Top 200 distributors will someday remember the past two years as the good old days.
Many of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas have plenty of construction projects to keep people happy. The federal tax cuts are being received well, even if the impact on customers’ capital spending isn’t always immediately obvious. And while the industrial market can’t match the growth of the commercial and institutional construction segments, some large auto-related projects are either on the drawing boards or in the early

stages of development. The retrofit of existing industrial facilities with the latest in LED lighting is also providing some nice business, too. As a group, the 100 Top 200 respondents who provided a 2018 sales forecast are looking for 7.5% growth in 2018, which is at the high end of the electrical wholesaling industry’s historical annual growth range of 4% to 8%. A surprising 30% of those distributors expect double-digit growth this year. Many of the companies looking at better than 10% growth are basing their expectations on expansion into new market niches or services.

There was a time, not too long ago, when an electrical distributor could easily identify his competitors, usually other local distributors. Today, that has all changed as competition is coming from the big boxes, national or regional chains, third party Internet providers and new ones yet to be identified.

The Internet of Things (IOT) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) mean new competition, including software providers. One expert we consulted says there is a host of offshore companies that plan to enter the electrical/MRO marketplace, possibly circumventing traditional distribution and create new competition.

Few people would have predicted five years ago that electrical distribution would look the way it does today. Some older, well-known distributors have either bought competitors or been acquired themselves. Regional distributors are moving into other sections of the country by buying other distributors that already have a presence in those areas. Combine this with new entrants such as Amazon Business, growing regional chains that have expanded nationally, and new technologies. One can readily see there will be more substantial changes in the next few years, possibly more than what has occurred in the previous decade.

Certainly a striking change that was mentioned at the NAED national meeting, is competition coming from outside, not just within, the traditional electrical channel. In addition, the blurring of lines between electrical, automation, fluid power and electronics is causing a shift in a distributor’s strategy.

So how do distributors succeed in the future?

Distributors will need to be innovative, re-examine their existing business model, find ways to improve their logistics capabilities, and speed deliveries to customers who expect same day or next day delivery. That was a point driven home by Halsey Cook, president Sonepar U.S.A. , who was a panelist during an NAED  discussion that was aptly titled, “Are You Predator or Prey?”

“The need for delivering products faster is putting pressure on us to change our business model,” he said. He gave the example of being able to take an order up to midnight and having it delivered to the customer by 5 a.m.

“We have to make the distinction between being a generalized distributor and having everything to sell, and being a specialized distributor that really brings unique knowledge and a set of services to solve a local problem,” he said.

Electrical Wholesaling magazine’s annual ranking of the 200 largest electrical distributors in North America offers some good insight into the market trends having the most impact on your suppliers. In this article, we narrow that larger list down to show you the Top 50 (see Table below) and share two key trends that emerged from the survey data collected from companies on the listing.

As in the past, specialty distributors, which tend to have fewer customers and employees than full-line electrical distributors, dominate the list of distributors as ranked by sales per employee. The companies here were among those respondents that provided both a 2017 sales number and an employee count for publication in this year’s listing. Several other distributors (both full-line and specialists) would have been in this Top 50 listing but asked their sales data be used confidentially. The average sales-per-employee for the 23 respondents that identified themselves as product specialists and provided both 2017 sales and employee data was $1,617,890. The average sales per employee for the 110 respondents that identified themselves as full-line electrical distributors was approximately $631,950, down from last year’s figure for full-line distributors of $665,428.

Rank Company Name Town/City State
2017 Sales
Per Employee
1 United Utility Supply Cooperative Louisville KY 3,416,667
2 Tri-State Utility Products Inc. Marietta GA 3,393,939
3 Western United Electric Supply Brighton CO 3,052,000
4 Cooperative Electric Energy Supply / CEE-US, Inc. West Columbia SC 3,023,256
5 Voss Lighting Lincoln NE 2,935,548
6 Rural Electric Supply Cooperative (RESCO) Middleton WI 2,629,032
7 TEC Manufacturing and Distribution Services (Texas Electric Cooperatives Inc.) Georgetown TX 2,181,818
8 Villa Lighting Supply Inc. St. Louis MO 1,759,091
9 Gresco Utility Supply Inc. Forsyth GA 1,740,000
10 General Pacific Inc. Fairview OR 1,411,905
11 City Lighting Products St. Louis MO 960,000
12 Windy City Wire Bolingbrook IL 510,799
13 Controller Service & Sales Co. Inc. Avon MA 340,000
14 Caniff Electric Supply Co. Inc. Hamtramck MI 1,214,286
15 International Electrical Sales Corp. (IESCO) Miami FL 1,185,185
16 American Electric Supply Inc. Corona CA 1,082,132
17 LoneStar Electric Supply Houston TX 1,042,553
18 Sunrise Electric Supply Addison IL 1,029,767
19 PEPCO (Professional Electric Products Co.) Eastlake OH 1,000,000
20 McNaughton McKay Electric Co. Madison Heights MI 959,259
21 Electric Supply Inc. (Tampa) Tampa FL 944,516
22 NEDCO Supply Las Vegas NV 891,304
23 Advance Electrical & Industrial Supply Norcross GA 871,429
24 Shepherd Electric Supply Baltimore MD 851,888
25 Advance Electrical Supply Co. Chicago IL 841,907

• Company Acquired Location Acquirer Location Year
• Kriz-Davis Co. # Grand Island, NE Border States Electric Fargo, ND 2017
• Springhill Lighting & Electrical Mobile, AL Coburn Supply Beaumont, TX 2017
• Electrical Equipment & Engineering # Windsor Heights, IA Consolidated Electrical Distributors Irving, TX 2018
• Tri State Supply Co. # Washington, PA Consolidated Electrical Distributors Irving, TX 2017
• Mesco Electrical Supply Milford, OH Crescent Electric Supply East Dubuque, IL 2017
• Womack Electric Supply # Danville, VA Crescent Electric Supply East Dubuque, IL 2017
• Empire Wire & Supply Rochester Hills, MN EIS Inc. Atlanta, GA 2017
• The Hite Co. # Altoona, PA Mayer Electric Supply Birmingham, AL 2018
• Upchurch Electrical Supply Co. # Fayetteville, AR Mayer Electric Supply Co. Birmingham, AL 2017
• Reynolds Co. # Fort Worth, TX McNaughton-McKay Electric Co. Madison Heights, MI 2017
• Electrical Mechanical Drives (EMD) Grafton, WI Power/mation St. Paul, MN 2017
• Auburn Armature Inc. Auburn, NY Power-Flo Technologies New Hyde Park, NY 2017
• City Electric Co. Inc. # Syracuse, NY Sonepar North America Charleston, SC 2018
• Solar A/S’s GFI GmbH & Sonepar SA Paris, France 2018
• ELGB NV Sonepar SA Paris, France 2018
• Sacchi Sonepar SA Paris, France 2017
• Tri-State Lighting & Supply Evansville, IN Springfield Electric Supply Springfield, IL 2018
• H.D Campbell Co. Kent, WA Stoneway Electric Supply (Crescent Electric) Spokane, WA 2017
• Atlanta Electrical Distributors # Duluth, GA WESCO Distribution Inc. Pittsburgh, PA 2017
• Tacoma Electric Supply # Tacoma, WA Winsupply Dayton, OH 2017
• Electrical Sales Inc. Vista, CA Winsupply Dayton, OH 2017
• Certified Plumbing & Electrical Supply Co. Inc. Live Oak, FL Winsupply Dayton, OH 2017

Rank Company Name Town/City State/ Province 2017 Revenue Number of Employees Number of Locations Senior Executive
1 Sonepar North America Paris France 10,100,000,000* NA 800+* Philippe Delpech
2 WESCO International Inc. Pittsburgh PA 7,297,366,000* 11,000* 470* John Engel
3 Graybar St. Louis MO NA 8,500* 282* Kathleen Mazzarella
4 Anixter Inc. Glenview IL 6,544,000,000* 8,900** 289* Bob Eck
5 Rexel Holdings USA (Rexel SA) Dallas TX 5,552,996,000* 8,451* 574* Brian McNally
6 Consolidated Electrical Distributors Inc. (CED) Irving TX NA 6,200 600 Kurt Lasher
7 Border States Electric (Border States Industries) Fargo ND 2,090,195,000 2,504 114 Tammy Miller
8 City Electric Supply Co. Dallas TX NA 3,451* 517* Thomas Hartland Mackie
9 Crescent Electric Supply East Dubuque IL NA 1,900 151 Marty Burbridge
10 Mayer Electric Supply Co. Birmingham AL 911,363,100 1,500 79 Nancy Goedecke
11 W.W. Grainger Inc. Lake Forest IL NA 24,733** 375* Donald Macpherson
12 Elliott Electric Supply Inc. Nacogdoches TX 846,000,000 1,750 146 Bill Elliott
13 Motion Industries (Electrical Specialties Group/EIS) Birmingham AL 781,000,000 NA 39 Larry Griffin
14 McNaughton McKay Electric Co. Madison Heights MI 777,000,000 810 40 Donald Slominski Jr.
15 Reynolds Co. # Fort Worth TX NA NA 18 Walt Reynolds
16 Kendall Electric Inc. Portage MI NA 800 43 Martin Ranly
17 North Coast Electric Co. Seattle WA 509,806,000 686 34 Peter Lemman
18 State Electric Supply Co. Huntington WV NA 758 44 Clarence Martin
19 Turtle & Hughes Linden NH 484,000,000 640 18 Jayne Millard
20 Summit Electric Supply Albuquerque NM 469,920,077 625 24 Victor Jury Jr.
21 Dealers Electrical Supply Co. Waco Texas NA 696 64 Scott Bracey
22 Wholesale Electric Supply Co. of Houston Inc. Houston TX NA 526* 17* Greg Hall
23 Kirby Risk Electrical Supply (Kirby Risk Corp.) Lafayette IN NA 560 41 James Risk III

24 Main Electric Supply Co. Santa Ana CA NA 450 13 Scott Germann
25 Van Meter Inc. Cedar Rapids IA NA 520 15 Lura McBride
26 Franklin Empire Inc. Montreal Quebec NA 525 22 Bernie Backman
27 Kaman Automation & Control (Kaman Corp.) Bloomfield CT 326,117,000** 5,300** 12 Neil Keating
28 Werner Electric Supply Co. Appleton WI NA 435 13 Scott Teerlinck
29 Echo Electric Supply (Echo Group Inc.) Council Bluffs IA NA 444 18 Mitch Lane
30 Winsupply Dayton OH NA 6,300 110 Roland Gordon
31 Wholesale Electric Supply Texarkana TX NA 426 49 Buddy McCulloch
32 Colonial Electric Supply King of Prussia PA NA 511 24 Steven Bellwoar
33 Werner Electric Cottage Grove MN 271,000,000 345 7 Ben Granley
34 Gresco Utility Supply Inc. Forsyth GA 261,000,000 150 7 Steve Gramling
35 Omni Cable West Chester PA NA 245 12 Greg Lampert
36 Electrical Engineering & Equipment (3E) ## Windsor Heights IA NA 365 17 Steve Van Brocklin
37 Houston Wire & Cable Co. Houston TX NA 249 22 James Pokluda III
38 Dominion Electric Supply Arlington VA 228,000,000 290 10 Stephen Krooth
39 Shepherd Electric Supply Baltimore MD 224,898,554 264 5 Stuart Vogel
40 Fastenal Winona MN NA 20,565** 2,271* Daniel Florness
41 Steiner Electric Elk Grove Village IL NA 430 8 Rick Kerman
42 Rumsey Electric Co. Conshohocken PA 213,000,000 280 10 Gerald Lihota
43 Edges Electrical Group San Jose CA NA 278 12 Chester Lehmann
44 United Electric Supply New Castle DE 202,000,000 350 20 George Vorwick
45 Standard Electric Co. Saginaw MI NA NA 22 Bill Gray
46 Lamps Plus Chatsworth CA NA NA 39 Dennis Swanson
47 Villa Lighting Supply Inc. St. Louis MO 194,675,000* 110 1 Jack Villa
48 TEC Manufacturing and Distribution Services Georgetown TX 192,000,000 88 28 Johnny Andrews
49 Granite City Electric Supply Co. Inc Quincy MA NA 340 26 Steve Helle
50 Springfield Electric Supply Springfield IL 175,000,000 300 17 Chris Scarbrough

51 Kriz-Davis Co. # Grand Island NE NA NA 19 Timothy Berry
52 Dakota Supply Group Fargo ND 170,000,000 250 18 Todd Kumm
53 Schaedler Yesco Distribution Inc. Harrisburg PA 169,617,604 300 21 James Schaedler
54 Facility Solutions Group Austin TX NA 227 24 William Graham
55 Electrical Equipment Co. Raleigh NC 165,400,000 258 15 Mark Holmes
56 Power Line Supply Co. Reed City MI NA 83 7 Jeffrey Stauffer
57 Rural Electric Supply Cooperative (RESCO) Middleton WI 163,000,000 62 6 Matt Brandrup
58 Alameda Electrical Distributors Hayward CA NA 260 12 Craig LaRue
59 Regency Lighting Chatsworth CA 157,121,492 339 7 Ron Regenstreif
60 Billows Electric Supply Co. Delran NJ 156,400,000 265 19 Jeff Billow
61 Butler Supply Inc. St. Louis MO NA 225 26 Bill Kuempel
62 LoneStar Electric Supply Houston TX 147,000,000 141 3 Jeff Metzler
63 Electric Supply Inc. (Tampa) Tampa FL 146,400,000 155 3 George Adams Jr.
64 Windy City Wire Bolingbrook IL 143,534,459 281 17 Rick Galgano
65 Horizon Solutions LLC Rochester NY NA 221 8 John Kerkhove
66 PEPCO (Professional Electric Products Co.) Eastlake OH 140,000,000 140 5 Joseph Borkey
67 Hite Co., The ## Altoona PA NA NA 22 Scott Lawhead
68 CBT Co. Cincinnati OH NA 210 3 James Stahl, Jr.
69 French Gerleman St. Louis MO 133,217,102 217 6 Mike Stanfill
70 Light Bulb Depot (Memphis Lamp) Memphis TN NA NA 15 David Marrs
71 Cooperative Electric Energy Supply / CEE-US, Inc. West Columbia SC 130,000,000 43 1 Donald McCord
72 Electro-Matic Products Farmington Hills MI NA 223 5 Richard Laramee
73 Western United Electric Supply Brighton CO 122,080,000 40 3 Mike Prom
74 Stanion Wholesale Electric Co. Inc. Pratt KS NA 205 17 Bill Keller
75 Benfield Electric Supply Co. White Plains NY 114,000,000 136 4 Daniel McLaughlin

76 Tri-State Utility Products Inc. Marietta GA 112,000,000 33 3 Rusty Batch
77 Revere Electric Supply Co. Chicago IL NA NA 12 Tom McCool
78 Richards Electric Supply Co. Inc. Cincinnati OH 103,000,000 150 5 Michael Misrach
79 NEDCO Supply Las Vegas NV 102,500,000 115 1 Marc Winard
80 Broken Arrow Electric Supply Broken Arrow OK 100,000,000 165 8 Bruce Garner
81 Loeb Electric Co. Columbus OH NA NA 5 Charles Loeb
82 American Electric Supply Inc. Corona CA 97,391,850 90 1 Mike Pratt
83 Womack Electric Supply # Danville VA NA NA 18 Burke Herring
84 Inline Electric Supply Co. Huntsville AL NA 185 13 Bruce Summerville
85 Connexion (LAB Development) Buffalo Grove IL NA 103 4 David Rosenstein
86 Sequel Electrical Supply Meridian MS NA NA 15 Bob Mersen
87 Buckles-Smith Santa Clara CA NA 150 8 Art Cook
88 Standard Electric Supply Co. Milwaukee WI 90,500,000 182 15 Larry Stern
89 Brownstown Electric Supply Co. Inc. Brownstown IN NA 110 5 Gregg Deck
90 J.H. Larson Electrical Co. Plymouth MN NA 200 10 Lisa Fox
91 Lowe Electric Supply Co. Macon GA NA NA 11 Randall Calhoun
92 Rockingham Electrical Supply Co. Portsmouth NH NA NA 9 Jim Pender
93 Sunrise Electric Supply Addison IL 88,560,000 86 1 Donald Chriske
94 Nu-Lite Electrical Wholesalers Harahan LA NA NA 6 Gary Corales
95 Caniff Electric Supply Co. Inc. Hamtramck MI 85,000,000 70 2 Douglas Bemis
96 Mars Electric Co. Mayfield Village OH 83,600,000 147 12 Fran Doris
97 Independent Electric Supply Somerville MA NA 89 5 Daniel Gray
98 United Utility Supply Cooperative Louisville KY NA 24 5 Chris Perry
99 City Electric Co. Inc. ## Syracuse NY NA NA 12 Sandra Rosencrans
100 Leff Electric (AMP Electrical Distribution Services) Cleveland OH NA 120 8 Jim Bracken

101 IAC Supply Solutions Memphis TN NA 134 7 Darrell Smith
102 Chelsea Lighting New York NY NA 50 2 Thomas Ike
103 City Lighting Products St. Louis MO 72,000,000 75 6* Michael Hohl
104 Voss Lighting Lincoln NE 71,402,645 242 15 Michael Voss
105 Paramont EO Woodridge IL NA 116 3 Kenneth Gallagher
106 The F.D. Lawrence Electric Co. Cincinnati OH 68,950,000 99 3 Tink O’Leary
107 Electric Supply & Equipment Co. Greensboro NC 66,950,000 92 3 Brad McCormick
108 Hunzicker Brothers Oklahoma City OK NA NA 12 Myers Lockard
109 West-Lite Supply Co. Cerritos CA NA NA 5 Brenda Puckett
110 Harry Cooper Supply Co. Springfield MO NA 155 3 John Cooper
111 Dulles Electric Supply Corp. Sterling VA NA 102 2 John Hughes III
112 Advance Electrical Supply Co. Chicago IL 63,143,000 75 1 Aaron Hughes
113 Mid-Coast Electric Supply Victoria TX NA NA 6 Tom Barker
114 Wabash Electric Wabash IN NA 170 8 John Forrester
115 B&K Electric Wholesale City Of Industry CA NA NA 4 Kathleen Ellison
116 General Pacific Inc. Fairview OR 59,300,000 42 1 Rick Hall
117 Fromm Electric Supply Reading PA NA 111 9 Michael Fromm
118 Jo-Kell Inc. Chesapeake VA NA 62 5 Suzy Kelly
119 Denney Electric Supply Ambler PA NA 117 8 Stephen Thorton
120 Warshauer Electric Supply Co. Tinton Falls NJ 56,104,933 130 5 James Warshauer
121 Baynes Electric Supply West Bridgewater MA 56,000,000 71 5 Chris Baynes
122 B&S Electric Supply Co. Atlanta GA NA 32 2 Clarence Robie
123 K/E Electric Supply Mt. Clemens MI NA 68 4 Rock Kuchenmeister
124 Tri State Supply Co. ## Washington PA 53,000,000 NA 5 James VanZandt
125 E. Sam Jones Distributor Inc. Atlanta GA 52,000,000 105 6 Patrick Jones
126 Raymond de Steiger Inc. Sterling Heights MI NA 81 4 Peter de Steiger
127 Crum Electric Supply Co. Inc. Casper WY 51,922,000 86 10 Jeff Hockin
128 Blazer Electric Supply Colorado Springs CO 51,000,000 98 2 Steve Blazer
129 Medler Electric Alma MI NA 118 15 Bill Michael
130 Holt Electrical Supplies St. Louis MO NA NA 7 Sylvan Holtzman
131 Peninsular Electric Distributors Inc. West Palm Beach FL 46,500,000 74 2 John Larmoyeux
132 Hunt Electric Supply Co. Burlington NC 46,272,334 83 8 Sam Hunt IV
133 Wildcat Electric Supply Houston TX 45,786,000 74 2 Keith Hessemer
134 Loyd’s Electric Supply Branson MO NA NA 3 Phil Loyd
135 Electric Supply Center Burlington MA NA NA 5 Larry LaFreniere
136 St. Louis Metro Electric Supply Inc. St. Louis MO NA 150 14 William Frisella
137 Hein Electric Supply Co. West Allis WI NA NA 9 Ron Kohlenberg
138 Franklin Electric Co. Moorestown NJ NA 91 6 William Walker III
139 Shingle & Gibb Automation Moorestown NJ NA 55 4 Brian Lepsis
140 G&G Electric Supply New York NY 40,300,000 54 3 Larry Heimrath
141 Active Electrical Supply Co. Chicago IL NA NA 2 Linda Swan
142 Revco Lighting and Electrical Supply Southampton NY NA NA 5 Michael Velys
143 Swift Electrical Supply Teterboro NJ NA 72 4 August Sodora
144 Central Supply Co. Indianapolis IN NA 195 5 Ted Ashcraft
145 Winkle Electric Co. Youngstown OH NA NA 3 Rick Teaberry
146 Idlewood Electric Supply Inc. Highland Park IL NA 101 3 Karen Dolins
147 Bell Electrical Supply Santa Clara CA 37,000,000 48 1 Burt Schraga
148 Tacoma Electric Supply # Tacoma WA NA NA 7 Charles Silva
149 Alpha Electric Supply Kahului HI NA 50 5 Hank Pacheco
150 Allied Wholesale Electrical Supply Inc. Indianapolis IN 36,411,812 51 3 Rob McCurdy

151 Amperage Electrical Supply Inc. Roselle IL 36,200,000 70 1 Vito Pelagio
152 South Dade Lighting Miami FL NA NA 1 Donald Elliott
153 Furbay Electric Supply Co. Canton OH NA NA 2 Tim Furbay
154 Frontier Lighting Clearwater FL NA NA 3 Gary Bach
155 Hannan Supply Co. Paducah KY NA NA 4 Bruce Brockenborough
156 International Electrical Sales Corp. (IESCO) Miami FL 32,000,000 27 1 Robert Bernstein
157 Maltby Electric Supply Co. Inc. San Francisco CA 30,984,257 52 4 John Maltby
158 Advance Electrical & Industrial Supply Norcross GA 30,500,000 35 1 Dennis Purvis
159 Stokes Electric Co. Knoxville TN 30,000,000 70 4 Donald Stokes
160 Kansas City Electrical Supply Co. Lenexa KS 29,430,380 50 2 Kaylin Crain
161 Mid-West Lighting Los Angeles CA NA 30 1 David Frandzel
162 Kovalsky Carr Electric Supply Co. Rochester NY NA 35 1 Arnold Kovalsky
163 Desert Hills Electric Supply Inc. Artesia NM NA 45 3 Bill Mathews
164 Wille Electric Supply Co. Modesto CA NA NA 3 Larry Robinson
165 Willow Electrical Supply Co. Schiller Park IL NA NA 2 Wieslaw Wardzala
166 Metro Wire & Cable Corp. Sterling Heights MI NA 38 3 Devin Ezop
167 Hartford Electric Supply Co. (HESCO) Rocky Hill CT 26,722,000 54 1 Bill DePasquale
168 Beck Electric Supply Richmond CA NA NA 4 Bill Beck
169 Midtown Electric Supply Corp. New York NY NA NA 1 Matthew Gold
170 Upchurch Electrical Supply Co. # Fayetteville AR NA NA 3 David McConnell
171 Valley Electric Supply Corp. Vincennes IN NA NA 2 Jarit Meade
172 United Electrical Supply Co. Omaha NE NA NA 2 Todd Kuwitzky
173 United Lighting And Supply Co. Fort Walton Beach FL NA NA 4 James MacDonnell
174 C.N. Robinson Lighting Supply Co. Baltimore MD NA NA 2 Barry Kronsberg
175 Norcross Electric Supply Co. Suwanee GA NA NA 1 Danny Mathis
176 Weber Electric Supply Erie PA NA NA 3 Thomas Weber
177 Mathes Of Alabama Electric Supply Co. Foley AL NA NA 2 Kimberley Cheney
178 West Virginia Electric Supply Co. Huntington WV NA 70 8 Jared Colker
179 Desert Electric Supply Palm Desert CA 21,187,178 52 4 Eric Stevens
180 Mission Controls & Automation San Antonio TX 20,859,219 47 1 David Gardner
181 Gordon Electric Supply Kankakee IL NA NA 2 Cara Potter
182 Gross Electric Toledo OH NA NA 3 Joe Gross
183 Professional Controls Corp. Germantown WI NA NA 3 Robert Dumke
184 Armstrong’s Supply Co. New Orleans LA NA NA 2 Scott Armstrong
185 Stanford Electric Supply Corinth MS NA NA 2 Charles Stanford
186 United Lighting Electrical Corp. Hauppauge NY NA NA 3 Steven Goldman
187 Autonomy Technology Inc. Las Vegas NV NA 29 2 Greg Knowles
188 Michigan Chandelier Co. Southfield MI NA 44 4 Kenneth Sanders
189 Atlantic Electric Supply Corp. Washington DC NA NA 1 Morton Lessans
190 Lewis Electric Supply Co. Muscle Shoals AL NA NA 1 Burton Lewis
191 Scurlock Electric Houma LA NA NA 3 Quentin Walker
192 Lamp Sales Unlimited Jacksonville FL NA NA 2 Wayne Redding
193 Johnson Electric Supply Co. Cincinnati OH NA 36 2 Douglas Johnson
194 VEC Supply Charlottesville VA 14,200,000 33 4 Frank Stalzer
195 Controller Service & Sales Co., Inc. Avon MA 13,600,000 40 2 Mark M. O’Day
196 Atlanta Light Bulbs Tucker GA NA 28 1 Doug Root
197 Wholesale Supply Group Inc. Cleveland TN NA 240 33 Lloyd Rogers
198 Coburn Supply Co. Beaumont TX NA 900 54 Don Maloney
199 Beacon Light & Supply Co. Hartford CT NA NA 3 Wayne Purville
200 Kern Electric Distributors Bakersfield CA NA NA 2 Bill Wagoner

Electrical Wholesaling’s editors thought our readers might be interested in some of the stories behind the numbers in this year’s Top 200 listing, so
we are publishing capsule summaries of what’s happening with some of the largest of the Top 200 distributors. We based these reports on news articles we published on these firms over the past 12 months, company websites and other public information sources. Writing up capsules on all 200 companies on the 2018 Top 200 listing would take more than 30 pages of the magazine, but we thought you might enjoy some additional information on the some of the largest distributors in North America.

1. SONEPAR NORTH AMERICA

U.S. Headquarters: Charleston, SC

Parent: Sonepar SA, Paris, France
Senior Exec: Halsey Cook-North
America; Philippe Delpech global
2017 Sales: $10.1 billion (North
America); $25.97 billion (Global)
Locations: 800+ (North America); 2,800 (Global)
Employees: 44,500 (Global)
Sonepar North America added City Electric, Syracuse, NY, to its U.S. platform and its parent company Sonepar SA also bought two European solar distributors — GFI GmbH in Austria and Claessen ELGB in Belgium — from Solar A/S of Denmark.
There were some new appointments at the executive level of the North America organization and a new CEO of the group overall. Philippe Delpech was namedCEO of Sonepar SA. Todd Saunders, former CFO, took the role of president at Codale Electric Supply, Tammy Livers joined Sonepar North America as VP of business development and Jay Bricker retired from his position as VP of vendor relations

2. WESCO INTERNATIONAL INC.

Headquarters: Pittsburgh, PA
Senior Executive: John Engel
2017 Sales: $7.7 billion (Global)
Locations: 500 (Global)
Employees: 9,100 (Global)
WESCO has been keeping investors happy this year by outperforming expectations. John Engel told investors in the company’s 2017 annual report
that the focus is squarely on growing sales, and WESCO was able to deliver with overall organic year-on-year (YOY) top-line growth in the first
quarter of more than 10% driven by strength in its Industrial markets (up 14%), which account for about 37% of the company’s sales, and Utilities (up 18%), which is about 16% of sales. Its Construction (33% of sales) and Commercial/Institutional/Government (CIG) (14% of sales) business units
also showed solid growth, both coming in at +9% YOY. WESCO execs told investors in its annual report that they continue to look for acquisitions, but the company has been quiet on that front over the past 12 months. Its most recent major acquisitions were Atlanta Electrical Distributors, Duluth, GA, in 2016 and
Hill Country Electric Supply, Austin, TX, and Needham Electric Supply, Canton, MA, both in 2015.

3. GRAYBAR

Headquarters: St. Louis, MO
Senior Exec: Kathleen Mazzarella
2017 sales: $6.6 billion
Locations: 289
Employees: 8,500
ERP system: SAP

Graybar posted its sixth-straight year of sales records with growth of 3.9% overall in 2017. By sector the company saw 5% growth in Construction, its biggest segment, which accounts for almost 60% of total company sales. Industrial and utility sales were even stronger with a 9.2% increase while its commercial/institutional/government sales stepped back, down 5%. Among its highlights over the past 12 months, Graybar has secured a fiveyear contract to supply electrical, lighting, data communications and security products and related services to the participants of U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance. It has also seen some changes in its executive ranks with Chris Hogan as VP – Marketing and Customer Experience and Bill Hoyt as VP – Strategic Accounts

4. ANIXTER INC.

Headquarters: Glenview, IL
Senior executive: Robert Eck (until 7/1); William Galvin (after 7/1)
2017 sales: $6.54 billion (North America) $7.93 billion (Global)
Locations: 289 (North America); 310 globally in 50 countries

Employees: 8,900 (global)

Anixter continues to grow off its blockbuster acquisition of HD Supply Power Solutions three years ago, which transformed the company’s product mix from predominantly network and security cabling and devices to a heavy presence in utility transmission and distribution equipment. The company’s Electrical & Electronic Solutions business, nearly a third of its sales, returned to organic growth in 2017 after two years of being weighed down by sluggish industrial
and energy sales. Anixter is now expanding its flagship distribution center in Alsip, IL, adding 238,000 sq ft of space along with intelligent conveyors and voice picking technologies to decrease processing time and speed up deliveries

5. REXEL HOLDINGS USA (REXEL SA)

Parent company: Rexel SA, Paris, France
Headquarters: Dallas, TX
Senior Exec: Brian McNally
2017 sales: $5.53 billion (North America); $16 billion (Global)
Locations: 574 (North America): 2,012 (Global)
Employees: 8,451 (North America); 27,1125 (Global)
ERP system: Completed 3,000-plus  user conversion to Epicor Eclipse from seven different ERP systems in 2013. Rexel reported growth of 0.4% in North American sales in its 2017 annual report and same-day sales up 2.4% compared with 2016. The company in January announced a restructuring of regions in its North American operations that will gather reporting for Rexel Commercial & Industrial, Platt Electric Supply and Gexpro under nine regional vice
presidents. The company said the move will promote collaboration among the brands and speed decision making.  Rexel has been investing in its relationships with energy service companies (ESCOs) with a new offering from its Rexel Energy Solutions (RES) business, which was built on Munro Distributing Co. operations it bought in 2012. RES added sales and lighting control specialists in geographical markets all across the United States, then followed up later
in the year adding rebate specialists and a new online database tool. Among the big news from the parent company was the sale of its Southeast Asia operations to American Industrial Acquisition Corp., a private equity firm. Rexel had built the region over several years with acquisitions in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Macau and Malaysia, gathering a group that reported $161 million in sales in 2016. The move is part of a strategic plan to focus on its main geographies and improve profitability

6. CONSOLIDATED ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTORS INC. (CED)

Headquarters: Irving, TX
Senior executive: Kurt Lasher
2017 sales: $4.6 billion (Estimate published by Forbes
magazine from FactSet data)
Locations: 600 (estimate)
Employees: 6,200
CED is never one to draw attention to itself but a couple of major acquisitions over the past year have put its name on the industry’s lips once again. Its acquisition of Electrical Engineering & Equipment (3E), based in Windsor Heights, IA, added 365 employees and 16 locations in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota to CED’s nationwide footprint. CED also bought Tri State Supply, Washington, PA, a full-line electrical Rockwell Automation distributor with five locations in Pennsylvania and Ohio, including its central distribution center (CDC). CED’s 39-location GreenTech renewables operation is an established specialty distributor in solar markets, particularly in California, where the state’s new solar mandate for new residences after 2020 is expected to boost demand for photovoltaic systems.

Rank Company Name Town/City State/Prov
141 ….Active Electrical Supply Co…………………………………….Chicago…………………….. IL
158 ….Advance Electrical & Industrial Supply……………………Norcross…………………… GA
112 ….Advance Electrical Supply Co…………………………………Chicago…………………….. IL
58 ……Alameda Electrical Distributors…………………………….. Hayward……………………..CA
150 ….Allied Wholesale Electrical Supply………………………. Indianapolis…………………..IN
149 ….Alpha Electric Supply……………………………………………Kahului ……………………..HI
82 ……American Electric Supply Inc…………………………………. Corona………………………CA
151 ….Amperage Electrical Supply Inc……………………………… Roselle……………………… IL
4 ……..Anixter Inc………………………………………………………….Glenview ……………………. IL
184 ….Armstrong’s Supply Co……………………………………….New Orleans………………….LA
196 ….Atlanta Light Bulbs ……………………………………………….Tucker …………………….. GA
189 ….Atlantic Electric Supply Corp……………………………….Washington…………………. DC
187 ….Autonomy Technology Inc……………………………………. Las Vegas…………………… NV
115 …. B&K Electric Wholesale…………………………………… City Of Industry…………………CA
122 …. B&S Electric Supply Co., Inc…………………………………..Atlanta…………………….. GA
121 …. Baynes Electric Supply……………………………………West Bridgewater ……………..MA
199 …. Beacon Light & Supply Co……………………………………..Hartford……………………..CT
168 …. Beck Electric Supply………………………………………….. Richmond ……………………CA
147 …. Bell Electrical Supply…………………………………………Santa Clara…………………..CA
75 …… Benfield Electric Supply Co……………………………….. White Plains…………………. NY
60 …… Billows Electric Supply Co………………………………………Delran………………………NJ
128 …. Blazer Electric Supply…………………………………….Colorado Springs……………… CO
7 …….. Border States Electric…………………………………………….Fargo………………………ND
80 …… Broken Arrow Electric Supply………………………………Broken Arrow………………… OK
89 …… Brownstown Electric Supply Co. Inc………………………Brownstown…………………..IN
87 …… Buckles-Smith………………………………………………….Santa Clara…………………..CA
61 …… Butler Supply Inc………………………………………………… St. Louis…………………….MO
174 …. C.N. Robinson Lighting Supply Co…………………………. Baltimore……………………MD
95 …… Caniff Electric Supply Co. Inc……………………………….Hamtramck…………………..MI
68 …… CBT Co…………………………………………………………….. Cincinnati …………………..OH
144 …. Central Supply Co. …………………………………………… Indianapolis…………………..IN
102 …. Chelsea Lighting…………………………………………………New York…………………… NY
99 …… City Electric Co. Inc……………………………………………..Syracuse…………………… NY
8 …….. City Electric Supply Co. ………………………………………….Dallas………………………TX
103 …. City Lighting Products…………………………………………. St. Louis…………………….MO
198 …. Coburn Supply Co. ……………………………………………..Beaumont ……………………TX
32 …… Colonial Electric Supply………………………………….. King of Prussia…………………PA
85 …… Connexion……………………………………………………….Buffalo Grove…………………. IL
6 …….. Consolidated Electrical Distributors Inc. (CED)……………Irving……………………….TX
195 …. Controller Service & Sales Co…………………………………..Avon……………………….MA
71 …… CEE-US Inc……………………………………………………. West Columbia……………….. SC
9 …….. Crescent Electric Supply…………………………………..East Dubuque………………… IL
127 …. Crum Electric Supply Co. Inc…………………………………..Casper……………………..WY
52 …… Dakota Supply Group……………………………………………..Fargo………………………ND
21 …… Dealers Electrical Supply Co. …………………………………..Waco……………………….TX
119 …. Denney Electric Supply………………………………………….Ambler………………………PA
179 …. Desert Electric Supply……………………………………….Palm Desert…………………..CA
163 …. Desert Hills Electric Supply Inc……………………………….Artesia……………………..NM
38 …… Dominion Electric Supply……………………………………..Arlington…………………….VA
111 …. Dulles Electric Supply Corp……………………………………Sterling……………………..VA

Rank Company Name Town/City State/Prov
125 ….E. Sam Jones Distributor Inc………………………………….Atlanta…………………….. GA
29 ……Echo Electric Supply ………………………………………. Council Bluffs………………….IA
43 ……Edges Electrical Group…………………………………………San Jose…………………….CA
107 ….Electric Supply & Equipment Co…………………………..Greensboro…………………. NC
135 ….Electric Supply Center…………………………………………Burlington…………………..MA
63 ……Electric Supply Inc. (Tampa) …………………………………..Tampa………………………FL
36 ……Electrical Engineering & Equipment (3E)……………Windsor Heights………………..IA
55 ……Electrical Equipment Co……………………………………….. Raleigh……………………. NC
72 ……Electro-Matic Products…………………………………..Farmington Hills………………..MI
12 ……Elliott Electric Supply Inc…………………………………. Nacogdoches………………….TX
54 …… Facility Solutions Group…………………………………………Austin………………………TX
40 …… Fastenal……………………………………………………………..Winona…………………….MN
138 …. Franklin Electric Co……………………………………………Moorestown…………………..NJ
26 …… Franklin Empire Inc……………………………………………..Montreal ……………..Quebec
69 …… French Gerleman……………………………………………….. St. Louis…………………….MO
117 …. Fromm Electric Supply………………………………………….Reading……………………..PA
154 …. Frontier Lighting…………………………………………………Clearwater……………………FL
153 …. Furbay Electric Supply Co……………………………………… Canton……………………..OH
140 …. G&G Electric Supply…………………………………………….New York…………………… NY
116 …. General Pacific Inc……………………………………………….Fairview……………………. OR
181 …. Gordon Electric Supply ………………………………………. Kankakee……………………. IL
49 …… Granite City Electric Supply Co. Inc………………………….Quincy……………………..MA
3 …….. Graybar…………………………………………………………….. St. Louis…………………….MO
34 …… Gresco Utility Supply Inc………………………………………. Forsyth…………………….. GA
182 …. Gross Electric……………………………………………………….Toledo……………………..OH
155 …. Hannan Supply Co………………………………………………Paducah…………………….KY
110 …. Harry Cooper Supply Co………………………………………Springfield…………………..MO
167 …. Hartford Electric Supply Co. (HESCO)……………………. Rocky Hill…………………….CT
137 …. Hein Electric Supply Co………………………………………..West Allis…………………….WI
67 …… Hite Co., The ………………………………………………………Altoona……………………..PA
130 …. Holt Electrical Supplies……………………………………….. St. Louis…………………….MO
65 …… Horizon Solutions LLC………………………………………… Rochester ………………….. NY
37 …… Houston Wire & Cable Co…………………………………….. Houston……………………..TX
132 …. Hunt Electric Supply Co……………………………………….Burlington………………….. NC
108 …. Hunzicker Brothers………………………………………….Oklahoma City……………….. OK
101 …. IAC Supply Solutions……………………………………………Memphis…………………… TN
146 …. Idlewood Electric Supply Inc……………………………..Highland Park………………… IL
97 …… Independent Electric Supply………………………………..Somerville…………………..MA
84 …… Inline Electric Supply Co. ……………………………………. Huntsville…………………….AL
156 …. International Electrical Sales Corp. …………………………Miami ………………………FL
90 …… J.H. Larson Electrical Co……………………………………….Plymouth……………………MN
193 …. Johnson Electric Supply Co…………………………………. Cincinnati …………………..OH
118 …. Jo-Kell Inc………………………………………………………..Chesapeake…………………..VA
123 …. K/E Electric Supply………………………………………….. Mt. Clemens…………………..MI
27 …… Kaman Automation & Control……………………………….Bloomfield……………………CT
160 …. Kansas City Electrical Supply Co……………………………..Lenexa…………………….. KS
16 …… Kendall Electric Inc………………………………………………Portage……………………..MI
200 …. Kern Electric Distributors…………………………………… Bakersfield……………………CA
23 …… Kirby Risk Electrical Supply…………………………………..Lafayette…………………….IN
162 …. Kovalsky Carr Electric Supply Co………………………….. Rochester ………………….. NY

51 …… Kriz-Davis Co……………………………………………………Grand Island ……………..NE
192 …. Lamp Sales Unlimited………………………………………..Jacksonville………………FL
46 …… Lamps Plus……………………………………………………… Chatsworth………………. CA
100 …. Leff Electric………………………………………………………. Cleveland………………..OH
190 …. Lewis Electric Supply Co. ………………………………….Muscle Shoals…………….AL
70 …… Light Bulb Depot (Memphis Lamp)………………………..Memphis………………..TN
81 …… Loeb Electric Co………………………………………………… Columbus ……………….OH
62 …… LoneStar Electric Supply……………………………………… Houston…………………TX
91 …… Lowe Electric Supply Co…………………………………………Macon………………….GA
134 …. Loyd’s Electric Supply…………………………………………..Branson……………….. MO
24 …… Main Electric Supply Co……………………………………… Santa Ana………………. CA
157 …. Maltby Electric Supply Co. Inc……………………………San Francisco……………. CA
96 …… Mars Electric Co……………………………………………..Mayfield Village……………OH
177 …. Mathes Of Alabama Electric Supply Co………………………Foley…………………..AL
10 …… Mayer Electric Supply Co…………………………………….Birmingham………………AL
14 …… McNaughton McKay Electric Co. ……………………..Madison Heights ………….MI
129 …. Medler Electric……………………………………………………..Alma…………………..MI
166 …. Metro Wire & Cable Corp………………………………….Sterling Heights……………MI
188 …. Michigan Chandelier Co………………………………………Southfield ……………….MI
113 …. Mid-Coast Electric Supply……………………………………..Victoria…………………TX
169 …. Midtown Electric Supply Corp. ………………………………New York………………..NY
161 …. Mid-West Lighting……………………………………………..Los Angeles……………… CA
180 …. Mission Controls & Automation……………………………San Antonio………………TX
13 …… Motion Industries (EIS)………………………………………Birmingham………………AL
79 …… NEDCO Supply………………………………………………….. Las Vegas………………..NV
175 …. Norcross Electric Supply Co………………………………….Suwanee………………..GA
17 …… North Coast Electric Co………………………………………… Seattle………………….WA
94 …… Nu-Lite Electrical Wholesalers………………………………. Harahan…………………LA
35 …… Omni Cable……………………………………………………..West Chester……………..PA
105 ….Paramont EO ……………………………………………………Woodridge ……………….IL
131 ….Peninsular Electric Distributors Inc. ………………… West Palm Beach…………..FL
66 ……Professional Electric Products Co…………………………..Eastlake…………………OH
56 ……Power Line Supply Co…………………………………………..Reed City………………..MI
183 ….Professional Controls Corp………………………………… Germantown……………..WI
126 …. Raymond de Steiger Inc…………………………………..Sterling Heights……………MI
59 …… Regency Lighting………………………………………………. Chatsworth………………. CA
142 …. Revco Lighting and Electrical Supply …………………. Southampton……………..NY
77 …… Revere Electric Supply Co. …………………………………….Chicago………………….IL
5 …….. Rexel Holdings USA (Rexel SA)………………………………..Dallas………………….TX
15 …… Reynolds Co. …………………………………………………….Fort Worth……………….TX
78 …… Richards Electric Supply Co. ……………………………….. Cincinnati ……………….OH
92 …… Rockingham Electrical Supply Co…………………………Portsmouth………………NH
42 …… Rumsey Electric Co………………………………………….Conshohocken…………….PA
57 …… Rural Electric Supply Cooperative (RESCO) …………….Middleton……………….WI
53 …… Schaedler Yesco Distribution Inc…………………………..Harrisburg……………….PA
191 …. Scurlock Electric…………………………………………………. Houma………………….LA
86 …… Sequel Electrical Supply………………………………………Meridian………………..MS
39 …… Shepherd Electric Supply……………………………………. Baltimore………………. MD
139 …. Shingle & Gibb Automation…………………………………Moorestown………………NJ
1 …….. Sonepar North America…………………………………………..Paris………………..France

152 …. South Dade Lighting……………………………………………..Miami ………………….FL
50 …… Springfield Electric Supply…………………………………..Springfield………………..IL
136 …. St. Louis Metro Electric Supply Inc………………………… St. Louis……………….. MO
45 …… Standard Electric Co…………………………………………….Saginaw…………………MI
88 …… Standard Electric Supply Co…………………………………Milwaukee……………….WI
185 …. Stanford Electric Supply ………………………………………. Corinth………………….MS
74 …… Stanion Wholesale Electric Co. Inc……………………………Pratt …………………..KS
18 …… State Electric Supply Co…………………………………….. Huntington……………….WV
41 …… Steiner Electric……………………………………………..Elk Grove Village……………IL
159 …. Stokes Electric Co………………………………………………. Knoxville………………..TN
20 …… Summit Electric Supply……………………………………..Albuquerque……………. NM
93 …… Sunrise Electric Supply…………………………………………Addison………………….IL
143 …. Swift Electrical Supply …………………………………………Teterboro………………..NJ
148 …. Tacoma Electric Supply…………………………………………Tacoma…………………WA
48 …… TEC Manufacturing & Distribution Services……………Georgetown………………TX
106 …. The F.D. Lawrence Electric Co………………………………. Cincinnati ……………….OH
124 …. Tri State Supply Co. …………………………………………..Washington………………PA
76 …… Tri-State Utility Products Inc…………………………………. Marietta…………………GA
19 …… Turtle & Hughes……………………………………………………Linden………………….NH
44 …… United Electric Supply……………………………………….. New Castle……………….DE
172 …. United Electrical Supply Co…………………………………… Omaha………………….NE
173 …. United Lighting And Supply Co…………………………Fort Walton Beach………….FL
186 …. United Lighting Electrical Corp…………………………….Hauppauge………………NY
98 …… United Utility Supply Cooperative…………………………..Louisville……………….. KY
170 …. Upchurch Electrical Supply Co…………………………….Fayetteville………………AR
171 ….Valley Electric Supply Corp…………………………………..Vincennes………………. IN
25 ……Van Meter Inc. …………………………………………………Cedar Rapids………………IA
194 ….VEC Supply …………………………………………………….Charlottesville…………….VA
47 ……Villa Lighting Supply Inc………………………………………. St. Louis……………….. MO
104 ….Voss Lighting……………………………………………………….Lincoln………………….NE
11 …… W.W. Grainger Inc. …………………………………………….Lake Forest ……………….IL
114 …. Wabash Electric…………………………………………………..Wabash………………… IN
120 …. Warshauer Electric Supply Co………………………………Tinton Falls………………NJ
176 …. Weber Electric Supply……………………………………………..Erie……………………PA
33 …… Werner Electric……………………………………………….Cottage Grove…………… MN
28 …… Werner Electric Supply Co…………………………………….Appleton………………..WI
2 …….. WESCO International Inc……………………………………..Pittsburgh……………….PA
178 …. West Virginia Electric Supply Co………………………….. Huntington……………….WV
73 …… Western United Electric Supply…………………………….. Brighton…………………CO
109 …. West-Lite Supply Co……………………………………………..Cerritos………………… CA
31 …… Wholesale Electric Supply……………………………………Texarkana……………….TX
22 …… Wholesale Electric Supply Co. of Houston Inc………….. Houston…………………TX
197 …. Wholesale Supply Group Inc. ………………………………. Cleveland………………..TN
133 …. Wildcat Electric Supply……………………………………….. Houston…………………TX
164 …. Wille Electric Supply Co. ………………………………………Modesto……………….. CA
165 …. Willow Electrical Supply Co……………………………….. Schiller Park………………IL
64 …… Windy City Wire…………………………………………………Bolingbrook……………….IL
145 …. Winkle Electric Co……………………………………………..Youngstown………………OH
30 …… Winsupply……………………………………………………………Dayton………………….OH
83 …… Womack Electric Supply………………………………………..Danville…………………VA

[sc_fs_faq sc_id=”fs_faqo6hz8x04c” html=”true” headline=”h2″ img=”” question=”What’s the revenue of the top 1?” img_alt=”” css_class=”” ]The revenue in the year of 2017 is USD10,100,000,000[/sc_fs_faq]