It’s not every day that a business owner sells their business, moves across the country to start over, and ends up working for the company they sold their business to — but that’s exactly what Brian Schneider did! Before Schneider became the branch manager of the new City Electric Supply (CES) Cumming, in Georgia, he owned an electrical wholesale business in California.
“I built it from the ground up with my two business partners and ran it successfully for over 30 years,” said Schneider.
Schneider began his career in the electrical industry in 1982, but after decades of entrepreneurship, he desired a change.
“My youngest daughter and son-in-law had moved out to Georgia a few years prior. During that time, they gifted my wife and me with two little grandchildren. I’m also a 15-year cancer survivor, which greatly changed my outlook on life, and I just wanted a change of scenery that was less stressful and closer to family.”
Schneider was about to make a big decision that would change the course of his life and future career.
Making it official
Schneider discussed selling the business with his wife, Sandra, for years, and he finally got the ball rolling when he set up a meeting with his business partners.
“I let them know that I wanted to sell the company and move across the country to start over,” Schneider said.
Several local suppliers expressed interest in acquiring the business, including City Electric Supply. “District Manager Brian Andringa got in contact with me and let me know that he wanted to take a look at the building and see how everything was set up. After three weeks, I reached back out to him, and he brought along Vice President of Operations David Hoyle to visit the facility.”
After a few months of evaluating the strength, market share, and competitive position of the business, they shook hands and made it official in April 2021.
Making the move and changing careers
Schneider was preparing to move to Georgia as he helped lead the newly acquired branch during a two-month transition period. After experiencing first-hand the systems, values, and culture at CES, Schneider wanted to continue working in electrical wholesale, but just in a non-management role.
“It had been 45 years since I’d worked for someone else, but the way City Electric Supply operated really impressed me,” Schneider said. “I enjoyed working with the team during the transition. It felt like a good fit.”
Schneider knew he didn’t want to fully retire once he left California.
“After a 45-day resting period after moving, I told my wife that it’s hard to just sit down and relax after decades of working and owning my own business.”
His wife advised him to contact CES and explore potential opportunities.
He soon got back in touch with David Hoyle, who connected him with Regional Manager Buddy Blanton, District Manager Scott Rogers, and Senior Regional Manager R.T. Smith to interview for an outside sales role at CES.
After securing the role, Schneider began working at the Duluth branch.
“CES has many locations throughout Georgia, and having a role where I didn’t have to worry about the pressures of running a business, constantly being on the go, and having stability for myself and my wife while still being in the electrical industry was an ideal scenario for me.”
Soon after, Schneider would be offered another life-changing career opportunity.
Making another leap into the next chapter
Three to four months into his new role, Schneider made another connection that would once again change the trajectory of his career.
“After CES bought my company, I was supposed to meet the Co-CEO, John Gray. A few months later, he came out to visit the branch I was working at with Buddy, Scott, and R.T., and invited me to lunch to chat,” said Schneider.
During the conversation, Gray praised Schneider’s success as a former business owner and told him that he would be a great person to lead a branch.
“I was hesitant because, although I had the experience, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to return to that kind of role. It was one of the reasons I sold my business and left California in the first place. But John kept telling me ‘once a leader, always a leader’, which gave me something to consider.”
Three weeks later, Schneider received a phone call.
“Scott reached out to me and let me know that CES was looking at opening a new branch near where I live. He went straight to the point and asked me, ‘Would you like to be the new branch manager?’”
Making a new journey with a new branch
After a heart-to-heart conversation and support from his wife, Brian Schneider is now the branch manager of CES Cumming, which is set to open in December 2025 with an official grand opening in spring of 2026. “We gave it some thought, and I decided to go for it,” said Schneider. “It’s exciting to be building something again, but this time with the full support of a company behind me.”
The Cumming branch is still preparing for its grand opening, but Schneider is ready to tackle this new journey head-on.
“It took us over a year to find a good location for the branch. We’re still getting everything ready and haven’t officially opened our doors yet, but my experience has been an asset during this challenging experience.”
The location will be an open floor concept layout so that customers can fully view all the products from industry-leading vendors, including our in-house brands and wire solutions, CES Wire Services, that the branch has to offer.
“We plan to serve the commercial and residential market, especially local municipalities. We’re still building our team, but we have a couple of roles filled in, including Operations Manager Dustin Smith and my son-in-law, Cole Miller, who is working in the projects department as our project manager.”
Miller transitioned from working in the entertainment industry to working for CES after the Covid-19 pandemic and the Writers’ Strike for more career stability and to spend more time with his family — just like his father-in-law, Brian Schneider.
As things are starting to come along, Schneider looks forward to the future of the new branch and beyond. “I want CES Cumming to be the standard of what it means to provide good customer service. At 64 years old, I realize that there will come a time when I’m ready to hang up my hat for good, but I still have a lot of fire and love for this industry. I’m excited for what’s ahead.”