CES Leesburg, Florida Celebrating 25 Years Strong
[Leesburg, Florida] – CES Leesburg celebrated its 25th anniversary with more than 150 guests in attendance. The branch celebrated with product demos and promotions, raffle and grand prize drawings, and networking over Uncle Eddie’s BBQ. Everyone had a great time celebrating the past successes of the branch and looking to the future by learning about the new CES Renewables Energy Group and CES Online.
“It was crazy to have such a huge turnout and to see how our customers show their support not just through business but through our celebrations,” said Branch Manager Robert Cosgrove. “That was honestly the best part.”
Cosgrove started with CES in 2007 as a sales representative for the Leesburg branch and in 2010 was promoted to Branch Manager.
“When I took over, it wasn’t going in the right direction,” said Cosgrove, “so to see how far it has come since then has been encouraging.”
Aside from helping his branch grow, Cosgrove’s biggest accomplishment has been helping others move up in the company.
“I have promoted many people out of this branch; two became branch managers, three are now store managers, and one is a sales representative,” said Cosgrove.
Celebrating 25 years with a branch he has been with for most of his time at CES made the event especially exciting for Cosgrove.
“There are many thoughts and emotions that come to mind when I think of this anniversary. It is a big anniversary, and it makes me think about how much our customer base has grown and how far the branch has come,” said Cosgrove.
Cosgrove wakes up every day excited to work with his staff, upper management, and customers.
“It was an absolute blast being able to interact with our amazing customers and watch them mingle with vendors and staff,” said Cosgrove. “A lot of the time, we work directly with purchasing agents and not with them face to face, so it was great match faces to names.”
Throughout the event, customers mingled with seven vendors, including TAMCO, Legrand, Milwaukee Tools, and more.
“Each vendor also put a promotional item in our raffle giveaways, which allowed us to raffle off 10 prizes,” said Cosgrove.
Operations Manager Kaitlin Gaylord was excited to see vendors and network with them.
“Since stepping into my new position, I have enjoyed the busyness of the job and working more closely with our vendors,” said Gaylord.
The customer that won the grand prize 55-inch TV was a customer who has been working for RNA industries for the past four years.
“RNA has been a customer of our branch since the branch opened,” said Cosgrove.
For District Manager Micah O’Steen, who has been with the company since 2000, he has enjoyed being a part of the growth in Leesburg.
“It has been a unique and rewarding experience to witness the maturing of Leesburg,” said O’Steen. “I consider getting to be part of the history making and success in Leesburg as a huge achievement for me.”
At the end of the event, Regional Manager Mark Mickley mentioned his gratitude for not only the staff, but also the customers who support the branch.
“We are really grateful for our customers who have shown their support and attended our events over the years,” said Mickley.
Along with Mickley, Co-Chief Operating Manager Andrew Dawes couldn’t help but step in and show his appreciation to the branch.
“It is you guys that make the company succeed. I can honestly say the branch would not be here without the hard work and dedication you all put into the branch and our customers,” said Dawes.