CES Clermont: Uniquely Suited to Deliver for Rozar Electric, IDEA Public Schools
“Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people,” Stephen Covey once said.
The famous author, speaker, and businessman is well known for his insights into leadership, management and professional development. And, though it’s no secret that long-standing relationships built on trust are key ingredients in achieving success in business and life, it’s still a lesson that warrants frequent reminding in a fast-paced, 24/7 world.
Case in point, take the team at the City Electric Supply (CES) branch in Clermont, Florida, and Branch Manager Matt Spina’s proven relationship with Rozar Electric’s owner, Lawton Rozar. Spina’s relationship with Rozar goes back nearly 20 years to when they worked together for an electrical contractor in Central Florida. Eventually, Rozar left to start his own contracting business, and Spina joined the City Electric Supply family.
Today, Rozar’s relationship with the CES Clermont team has resulted in a branch record $1.5 million contract to support the construction of a new IDEA Public Schools K-12 charter school campus in Tampa Bay, Florida. Summit Construction Management Group is the project’s general contractor.
Going the Extra Mile
Rozar’s relationship with CES began in 2009 during the very early days of his new business. The relationship was initiated through his outreach to CES Clermont’s previous branch manager, Micah O’Steen, who currently serves as CES district manager in Central Florida.
“At this point, with no history or other accounts, I reached out to CES to open an account,” said Rozar. “Micah and the CES team were very helpful and got us set up and established. Our first project was an office building in Groveland, Florida, and it wasn’t long after that we landed a very challenging project in North Dakota.”
Rozar Electric’s newly awarded project in North Dakota was a large-site lighting project during the oil boom in Minot, North Dakota. Even from over 2,000 miles away in Florida, the CES team was instrumental in providing Rozar both the materials and logistical support required to pull off such a complex project at a very critical point in Rozar Electric’s growth.
“Since completing those early projects that helped establish our company, Matt Spina took over leadership of the CES Clermont branch and has provided consistent quality service and materials,” said Rozar. “Matt and his team have gone the extra mile many times, enabling us to provide competitive pricing and aggressively pursue new projects, which is a big part of our success.”
Rozar added, “Our great working relationship with the CES Clermont team is not only a big part of where we are today, but was also key to helping us land this significant IDEA Public Schools project. Success is a team effort!”
Big Idea, Big Project
Having recently completed another significant project for Rozar Electric – one of the biggest ever for the Clermont branch – Rozar again tapped the team to support its delivery of electrical contracting services for the IDEA Public Schools project in Tampa Bay. The $1.5 million contract is the largest in the branch’s history.
Currently serving 66,000 college-bound students in 120 schools across Texas and Louisiana, non-profit IDEA Public Schools is preparing to open two new campuses in the East Tampa Bay area in 2021. Since 2000, IDEA Public Schools has grown from a small school with 150 students to the fastest-growing network of tuition-free, Pre-K-12 public charter schools in the United States.
The CES Clermont team is excited to support Rozar Electric’s work to help deliver the IDEA Hope Academy and College Prep campus. With construction currently underway, the construction team is retrofitting and transforming a single-story retail center into a modern, two-story school campus that will exceed 100,000 square feet.
Delivering for Commercial Contractors
With Rozar Electric primarily serving the commercial market, the CES network delivery model is uniquely suited to meet the electrical contractor’s needs. For Spina and the CES Clermont team, their primary goal is to make sure everything runs smoothly.
“From the beginning of the project, our team has been focused on the early development of material lists,” said Spina. “And we coordinate with other CES local branches to ensure the Rozar team receives materials throughout the day. That’s the beauty of the CES network; there’s always a branch nearby to help.”
“Having branches so close to each other and within driving distance of most job sites is a 100 percent unique advantage in the markets we serve,” Spina added. “We do a lot of commercial work here, and we move a lot of stock quickly. So, when our customers need something, we can deliver for them whether we have it in our inventory or need to tap a nearby branch to help fill orders.”