Nancy Ramdon-Connolly: Falling into the Industry and Staying
“It tends not to be an industry that a lot of people initially pursue,” stated Nancy Ramdon-Connolly, Director of Sales and Operations for the Corporate and National Solutions (CNS) department of City Electric Supply (CES). “A lot of people that I work with didn’t plan on going into electrical as a kid, but they fell into it one way or another and found out they really liked it.”
Working Her Way Up
That’s exactly what happened to Nancy Ramdon-Connolly. She moved from Jamaica to the US at age 17 and took part-time jobs to cover rent and support her family. One of those early part-time jobs happened to be for an electrical supplier — and that changed her entire life.
“I was working the counter a lot, picking up products, and helping people,” said Ramdon-Connolly. “That’s where I learned a lot about breakers, wires, and the broad customer base of our industry.”
Next thing she knew, she moved from the counter to the office, working on projects and taking orders herself.
“Taking on additional challenges and responsibility just made sense to me,” said Ramdon-Connolly. “I didn’t start knowing that my job could be a career, but that’s exactly what it was.”
Then, she accepted a job offer in the projects department of another electrical supplier. There, she worked her way up to customer service management and then project management. She followed these positions with marketing sales, and then she made her way to CES.
“What makes CES special from other places I’ve seen is that leadership roles are filled by people like me,” said Ramdon-Connolly. “Passionate people who worked their way up in the industry and gained the knowledge and skillsets unique to that type of career progression. As a result, CES leadership has a deep respect for every role in the company — it’s like a family and that’s why I love working here.”
Corporate and National Solutions
And “here” is specifically Corporate and National Solutions, a department that provides lighting, electrical, and other affiliated solutions for companies with multiple locations. She started in November 2019, right before the pandemic hit.
“We haven’t gotten the chance to do all that we can yet,” explained Ramdon-Connolly. “COVID stopped a lot of projects. We adapted and managed to grow, but I know there’s so much more to come.”
What are her goals for the future? To grow the department, create a legacy at CES, and foster creativity.
“There’s so much to do, but that’s what makes it exciting,” said Ramdon-Connolly. “My first job in the industry was to pay rent. But it’s so much more than that now.”
CES is so lucky to have Nancy Ramdon-Connolly on the team with her passion, dedication, and expertise. We are so glad she “fell into” the industry so many years ago, because we couldn’t imagine our CNS department without her. To Nancy — keep up the good work. To companies interested in lighting and electrical work — we know someone who knows her stuff. If you’re interested in corporate lighting services from Nancy and her team, just contact CorporateAndNationalSolutions@CityElectricSupply.com!