Member News

Republic Celebrates 100 Years in Style

2016 was a big year for Republic, an independent, third-generation family-owned electrical mechanical and energy management distributor with branches in Cedar Rapids and Dubuque, Iowa and Peoria, Illinois. Republic commemorated 100 years in business with a celebration at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois on Sept. 22, 2016.

Six hundred and fifty customers, vendors, employees and community leaders entered the party on a red carpet. The arena was transformed with candle-lit tables featuring fresh flowers and intricate centerpieces, crystal chandeliers and truss lighting.

Dueling pianos provided live music throughout the evening as guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, desserts and dinner. Short presentations showcased the company’s history through videos and memorable stories of the past. The capstone of the evening was the presentation of a $40,608 check to the Handicapped Development Center (HDC) to create the J.S. Kimmel Technology Training Center. Republic capitalized on its 100th anniversary to encourage the community at large to contribute to the creation of this much-needed resource for the HDC, a local Davenport organization the Republic’s founder, J.S. Kimmel Sr., helped to create. Altogether, more than 130 individuals and businesses contributed to the cause.

Atlantic Coast Electrical Supply Acquires Assets of Southeastern Electrical Distributors

Atlantic Coast Electric Supply LLC, of Charleston, South Carolina, a new company headed by 25-year electrical industry veteran John Marshall, has purchased the assets of IMARK member Southeastern Electrical Distributors Inc., of Greenville, South Carolina. Southeastern Electrical Distributors and Atlantic Coast Electric Supply will co-brand until changing the name to Atlantic Coast Electric Supply LLC in the first quarter and will remain an IMARK member. This includes branches in Charleston, South Carolina and Concord, North Carolina.

J.H. Larson Co. Acquires Sioux Falls LightHouse LLC

J.H. Larson Co., of Plymouth, Minnesota, announced the acquisition of Sioux Falls LightHouse LLC, a 6,000-square-foot luxury and modern lighting showroom located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Sioux Falls LightHouse is now a division of Pahl’s Designer Showrooms. J.H. Larson operates four Pahl’s Designer Showroom locations featuring premier kitchen, bath and lighting products.

Sioux Falls LightHouse LLC was founded in 2014 by Jeff Wagner. Since its creation, Sioux Falls LightHouse has lead the region with its knowledgeable staff, full-time design services and stunning lighting showroom. Wagner has extensive experience in the industry as an electrician and business owner and will continue as showroom manager.

The acquisition reinforces J.H. Larson and Pahl’s Designer Showroom commitment to its diverse clientele including homeowners, builders and designers throughout the upper Midwest. Sioux Falls LightHouse combined with J.H. Larson Sioux Falls, gives J.H. Larson a strong market presence in the area with a breadth of product and design services to fill any customer need. Long-term plans include adding premier plumbing products to the showroom as well.

Electric Supply Named Most Generous Workplace

Electric Supply Inc. (ESI), of Tampa, Florida, was named a 2016 Top 100 Most Generous Workplace by United Way Suncoast in its annual Most Generous Workplaces list. Each year the United Way Suncoast publishes a list of its top 100 supporters. ESI ranked No. 76 this year out of more than 800 corporate donors.

ESI, an employee-owned company, fosters a culture of employee giving and volunteerism. The company has 145 employees and is an active philanthropist in the local community supporting more than 40 local charitable causes annually. Local partners include Metropolitan Ministries, United Way Suncoast, Boys and Girls Club of America and many other nonprofit organizations that serve the needs of the less fortunate, primarily within the Tampa Bay area.

ESI is an independent distributor of electrical and data communications products and a Platinum member of IMARK Group serving both the Tampa Bay area and international markets. Founded in 1970, ESI has grown into a multi-divisional operation and has been recognized by local and national authorities as a thriving company. As the largest independent electrical products distributor headquartered in Florida, ESI maintains strong relationships with quality IMARK manufacturers, such as Legrand, Sylvania and Thomas and Betts. ESI became an employee-owned company in 2011.

Springfield Electric Supply Contributes to NAED Foundation Future Fund

The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) thanks Springfield Electric Supply Co. for its contribution to the NAED Education and Research Foundation’s Future Fund. “Springfield Electric Supply is thrilled to be able to invest in the future of our industry with this contribution,” said Dan Dungan, executive chairman of Springfield Electric Supply Co. “We use the industry-specific education programs developed by the foundation to train our staff. I have seen first-hand the impact those courses can have on an individual’s success.”

All funds go toward providing industry-leading education and research programs for the $70 billion electrical distribution channel. “We are so grateful for Springfield Electric’s continued support for the work of the foundation,” said Michelle McNamara, NAED senior vice president and executive director of the NAED Education and Research Foundation. “Contributions to the Future Fund will help us provide the tools, training and knowledge vital for the success of our members. We are honored and thankful for their support.”

For more than 45 years, the NAED Foundation has provided members with the latest industry information, valuable education tools and industry research initiatives. Tax-deductible contributions are funding new courses currently in development covering topics such as automation and pricing strategies.

For more information about contributing to the Foundation’s Future Fund, contact Erika TenEyck at eteneyck@naed.org.

Nu-Lite Raises More Than $34K for Flood Victims

Nu-Lite Electrical Wholesalers, of Harahan, Louisiana, has raised more than $34,000 to help Louisiana flood victims. More than 55,000 homes flooded in August 2016 and the majority of these families did not have flood insurance. Nu-Lite, its vendors and customers helped three families in Hammond, Louisiana who lost everything.

Many of Nu-Lite’s employees and customers were affected by Hurricane Katrina. They were helped by the generosity of strangers. Nu-Lite and its customers were able to return the favor through Nu-Lite’s “Helping Our Own” charity promotion. Just before Christmas, Jennifer Gray (marketing coordinator) along with Gary Corales (owner) and Joe Impastato (general manager) presented each of the three families with a check for $11,514.

For the past six years, Nu-Lite has selected a local charity or group to benefit from its annual fall charity promotion. In those six years, Nu-Lite has been able to donate more than $169,000 with the help of metro New Orleans electricians and its supporting vendors.

The vendors who contributed to this past year’s charity were Encore Wire, Philips, Western Tube and Conduit, Leviton, Square D by Schneider Electric, Burndy, Thomas & Betts, Ideal Industries, Eaton/Cooper Lighting/B-Line/Crouse-Hinds and Bridgeport. Without the support of these vendors, Nu-Lite’s annual charity fundraising would not be possible.

Evergreen Supply Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Evergreen Supply is celebrating 30 years in business, as well as the move into its new 49,000-square-foot distribution center, which features a state-of-the-art wireless radio frequency (RF) system and ample space for staging and pre-fabrication of orders. Evergreen Supply maintains its corporate offices at 312 N. May St. in Chicago.

Mars Electric Doubles Warehouse Space

Mars Electric, of Cleveland, Ohio, has doubled the size of its central warehouse and headquarters and added a twelfth branch in Mayfield Village, Ohio. “We’re the one-stop-shop for electrical supplies so we need to expand to continue to support our customers,” said Michael Doris, director of operations for Mars Electric. “Ensuring we have the products our customers need when they need them is really important to us. That’s why we’re doubling the size of our warehouse.”

Mars Electric’s branch at its former headquarters in Willoughby will continue to serve customers in that neighborhood. The distributor is committed to making it easy and fast for contractors to get the electrical supplies they need so they don’t take time away from being on the job site.

Doris’ grandparents launched Mars Electric in 1952 in Lake County. It remains family-owned with Doris’ mother, Fran, serving as CEO; his father, Mark serving as president and his brother, Andrew, working in sales and inventory management. The central warehouse now supplies 12 locations serving customers who work on job sites from Ashtabula and Canton to Sandusky.

For more information, visit www.marselectric.com

Pontiac Electric Supply Merges with Gordon Electric Supply

Gordon Electric Supply, of Kanakee, Illinois, has merged with its sister company, Pontiac Electric Supply, of Pontiac, Illinois. Roger and Camilla Winterland have retired. They owned/operated Pontiac Electric Supply with Howard Gordon, previous owner of Gordon Electric Supply, since it was established in 1972. Pontiac Electric Supply will keep its current name, location and staff, but will operate as Gordon’s third location.

Customers of both companies will benefit from their accounts and pricing being available at all three locations and online. Customers will also enjoy new product lines, increased inventory and competitive pricing.

Sequel Electric Supply Opens New Branch in Jackson, Mississippi

IMARK Group member Sequel Electrical Supply, of Meridian, Mississippi, has opened a new branch at 903 Wholesale Row in Jackson, Mississippi. Mark Robinson is managing the branch.

Maurice Electric Supply Wins Big with Picoma

Picoma would like to congratulate Jim Facciolo, president of Maurice Electric Supply, of Landover, Maryland, and his team for participating in Picoma’s fourth quarter IMARK promotion for 2016. Maurice was one of the many IMARK members that qualified for the grand prize drawing to win the big game package.

The IMARK Fourth Quarter End Zone promo officially began on Oct. 1, 2016 and ended on Dec. 31, 2016. There were five defined levels based on orders submitted. Each member that qualified for specified levels had an opportunity to score some great gifts including NFL team 1947 brand collection hats, NFL team blankets, can koozies and personalized NFL jerseys.

Level No. 4 (orders $10,000 and above) qualified members to enter a drawing for two tickets to the Super Bowl and a three-night accommodation at the Hyatt House Houston Galleria, pre-game party admission, all-you-can-eat Texas tailgate fare, live entertainment, round-trip day transportation and game day souvenirs.

Maurice Electric awarded one of their top customers with the grand prize. Picoma looks forward to a busy 2017 season and wishes to thank all their IMARK member customers that participated.

Winsupply Names Roland Gordon New CEO

Winsupply Inc., of Dayton, Ohio, has named Roland Gordon as CEO of the company. Gordon retains his title as president of Winsupply. Jack Johnston is stepping down from the executive leadership role after leading the company through successive years of record growth. Johnston remains a member of the Winsupply Board of Directors.

Johnston joined Winsupply as an accountant with Winsupply Group Services (WGS), the organization providing complete shared business services for Winsupply local companies. He became WGS treasurer in 1980 and was named president in 1998. In 2005, Johnston became chief financial officer of Winsupply Inc. He was promoted to president in July 2011 and CEO in 2015. Gordon joined Winsupply in 1999 as a manager with WGS in Reno, Nevada. The Reno office provided complete business services for Winsupply local companies in its geographic area. From Reno, Gordon took a position as the risk manager with WGS in Dayton. Following Winsupply’s acquisition of Noland Co. in 2005, Gordon was appointed its chief financial officer and liaison to the subsidiary. He was named chief financial officer of Winsupply in August 2011 and promoted to president of Winsupply in January 2016.

Summit Electric Supply Names Kevin Powell as President

Summit Electric Supply, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, recently announced that Kevin Powell has joined the company and will serve as its president. Powell was previously the CEO and president for an employee-owned regional electrical distributor. He will report to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Victor Jury Jr. and be based out of Summit’s Albuquerque, New Mexico corporate headquarters.

With responsibilities over sales, marketing, operations, purchasing and talent management, Powell will develop and execute strategies for significant, profitable growth in both existing and new markets. With a strong background in building and defining corporate culture, Powell will also work to create a market leading company that is the best place to work and do business in the industry.

Powell has a proven track record building award-winning cultures, developing strong teams, growing sales and increasing market share. He has served on the boards of Supply Force, Vanguard National Alliance and several nonprofit organizations, as well as on the National Association of Electrical Distributors Strategic Planning Committee. The companies he ran won “Best Place to Work” awards seven times and “Coolest Place to Work” awards twice.

Powell holds a degree in industrial engineering from Marquette and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin. He began his career as a senior sales engineer for an international manufacturer before entering the distribution field as an inside salesman. He then advanced to positions in outside sales and branch management before moving up to executive roles as vice president and president. He most recently served as president and CEO of a Midwestern electrical distributor before assuming his new role as president at Summit.

J.H Larson Names New Plymouth Branch Manager

J.H. Larson Co., of Plymouth, Minnesota, has named Michael J. Larson as the new branch manager of the company’s Plymouth, Minnesota location.

Larson has 30 years of experience in the electrical industry and has held positions in sales, operations and branch management. As branch manager, Larson will direct and coordinate the branch’s sales and operational efforts.

Larson takes the place of Gregg Miller who is assuming the role of corporate sales manager. Miller will lead J.H. Larson Co. sales representatives to identify new business opportunities and increase market share.

Summit Names VP of Supply Chain Operations

Summit Electric Supply, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, announced that David Meeks joined the company’s leadership team as vice president of supply chain operations. Meeks was recently the integration project manager and region operations and supply chain manager for Hagemeyer North America IDG, an indirect industrial supplier that now operates as Vallen Distribution. Meeks served on the corporate operations team and was project manager for the overall operations merger of Hagemeyer North America and IDG, which included gap analysis of processes and software between the two enterprise resource planning systems. He will report to Summit’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Victor Jury Jr. and be based out of Summit’s Houston, Texas offices.

With more than 30 years of experience in operations and supply chain, Meeks has worked extensively to improve logistics, safety and operational processes in various senior leadership roles. He’s strengthened productivity, reduced costs and implemented successful programs and systems throughout his career, including 5S and Lean programs.

Meeks began his career with Cameron and Barkley Co., the electrical and industrial distributor later acquired by Hagemeyer. He quickly advanced from the warehouse into numerous positions in sales before eventually leading branch and operations management. In his recent roles at Vallen, Meeks directed operations and supply chain for multiple regions. He also developed regional strategic programs for procurement, Lean processes and new customer implementations while consistently exceeding working capital goals.

 

IMARK Recognizes Members in 2016 Gateway to Growth Circle of Honor

Throughout 2016, IMARK conducted several contests and awarded prizes to top-performing IMARK member companies participating in the 2016 Gateway to Growth (GTG) program. The winners of the 2016 GTG Olympics earned the most points in 2016 based on purchases of GTG products (listed in order of placement).

We are pleased to congratulate the following member companies:

AAA: Total Points (Overall): Mayer Electric, Birmingham, Alabama; Crescent Electric, E. Dubuque, Illinois; Elliott Electric, Nacogdoches, Texas; Walters Wholesale, Signal Hill, California.

AAA: Total Points (Divided by number of branches): American Electric, Corona, California; Peninsular Electric, West Palm Beach, Florida; NEDCO, Las Vegas, Nevada; Sunrise Electric, Addison, Illinois.

AA: Total Points (Overall): Inline Electric, Huntsville, Alabama; St. Louis Metro Electric, St. Louis, Missouri; Idlewood Electric, Highland Park, Illinois; Blazer Electric, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

AA: Total Points (Divided by number of branches): Michaels Electrical Supply, Lynbrook, New York; Kovalsky-Carr, Rochester, New York; Samson Electrical, Edison, New Jersey; Amperage Electric, Roselle, Illinois.

A: Total Points (Overall): Villa Lighting, St. Louis, Missouri; City Lighting, St. Louis, Missouri; Facility Solutions Group (FSG), Austin, Texas; Sequel Electrical, Meridian, Mississippi.

A: Total Points (Divided by number of branches): First Source, Houston, Texas; City Electric, Jersey City, New Jersey; Neher Electric, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Foster Electric, Lynchburg, Virginia.

Winners of the GTG “Brainiacs” (Round One) contest had the most employees review and rate at least 10 GTG product capsules prepared by participating IMARK suppliers.

Winners in the AAA (large) member category are:

First Place: Granite City Electric Supply, Quincy, Massachusetts (174 employees); Second Place: United Electric Supply, New Castle, Delaware (164 employees); Third Place: J.H. Larson Co., Plymouth, Minnesota (153 employees).

Winners in the AA (medium) member category are:

First Place: St. Louis Metro Electric Supply, St. Louis, Missouri (72 employees); Second Place: Loyd’s Electric, Branson, Missouri (44 employees); Third Place: Blazer Electric Supply, Colorado Springs, Colorado (43 employees).

Winners in the A (small) member category are:

First Place: Royal Electric Supply, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (29 employees); Second Place: Facility Solutions Group, Austin, Texas (27 employees); Third Place: Gordon Electric Supply, Kankakee, Illinois (22 employees). Round Two of the GTG “Brainiacs” competition recognized member companies that had the most employees review and rate GTG product capsules prepared by participating IMARK suppliers.

Total Number of Capsules Viewed

Winners in the AAA (large) member category are:

First Place: J.H. Larson Co., Plymouth, Minnesota; Second Place: Electric Supply Inc., Tampa, Florida; Third Place: United Electric Supply Co. Inc., New Castle, Delaware; Honorable Mention: Granite City Electric Supply, Quincy, Massachusetts.

Winners in the AA (medium) member category are:

First Place: St. Louis Metro Electric Supply, St. Louis, Missouri; Second Place: Blazer Electric Supply, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Third Place: Loyd’s Electric, Branson, Missouri; Honorable Mention: Kansas City Electrical Supply Co., Lenexa, Kansas.

Winners in the A (small) member category are:

First Place: Farmville Wholesale Electric, Farmville, Virginia; Second Place: Armstrong’s Supply Co. Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana; Third Place: Royal Electric Supply, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Honorable Mention: Gordon Electric Supply, Kankakee, Illinois.