CES Kenosha, WI: Convenient for Contractors, Great for Business
[Kenosha, Wisconsin] — What does two-time Pro Bowler Melvin Gordon and the new CES Kenosha branch have in common? For one, they’re both from Kenosha, Wisconsin — but that’s about it.
Although Melvin Gordon might not be a frequent shopper at CES Kenosha, Branch Manager Sean Creighton is expecting just about everyone else in the city to be.
“Kenosha is right on Lake Michigan, about an hour north of Chicago and an hour south of Milwaukee,” Creighton said. “You’re centrally located between two big cities, and with a much lower tax rate than Illinois, it brings a lot of contractors from around the area.”
“You also have the headquarters of SnapOn Tools and Jockey International,” he continued. “And we have big corporations like ULine, Amazon, Haribo, and more expanding their facilities here. That alone has been bringing in a lot of work — not just from those companies, but from the contractors working on them.”
In his words, it’s a crazy demographic of customers, and he should know. Sean Creighton grew up most of his life in Wisconsin before moving to Woodstock, Illinois, just an hour away from where his new branch is located.
“Kenosha is a tight-knit community,” he said. “There are a lot of small commercial and small businesses in the area, and we’ll be a huge support system for them.”
So, what if you’re a contractor in Kenosha? As it turns out, that’s even better.
“We’re located smack-dab in the middle of town. For our contractors, it’s convenient for them because they get to avoid the busier, industrial northside where a lot of our competitors are. To top it off, surrounding our branch are neighborhoods where these contractors live. It’s incredibly convenient for them.”
Looking around at his new branch, Creighton couldn’t be happier with how everything has played out since he joined CES about four years ago.
“I started as a driver and worked at each position before I was offered an opportunity to start my own branch. I’ve been through it all,” he said, “the good times, the bad, and everything in between. When my team asks me questions about the warehouse or customers, I can give them advice because I’ve been there.”
For Creighton, it’s not just advice he can give to his team, but guidance. In four short years, he kept working and chasing opportunity, proving that if you have the determination, anything is possible.
“I know the struggles of having to learn and develop knowledge on the job,” he added. “I know the position these guys are in. Even I started with minimal electrical knowledge, but CES has taught me 95% of everything I know in the electrical industry. Just from coming in and putting in the work and trying to learn more.”
It’s that culture of learning and always going above and beyond that originally attracted Sean from his previous sales position.
“I wanted to get out of sales,” he admitted. “I had such a negative take on it from previous jobs, but CES taught me a new way of selling and relationship building. Here, I’ve met some of the best people, contractors, and employees. The work environment is great, the people in this company are helpful and fun to be around. I came to CES to seek new opportunities, and I got it. Given the same opportunity myself, I want to keep passing that on.”
With that culture in place, Creighton knew exactly the type of team he wanted to build around him and his new branch, and he’s excited to see how well everyone has been working together.
“John McEvilla has been my right-hand man in the early development of this branch. He has store management experience, sales experience dealing with very large corporations, and customers love him!”
“Then we have Demetrius Jordan, who is our Counter Sales/Warehouse rep,” he continued. “He is always positive, and he’s been gaining product knowledge at a very fast rate. Since day one, he’s easily worked with our customers and helped build those relationships.”
“Lastly, there’s Cristian Huerta, my Operations Manager. We’ve worked together for a couple years in Lake Geneva. He switched sides after working as an apprentice electrician for a large customer, but I don’t think he has regretted it yet,” Creighton joked.
The team at CES Kenosha is already working on building relationships, even though they’ve only been opened for two weeks. In Creighton’s words, they want to get to know their customers, not just sell to them.
“We’re already seeing customers grab coffee and hang out for a while,” he said. “We’re kind of the fun place to go, willing to have conversations with people and build relationships. We will do whatever it takes to make sure the customer is happy and has the material they need, when they need it.”
With that team in place, Branch Manager Sean Creighton is leading by example, inspiring his branch to chase opportunity, no matter how big or small.
“Our philosophy is that no one is too good for any job,” he added. “We all deliver, we all do warehouse work, we all know what it takes to be successful. We’ll stock anything our customers use, and we’ll go out of our way for anyone. Whether it’s a $1 sale or a $100,000 sale, everything counts. Our main goal with customers is to build trust, build relationships, and be their number one reliable source.”
Now as the branch celebrates their first couple weeks behind them, what’s on the horizon for CES Kenosha? If Creighton has anything to say about it, nothing but success.
“We all have the same vision on where we want to be. As long as we stick to our goals, stay positive, and work together, we will reach them,” he said. “But most of all, I’m excited about growing relationships with customers in Kenosha. I saw firsthand the development and growth at CES Lake Geneva, now I’m looking forward to doing the same thing here at CES Kenosha.”