City Electric Supply Wraps Up 2020

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Today, almost a full year after our nationwide shutdown, we’re revisiting some of the highlights from around the company. In this 2020 wrap-up, we cover the charity we showed our neighbors, the support we provided our communities, and the impact this last year had on us here at City Electric Supply.

Making an Impact that Lasts

Across the entire country, everyone who worked with us played a vital role in keeping the lights on in hospitals and grocery stores, schools and small businesses.

And, when a neighbor needed something, a lot of you were right there to help, including some of our very own employees.

Like Richard “Boo” Smith, an Outside Sales Rep for CES Myrtle Beach who has delivered almost 2,000 meals for Meals on Wheels since 2016.

Or Branch Manager Ben Davis and Operations Manager Zach Cooper at CES Lexington. They held their first-ever blood drive in their parking lot to support the American Red Cross.

CES Fernandina Beach sponsored an event that fundraised enough money to cover the medical costs of Jennifer Suggs, a special member in their very own community who had life-saving treatment denied by her insurance.

CES New Port Richey donated new LEDs to replace the harsh, buzzing lights at Invictus Academy Tampa Bay, a school for students with motor and sensory differences.

And CES Orlando West teamed up with the Orlando Magic to deliver 2,500 basketballs to local schools in their community.

And that’s only scratching the surface.

Across the country, CES employees helped with food drives, coat drives, and toy drives, while also helping individuals in need. We received hundreds of emails with uplifting stories of employees volunteering their time and donating masks to first responders.

CES is proud of the hard work, success, and kindness demonstrated by CES family members. We like to say our greatest asset is our people. This year, you’ve proved it day in and day out.

“Trying times have the ability to bring people together. As a company, we’ve all been able to work hand-in-hand and pull together as team,” said Co-COO John Gray. “I’m proud of everyone within the organization. The year 2020 has most definitely made City Electric Supply a stronger company, and I’m confident that we’ll come back stronger because we’ll be closer as individuals.”

CES Cares Provides Relief

Just as hundreds of employees spent countless hours volunteering for charities and supporting their communities, CES Cares was hard at work as well.

In the past 12 months, CES Cares has donated over 1,500 backpacks stuffed with school supplies to the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, which is committed to improving the lives of children who have endured abuse in the Dallas county.

“I’m not sure this year we’d have been able to have a backpack drive of any sort without having such a steady, dedicated partner in CES. The fact that our clients can rely on CES to do this each year is huge for us,” said DCAC Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Burns.

In preparation for 2020 North Texas Giving Day, City Electric Supply donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross. This contribution supported their disaster relief efforts which have impacted thousands of Americans in the midst of the ongoing pandemic.

“Responding to disasters takes a team effort. The generosity of our corporate partners like City Electric Supply helps ensure the Red Cross is there to help people in their time of need,” said Keith Rhodes, CEO of the American Red Cross North Texas Region.

At CES, we also continued our annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout October, we matched all donations to the American Cancer Society up to $10,000. Since 2016, we’ve donated almost $100,000.

“We’re extremely grateful to City Electric Supply, their employees, and customers for contributing money to help ensure cancer doesn’t get the advantage during these challenging times,” said American Cancer Society Executive Director Keenan Delaney.

“We are so grateful that in 2020 we were able to contribute to a variety of worthy causes. Especially in what was a very arduous year for everyone,” said CES Cares Social Impact Manager Karen Gray. “We are excited and look forward to another year of giving back to our communities in 2021.”

Celebrating our 500th Branch

This year wasn’t just a chance to see how we could do business better and safer. It was also a year in which we did our best to continue growing. We opened our 500th branch location in La Porte, Indiana, continuing the company’s dream that started almost 40 years ago.

“My grandfather, Tom Mackie, opened the first CES branch in the United States in 1983. And being the hard-working, enterprising man that he was, he opened the 10th US branch just one year later,” said CES President & CEO Thomas Hartland-Mackie. “So it is both thrilling and humbling to have reached this significant milestone of 500 branch locations. I know my grandfather would have been so proud to see this day come. I am grateful to the whole City Electric Supply team for helping us to continue his legacy.”

In the year 2000, CES had 100 stores nationwide. In just under twenty years, we added 400 more. Celebrating our 500th branch is about recognizing all the hard work that happened inside the first 499 branches.

Hartland-Mackie is the first to credit such an accomplishment to the support, dedication, and entrepreneurial spirit of teams inside our branches.

“It’s your hard work and commitment to best-in-class customer service that helps us to continue thriving and growing,” said Hartland-Mackie. “Our goal is to continue to open between 25 – 40 new branch locations each year. We are excited to continue onward with you to our next 500 branch locations.”

Amazing Projects, Even Better Customers

Lastly, to all of our CES customers, we’re honored to have worked with you this last year. You’ve helped keep the doors of over 500 branches open throughout the pandemic. You helped give our branches the opportunity to work on some amazing projects.

Like Pier 202, one of the biggest multibillion-dollar developments to ever hit Tempe, Arizona, which CES Chandler and G4 Electric helped complete.

Or Lifehouse Church in Delaware. CES Dover helped build the entire church from the ground up with PowerComm over just a few months. All 42,000 square feet of it.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, CES Waxhaw donated all the electrical materials needed to build a St. Jude’s Dream Home with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

City Electric Supply also teamed up with Tamlite Lighting. Together, we helped Floyd Medical Center convert a parking garage into a temporary hospital to serve the surge of COVID-19 patients in Rome, Georgia.

These are just some of the many projects CES has had the chance to work on in 2020. And each one has allowed us to continue growing in a year unlike any other.

Finally, we just want to say, “Thank You!”

To everyone who supported us in 2020 and continues to support us in 2021, we couldn’t do this without you. We wish you the best and can’t wait to see you around.

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