Last updated on March 11, 2026
For nearly 25 years, City Electric Supply (CES) Simpsonville has been a trusted stop for contractors working throughout Greenville County, South Carolina. It’s always had the same mission: deliver great service, support customers, and make it easier to get the job done.
That hasn’t changed — but the physical branch has. As demand for industrial electrical supply in South Carolina continues to grow, CES Simpsonville has leveraged a new location and a bigger space to serve the expanding manufacturing and utility work happening south and southeast of Greenville.
A strategic move
CES Simpsonville opened in 2003 and primarily served the residential market for close to two decades. As the area grew, so did the space needed to serve customers well. After five years of looking for the right spot, they found it in an old building right off Highway 385.
The move aligned with what’s happening across the region.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2023, production and manufacturing jobs made up 10.2% of local employment in the Greenville metropolitan area — nearly double the national share of 5.8%. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, South Carolina exported $38 billion of goods in 2024, a 28% increase over 10 years.
As manufacturing expands across the state, the need for reliable industrial electrical supply in South Carolina has grown alongside it. This creates new opportunities for distributors positioned to support industrial and utility work.
Driving southeast from Greenville, CES Simpsonville is the last electrical distributor for nearly two hours. This makes it a critical supply house for industrial, agricultural, and utility businesses outside the metro area.
“We’re perfectly situated for customers heading to jobs in the southeast or needing to make a mid-day supply run. We’ve built the branch around that reality,” said CES Simpsonville Branch Manager Rob Parengkuan.
Stocked to fit the industrial market
With a larger branch footprint and an easily accessible location along the highway, CES Simpsonville reevaluated its stock. When Rob Parengkuan stepped into the branch manager role in 2025, his experience fit the market perfectly. With a background in commercial, industrial, and utility sales, he knew exactly what the market was looking for.
Inventory shifted to reflect the needs of the community — not just residential, but also heavy commercial, industrial, and utility. The goal is to ensure contractors and facilities have dependable access to industrial electrical supply in South Carolina without having to travel long distances for materials. Supported by CES’s wire facility in Charlotte, the branch can source and supply products that manufacturing and utility facilities rely on, including 2000-amp switchboards, a wide range of malleable fittings, and large-sized conduits.
Customers can walk into the large showroom, see products in person, and talk through options at the counter instead of working from only a catalog.
“We carry a lot of products for safety and fall protection, and we have a designated area to show that. It’s been helpful for our customers to see what we can do,” said Parengkuan.
Embracing the shift to industrial, manufacturing, and utility
The old branch location primarily saw residential business. Still, the branch team knows heavy commercial, industrial, and utility supplies well.
“Our team is learning in real time through real jobs,” said Parengkuan. “If someone brings a new challenge to the counter, we talk it through as a team. We meet regularly, ask questions, and share what we’re seeing and learning on an everyday basis.”
Operations Manager Trevor Harrison, who’s been with CES since 2019, has seen the shift firsthand. He shares the team’s excitement about it. “We’re learning a lot about products that we didn’t really see in our old location, particularly automation and distribution materials — like lighting contactors and transformers. The whole team has been diving in and learning what we can.”
With customer service at the forefront, the community has come to rely on CES to get what they need. Longtime customers like Cole Henderson, owner and CEO at Cole Henderson Electric, have shared the impact of this new chapter in the branch’s story.
“We depend on our suppliers to help us get what we need so we can get back out in the field,” said Cole Henderson, owner of Cole Henderson Electric. “The team at CES Simpsonville is paying attention. They’re coming in early to get overnight orders ready and offering to bring supplies to the jobsite. That stuff really makes a difference.”
“I’m very proud of the work Rob and his team are doing to better position their branch to support the industrial market,” said CES District Manager Don Corbett.
Positive community response
“While we continue to support the residential and commercial segments of the market, the community’s very receptive to our increased emphasis on the industrial products,” said Corbett. “Technicians and facility managers are welcoming the new focus on the materials they need but often have difficulty sourcing locally.”
With more visibility from the highway, increased and varied traffic to the branch reflects the hard work put in by the team.
“We’ve had a lot of good feedback,” said Parengkuan. “Customers are interested in the safety lines we’re offering and our inventory of industrial products. The word is spreading that we’re more than a residential supply house.”
“Electrical contractors want to shop somewhere that’s made for us. When you go to CES, you see the difference — you have someone you know helping you,” said Henderson. “They’ll call and check in just to make sure we have what we need.”
With the flexibility and service that customers need, CES Simpsonville is built for the work being done across Southeast South Carolina today — helping contractors, facilities, and utilities access reliable industrial electrical supply and preparing the branch for what’s next.