distributors by Modern Distribution Management Magazine.

Summit serves a broad range of electrical professionals from local contractors to multinational corporations. The company offers more than 1.8 million unique products from more than 1,500 manufacturers. Summit also offers various specialized services including inventory management, project management, customized business services, mobile apps and e-commerce through its website.

Summit Electric Supply is a privately-held, independent electrical distributor headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

For more information, visit summit.com.

Crescent Electric Acquires Womack Electric, Announces Promotions

Crescent Electric Supply Co. has purchased the Danville, Virginia-based Womack Electric Supply. Both companies are members of IMARK Group.

Founded in 1938, Womack has grown from a single location into a recognized leader in the Virginia and North Carolina markets, achieving sales of $100 million in 2016. With approximately 150 employees, Womack serves contractor, industrial and government customers from 18 stocking branches in Virginia and North Carolina.

“We are thrilled at the opportunity to acquire a company with the reputation, strength and market presence of Womack Electric,” said Marty Burbridge, Crescent Electric president and CEO. “Under Crescent ownership, Womack will continue to operate under the Womack name and brand with the same employees, leadership team, suppliers and customers. We will leverage our companies’ respective strengths to grow the business.”

Speaking of the acquisition, Womack Electric CEO Ray Womack said, “We searched for the right organization to purchase Womack Electric, one that shared our values and vision. I feel strongly that Crescent Electric is that company.” “Our cultures are very similar,” Womack continued, “Our employees will have extensive opportunities for training and professional development, and Crescent has the resources to continue to grow the Womack business throughout the southeast. We will share best practices and learn from each other’s successes.”

Womack Electric will continue to operate from its current Danville, Virginia headquarters and customer and supplier contacts will remain unchanged.

Crescent Electric also recently announced two executive promotions. Teresa Coffey has been promoted to the position of vice president–controller and Alice Vontalge to the newly-created role of vice president–chief strategy officer.

Coffey will oversee the corporate support departments of accounts payable, accounts receivable, accounting and credit.

Coffey joined Crescent Electric in 2004 and previously served as the company’s corporate controller. In addition to her work at Crescent, Coffey is a lieutenant commander in the U.S Navy Reserves, where she has earned sub specialties in expeditionary logistics, training, cargo handling and transportation.

In her new position, Vontalge’s primary responsibilities will be developing and executing strategies for inorganic growth initiatives; measuring and communicating organizational progress against the company’s long-term strategic plan and acting as the lead change agent on critical need projects.

Vontalge has been with Crescent for 21 years, starting in the position of corporate controller and advancing to vice president of finance in 2001, where she managed the corporate support departments of accounts payables, accounts receivables, credit and accounting. Vontalge played key roles in the company’s ERP conversion project and continuous improvement initiatives.

For more information, visit cesco.com.

HESCO Acquires Georgia Electric Supply, Opens New Facility

Atlanta-based Hicks Electric and Utility Supply Co. (HESCO) opened its fifth location in Savannah, a result of HESCO’s recent acquisition of Georgia Electric Supply (GES).

Owned and operated by Wendell Fetzer for more than 30 years, GES has been a mainstay in the Savannah electrical business and in the industry. The combination of the tradition, history and relationships at GES with the entrepreneurial energy, service reputation and capabilities of HESCO will bring enhanced product and service offerings to existing and new customers in the region.

The new location at 19 Westgate Blvd. will service customers throughout southeast Georgia and northern Florida. HESCO is already staging a large project in the Savannah facility for an Atlanta contractor working in North Florida.

For more information, visit hesco.com.

Mayer Electric Acquires Upchurch Electrical Supply

Mayer Electric Supply Co. Inc. in Birmingham, Alabama recently announced that Upchurch Electrical Supply Co., based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, will become part of Mayer Electric Supply Co. Inc. Both companies are members of IMARK Group. Upchurch Electrical has locations in the cities of Fayetteville, Fort Smith and Rogers. The acquisition marks Mayer’s first entry into the state of Arkansas. The deal follows Mayer’s entry into the state of Texas in 2012 when Mustang Electric Supply in Dallas became part of Mayer, and the company’s green-field opening of a location in Houston in 2013.

“In our ever-changing industry, we must constantly evaluate opportunities to grow our company both organically and by joining forces with other successful companies who fit our culture,” said Mayer President Wes Smith.

“Over many months of discussions, it became apparent that Mayer and Upchurch share similar values and objectives, as well as stellar reputations with both customers and suppliers. The timing and opportunity simply made sense to both companies.”

“I knew we could only consider a company with a similar philosophy and commitment to our customers and employees,” said David McConnell, president of Upchurch Electrical Supply. “Mayer’s reputation for customer service, supplier relationships and commitment to its associates were keys to opening the dialog.”

Mayer Electric Supply Co. is a regional wholesale distributor of electrical equipment and supplies, lighting, factory automation, tools and communication equipment systems, solutions and services. Mayer is a third-generation family-owned business founded in Birmingham, Alabama in 1930 and is a certified woman-owned business. Mayer’s nearly 1,200 associates serve a diverse set of customers in 11 states with 54 branch locations and distribution facilities.

For more information, visit mayerelectric.com.

J.H. Larson Names Two New Branch Managers

J.H. Larson Co. has named Christofer Grefe as the new branch manager of the Abbotsford, Wisconsin location and Jamie Fenner as the new branch manager of the Watertown, South Dakota location.

Grefe has several years of distribution experience including management roles with Valspar and Fastenal. As branch manager, Grefe will direct and coordinate the branch’s sales and operational efforts.

Fenner started with the company in 2004 as an outside salesperson focusing on plumbing and HVAC accounts. Eventually, he moved into selling to electrical accounts as well.

For more information, visit jhlarson.com.

Summit Announces Personnel Changes

Summit Electric Supply recently hired Ryan Oehring to lead its desert southwest district and Dustin Walthall as service center leader of its Bryan/College Station, Texas location. The company also promoted Tracy Comeaux to service center leader of its Broussard, Louisiana location and hired Jim Tiemann as the new leader of the San Antonio service center.

Oehring was previously an integration solutions director for an international industrial supplier. He will report to President Kevin Powell and be based out of Summit’s Phoenix, Arizona location.

Oehring will be responsible for the development and execution of sales initiatives in the company’s newly-created desert southwest district, which includes service centers located in Phoenix, Arizona; El Paso, Texas and three New Mexico locations in Farmington, Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

After graduating from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, Oehring began his career in sales. His early successes in growth strategies soon led to more demanding and responsible management roles. In addition to sales development, Oehring has earned experience in personnel development, vendor relationships and operational logistics.

Walthall has worked in electrical distribution for 10 years in Texas. He began his career in the industry as a warehouse driver for a Texas electrical supplier. He advanced through roles in sales and operations before eventually becoming a branch manager.

In his new position, Walthall will work to develop and build a strong team to provide outstanding customer service in the Bryan/College Station market.

A 23-year industry veteran, Comeaux has been at Summit for 10 years and has progressively advanced through positions in customer service, account management and operations. Prior to being promoted, Comeaux was the operations manager for the Broussard location.

With more than 32 years of experience, Tiemann possesses a proven track record of accomplishments in associate development, customer service management and sales management. His experience and strong knowledge of the industry advanced him into numerous leadership positions at branch, market, district and regional levels. Most notably, he was a regional subject matter expert for inventory management and built a curriculum to mentor regional leaders to master inventory management and customer service improvements.

In his new leadership role, Tiemann will use his knowledge and experience and invest in his team, as well as create strong vendor relationships. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

For more information, visit summit.com.siness Enterprise.