Today I received a press release that caught my eye. It came from Dallas-based City Electric Supply, the eighth-largest electrical wholesale distributor in the United States, according to them (and I have no reason to refute the claim). You can read the full release below. CES is pumped because it just opened its 500th store, in La Porte, Indiana. I would like to congratulate the 69-year-old company on its success. But the company’s president and CEO needs a language lesson that, as you well know, I am happy to deliver.
Said Thomas Hartland-Mackie in the release: “My grandfather, Tom Mackie, opened the first CES branch in the United States in 1983. And being the hard-working, enterprising man that he was, he opened the 10th U.S. branch just one year later. So it is both thrilling and humbling to have reached this significant milestone of 500 branch locations.”
Loyal FrontBurnervians know what comes next.
Hartland-Mackie is not humbled. If he’d gone to do the ribbon cutting in La Porte, Indiana, and if he’d been running late and had to park over by the Family Dollar rather than in front of his new CES store, and if that had caused him to sprint across the parking lot while carrying a pair of oversized ribbon-cutting scissors, and if he’d stumbled just he’d arrived, falling forward, impaling the CES branch manager with the cartoon scissors right in front of the La Porte press and assembled city leaders — then he’d be humbled. Accidentally killing the branch manager of your 500th store in front of reporters would be humbling. Until that happens, it’s a thrill and an honor to reach that milestone.
Happy to help.
The eighth largest electrical wholesale distributor in the Unites States celebrates a milestone. City Electric Supply, headquartered in Dallas, TX, is proud to announce the opening of its 500th branch location in La Porte, Indiana. CES has been paving the way through many towns across the country since opening the first branch in the United States in 1983. In the year 2000, CES had 100 stores nationwide, and in just under twenty years the wholesale distributor was able to add 400 more. The latest branch opening is a milestone for the company’s aggressive growth initiative.
“My grandfather, Tom Mackie, opened the first CES branch in the United States in 1983. And being the hard-working, enterprising man that he was, he opened the 10th US branch just one year later,” said CES President & CEO Thomas Hartland-Mackie. “So it is both thrilling and humbling to have reached this significant milestone of 500 branch locations. I know my grandfather would have been so proud to see this day come, and I am grateful to the whole City Electric Supply team for helping us to continue his legacy.”
Hartland-Mackie credits the huge feat to the support, dedication and entrepreneurial of the CES local teams.
“It’s your hard work and commitment to best-in-class customer service, that helps us to continue thriving and growing,” said Hartland-Mackie. “As our goal is to continue to open between 25 – 40 new branch locations each year, we are excited to continue onward with you to our next 500 branch locations.”
CES is on the path to reaching another milestone internationally as it nears the opening of its 1000th store worldwide.
About City Electric Supply (CES) is a family-owned electrical wholesale distributor headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company was founded in 1951 by Tom Mackie in the United Kingdom and expanded to the United States in 1983. Today, CES employs more than 3,000 people in almost 500 branches across the U.S.
CES is dedicated to providing personalized service and support for customers in the residential, commercial, and industrial marketplace. While CES is a large company, it prides itself in keeping its founding principle of empowering people to make local business decisions by providing customers tailored services for all their electric supply needs.
