The Best Is Yet to Come: Tanner Poore Joins the CES Team

“Success is a three-legged stool,” said City Electric Supply District Manager Don Corbett.

What he meant was that there are three key elements of success. According to Don, the first leg of that stool is talent. When he found a man who had that talent, he became interested in bringing that man on board at CES. That man was Tanner Poore.

Finding Tanner

“I learned this business from the ground up — from receiving to driving trucks to stocking shelves to unloading trucks to counter sales to an inside sales rep position,” explained Poore.

“As soon as I saw Tanner Poore, his knowledge impressed me,” said Corbett. “He’s got knowledge, and he’s got the talent.”

So, Corbett talked to CES Anderson Branch Manager Adrian Lee about bringing him on board.

“It’s hard to find someone like Tanner,” said Lee. “Someone with the experience and drive and knowledge you need to be successful immediately is huge.”

The next leg of the stool they both were looking for in Poore was ambition.

“Ambition is completely up to you — your willingness to get out of bed in the morning, be the first one there, and work hard,” said Corbett. “Tanner’s one of those guys who sits on the edge of his seat in the interview. He’s just ready to get going.”

So far, two out of three. What’s the third leg? Opportunity.

Opportunities at CES

“He already had talent, and he already had ambition. An opportunity at CES was the missing piece,” said Corbett. “CES has definitely given me and my family life-changing opportunities. My son’s in his first year of dental college in Georgia, and that wouldn’t have been possible without CES.”

Besides company benefits, this was an opportunity for Poore to work in his hometown.

“I’m from Anderson, South Carolina, and I love working in my old stomping grounds,” said Poore. “Being connected to people I grew up with — with people I love — is important to me. My whole family is here, and my wife Amanda and I love living here.”

It was also an opportunity to advance into Outside Sales Rep work.

“Having this door open for me as an Outside Sales Rep in my hometown is kind of crazy,” said Poore.

It was also an opportunity to work with great people and grow.

“It’s not only a great place and position, but it’s full of great people,” said Poore. “When I spoke to Don, it was personal right off the bat. He didn’t make me nervous with a big interview. I felt very comfortable. He wanted to know not only what I brought to the table but who I am as a person, and that means a lot to me. It was the same when Adrian interviewed me. Both Don and Adrian are very genuine people.”

The Future of CES Anderson

“As a manager, you want to make sure you have a positive environment,” said Lee. “I try to create a culture that allows people to be successful. I want to surround employees with people who make them better and better and better.”

And Poore has already experienced a taste of that.

“I want to thank Don for having confidence in me and believing in me,” said Poore. “It makes me want to work harder not just for myself but for Don. It’s a big deal, and it’s not something you find in a lot of companies — especially not right off the bat.”

“We’re so glad to have him on our team,” said Corbett. “We have big plans for him.”

And Tanner Poore has big plans for CES as well.

“I want to make CES better represented in the southeast in industry,” said Poore. “I truly believe in the near future we’ll see some huge growth. The best is yet to come.”