Future Looks Bright for First Branch in Puerto Rico
You might know that City Electric Supply (CES) recently expanded to Puerto Rico or that CES played an integral role in restoring the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.
But you might not know that while CES has already established a presence in Puerto Rico — and restored one of its biggest landmarks — CES only opened its first Puerto Rican branch a couple of days ago.
Great Location
“We made noise here before we even had a branch,” said Beatriz Cintron, the branch manager of CES Cataño. “I can’t wait to see how we support the community even more now that our doors are open.”
And the community can’t wait, either.
“Before we opened or had signage, people stopped by because they were curious,” said Cintron. “I’m glad because I want to impact the community and make it clear that we’re here to supply them whatever they need.”
Cintron went on to explain that the new branch can easily stock items that were hard to find before — like plugs people use for generators in the area.
“They’re very hard to find in the area, but with our RPP brand, we have a lot of them,” said Cintron. “People are coming knowing we have those plugs.”
With access to products that were hard to attain before, it’s safe to say the new branch is in the right place. Another way they’re in the right place? No one knows the area better than Cintron.
Great Team
“Our branch is in Cataño, and I love working here. We’re right across the bay from the capital of Puerto Rico, San Juan, where I’ve lived all my life,” explained Cintron.
Cintron couldn’t imagine living anywhere else — or working anywhere else.
“I have been with CES for a year and a half. Best time of my life,” she said simply.
She started in the electrical industry seven years ago, working with generator installations. From there, she moved to the lighting industry, and in her own words, she “fell in love with it.” Then, she fell in love with CES.
“I love developing my knowledge of lighting, power, generators, tools, and more at CES,” said Cintron. “All of the knowledge I’ve attained over the last seven years has taken me on an amazing journey to this branch, and I am very proud of it.”
And her journey isn’t the only thing that makes her proud.
“This is the first CES branch in Puerto Rico. It’s just the beginning of a big movement here, and I’m proud to be a part of it,” said Cintron. “I’m also proud to be a woman running my own branch in a male-dominated industry. CES saw potential in me and changed my entire life.”
As she makes history as the first CES branch manager in Puerto Rico, she has a lot of support in Miami from CES Branch Manager Jeffrey Delgado and District Manager Aramis Montenegro, who have been there for her all along the way.
“They never let me feel alone even though I was physically alone the past year,” said Cintron.
Before Cintron gathered her team members — Jose “Pepe” Rodriquez, Samuel Rodriguez, Axel Torres, and Tomas Negrón— she was the only CES employee in Puerto Rico. Still, she woke up every morning, put on her CES shirt, and went to work knowing that while she was the only one there, she had the whole CES family behind her.
Great Future
“It’s a dream come true. I still remember my first CES interview,” said Cintron. “I’ve grown so much since then. So has this branch. I look back at photos of this location before and after we worked on it, and it’s incredible to see the difference. When people open the doors, they say, ‘Wow!’ I am so proud of the branch, and I’m excited for more customers and vendors to see it.”
And while they can stop by any time, there’s also a date they can circle on their calendars — September 3. The branch plans to host a grand opening event to celebrate the new branch with the community.
“The future looks bright for CES in Puerto Rico,” said Cintron.
We’re inclined to agree.