As a distributor, you heard about AI at every conference. Your IT department, or provider, is talking about AI and “we could do this, we could do that.” You hear about internal “skunk works” projects that are occurring within your
More INSIGHTS
Jupiter is not only the largest planet, but also a massive data center project in New Mexico. Data centers. They are powering the construction industry with their deliverables – AI and storing / managing data for businesses and consumers –
Thinking about AI is a step towards thinking about innovation and growth of a business. Investing in the technology infrastructure of a company is necessary, and also scary. For this reason, many owners prefer to be conservative and settle for
I have interviewed various manufacturer representatives and how they assess their manufacturers and the state of manufacturer / rep relationships. Let me preface this by saying, all also shared that they have some manufacturers that they have great relationships with
According to DISC, the electrical distribution industry grew 4.2% last year. Sounds “good” in the sense that this would represent the historical midpoint of growth for the industry, however … consider the impact of data centers (we estimate it is
Graybar yesterday announced that it is expanding its presence in Oklahoma with the acquisition of Broken Arrow Electric Supply. The company, which already had two locations in the state under the Graybar name, will be adding seven more under the
Research & Resources
At the end of the year, Neil Ashe, CEO of Acuity, described the 4th quarter (their first quarter) lighting business as “tepid”, and our 2025 Q4 Pulse of Lighting report affirmed, and shared a 2026 Outlook If the definition of
For many we entered 2026 feeling as if we moved to the frozen tundra and, throughout the first couple of months the weather was “challenging” (and understatement) and a brake on the business. For others, the construction industry has been
For electrical distributors, their largest asset, and greatest differentiator, is their people. While inventory is a large line-item expense, the reality is that you can operate a electrical distributorship with little, if any, inventory if that is your business model.
We’ve shared that lighting is a significant segment in the electrical distribution industry. Typically, it is 15% of a distributor’s business. More so if they are in the commercial construction segment and in a metropolitan area (and yes, the percentage
As the calendar turned, many in the lighting industry said “good riddance” to 2025. It was a rocky road given the impact of tariffs on the project market and product pricing. At the end of the day for most it
Supplier News
It’s a little unusual when two name-brand companies in our industry come together and openly collaborate on an offering, using the strengths of both companies. This isn’t to say that companies don’t sell components to each other, as that is
Over the past month or so I’ve noticed a number of manufacturers who have changed reps since NEMRA. It’s interesting timing as you would think that this would occur at the end of the year with companies reviewing their reps
nVent announced 4Q 2025 and full year 2025 results on February 6. The fourth quarter performance included record sales and backlog, and new product introductions while acquisitions performed ahead of expectations. Sales were about $1.07 billion, up 42% y-o-y, with
Legrand announced full year 2025 earnings on February 12. As many know, this is a very diversified company specializing in electrical and digital building infrastructures through a range of high value-added products and solutions including lighting, controls, power management and
Hubbell announced 4Q 2025 earnings on February 3. Net sales increased 4% to $5.84 billion, and 9% organically for the entire company. Hubbell Electrical Solutions segment’s (HES) organic growth was 13% and Utility Solutions (HUS) was 8%. Adjusted operating profit
Categories
- Advocacy55
- Associations130
- Awards17
- Branding96
- Channel Strategies245
- Contractors86
- Customer Segments187
- Customer Service55
- Distributors293
- eBusiness175
- eMarketing101
- Featured22
- Growth Strategies440
- Industrial Market113
- Industry Consolidation186
- Industry Outlook310
- Jobs52
- Lighting43
- Logistics43
- Manufacturers203
- Marketing231
- Marketing Groups74
- People in the News38
- Pricing110
- Productivity171
- Products110
- Profitability190
- Purchasing24
- Renewables32
- Reps79
- Research Reports29
- Sales Channel154
- Spotlight6
- Technology158
- Training31
- Advocacy
