Sure, without electrical manufacturers (which are listed beginning on page 16), electrical distributors would have no wares to take to market. But, selling electrical products requires more than slapping a price tag on whatever widget. It takes a lot of strategy and planning. That's where this “Electro Yellow Pages” will come in handy.
This list compiles the majority of associations, consultants and other resources that should be among your first stops when looking for ways to run your business better.
The listings provide contact information for industry associations, sources for marketing information related to electrical distribution, buying/marketing groups, and more. Keep this one handy for your next research project.
Industry Associations
American Lighting Association (ALA)
ALA offers those involved in the home lighting industry a slate of educational and networking opportunities.
Ph: (800) 274-4484
www.americanlightingassoc.com
Association of Energy Engineers (AEE)
AEE is a source for information on energy efficiency, utility deregulation, facility management, plant engineering, and environmental compliance. Its membership includes 8,000 professionals in 67 local chapters.
Ph: (770) 447-5083
www.aeecenter.org
Association of Energy Services Professionals International (AESP)
AESP serves its members by disseminating information about marketing, customer research, energy services technologies, pricing and load profiling.
Ph: (561) 575-2334
www.aesp.org
Association of High Technology Distribution (AHTD)
AHTD represents automation solutions providers and manufacturers of industrial automation products. The organization produces a newsletter, directories, profit reports and industry surveys.
Ph: (215) 564-3484
www.ahtd.org
BICSI
BICSI was organized to improve the services and methods of the telecommunications industry, primarily through education. It's well known in the voice/data business for its certification program for installers. BICSI holds design and cabling workshops in North America every year and publishes technical manuals, guides and dictionaries.
Ph: (813) 979-1991
www.bicsi.org
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
This nonprofit energy research consortium caters to electric utilities and their customers. Its provides science and technology-based solutions to its global energy customers by managing a far-reaching program of scientific research, technology development and product implementation.
Ph: (650) 855-2733
www.epri.com
Edison Electric Institute
Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies, international affiliates and industry associates worldwide. EEI works with its members to advocate equitable policies in legislative and regulatory arenas.
Ph: (202) 508-5000
www.eei.org
Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA)
The Electrical Apparatus Service Association Inc. (EASA) is an international trade organization in the motor market with nearly 2,400 electromechanical sales and service firms in 56 countries. Its many engineering and educational programs help keep members up to date on materials, equipment and technology.
Ph: (314) 993-2220
www.easa.com
Electrical Equipment Representatives Association (EERA)
EERA's mission is to advance the quality and increase the effectiveness of manufacturers' representatives in the electrical equipment industry.
Ph: (816) 561-5323
www.eera.org
Electro Federation of Canada (EFC)
This association represents more than 225 member companies in Canada. Employing more than 130,000 workers in more than 1,400 Canadian facilities, EFC member companies manufacture and distribute a diverse array of electrical products.
Ph: (905) 602-8877
www.electrofed.com
Industrial Distribution Association (IDA)
This trade association represents more than 1,800 locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. IDA's activities focus on all areas critical to managing a distributorship, including operations, sales and marketing, human resources, quality, technology, finance and customer service.
Ph: (404) 266-3991
www.ida-assoc.org
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA)
With its membership of engineers, architects, designers, educators, students, contractors, distributors, utility personnel, manufacturers and scientists, the IESNA's mission is to advance knowledge and disseminate information for the improvement of lighting to the benefit of society.
Ph: (212) 248-5000
www.iesna.org
Independent Electrical Contractors Inc. (IEC)
Through membership in IEC, open-shop electrical contractors can increase their chances for success in the electrical construction marketplace.
Ph: (703) 549-7351
www.ieci.org
Industry Data Exchange Association (IDEA)
IDEA manages the Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) and the IDX2 electronic network for its distributor and manufacturer members. It was created to foster the growth of e-business and related communications standards in the electrical industry and other vertical markets.
Ph: (703) 841-3247
www.idea-inc.org
Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE)
The IEEE (Eye-triple-E) is a non-profit, technical professional association of more than 377,000 members in 150 countries. The IEEE is an authority in technical fields such as computer engineering, biomedical technology, telecommunications, electric power, aerospace and consumer electronics.
Ph: (212) 419-7900
Web: www.ieee.org
International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI)
The primary concern of the IAEI is consumer safety. IAEI and its members are committed to improving design, installation, inspection and usage of energy.
Ph: (972) 235-1455
www.iaei.org
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
For more than 100 years, IBEW has supported and protected the rights of its unionized electrical contractors.
Phone: (202) 833-7000
Web: www.ibew.org
Manufacturers' Agents National Association (MANA)
This trade association for independent manufacturers' representatives puts emphasis on education. MANA's mission is to aid in the development and promotion of mutually profitable relationships, ethical standards of behavior for reps, their principals and joint customers.
Ph: (949) 859-4040
www.manaonline.org
National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED)
Since 1908, the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) has served as the trade association for the electrical distribution industry. Dedicated to serving and protecting the electrical distribution channel, this not-for-profit organization provides networking opportunities through approximately 50 meetings and conferences a year.
Ph: (314) 991-9000
www.naed.org
National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO)
The association provides many benefits to its ESCO members, including legislative representation, networking and business partnerships.
Phone: (202) 822-0950
Web site: www.naesco.org
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
NAHB is a federation of state and local builders associations. Its mission is to enhance the climate for housing and the building industry, and to promote policies that will keep housing a national priority.
Ph: (202) 266-8200
www.nahb.com
National Association of Independent Lighting Distributors (NAILD)
NAILD enhances the value of the specialized lighting distributor by creating opportunities for business development and growth through education and member interaction.
Ph: (716) 875-3670
www.naild.org
National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW)
NAW represents the wholesale distribution industry and is active in government relations and political action, research and education, and group purchasing.
Ph: (202) 872-0885
www.naw.org
National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)
NECA, founded in 1901, represents more than 70,000 electrical contracting firms. Dedicated to enhancing the industry through continuing education, labor relations, current information and promotional activities, it is an important voice in the electrical contracting industry.
Ph: (301) 657-3110
www.necanet.org
National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
NEMA provides a forum for the development of technical standards, and advocating industry policies on legislative and regulatory matters that might affect the industry.
Ph: (703) 841-3200
www.nema.org
National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA)
NEMRA, and its affiliate, the NEMRA Manufacturers Group (NMG), is a North American trade association dedicated to promoting the use of independent manufacturers representatives as the most effective way to market products in the electrical industry.
Ph: (914) 524-8650
www.nemra.org
National Electronic Distributors Association (NEDA)
NEDA is a not-for-profit association representing distributors of electronic components; computer and computer peripheral components; and test, measurement and control equipment.
Ph: (678) 393-9990
www.nedassoc.org
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
NFPA's mission is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating scientifically-based consensus codes and standards, research, training and education.
Ph: (617) 770-3000
www.nfpa.org
North American Association of Utility Distributors (NAAUD)
NAAUD members are independent distributors who specialize in supplying products and supply chain services to the electric utility industry. During power outages, the members work together to ship their products to the members in the affected area.
Ph: (352) 259-3999
www.naaud.com
Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA)
PTDA is a U.S.-based trade association representing power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) distributor firms with locations throughout North America and almost 20 other countries, as well as manufacturers that supply the PT/MC industry.
Ph: (312) 876-9461
www.ptda.org
Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League (PEARL)
PEARL membership is offered to those electrical companies that qualify as recyclers, vendors, and associates. The association develops information, networking and other services for the proper recycling and reuse of electrical power equipment.
Ph: (303) 840-1059
www.pearl1.org
Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association (STAFDA)
STAFDA is an international trade association composed of distributors, manufacturers, and rep agents of light construction, industrial and related products.
Ph: (262) 784-4774
www.stafda.org
Your Emerging Talent (YET), part of NAED
With education, training, advocacy, and networking serving as cornerstones, YET strives to prepare NAED members and affiliates for active participation, growth, and leadership.
Ph: (314) 991-9000
www.naed.org
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL)
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is an independent, not-for-profit product safety testing and certification organization that has tested products for public safety for more than a century.
Ph: (847) 272-8800
www.ul.com
LIGHTING
www.light-link.com
If you are looking for a one-stop Web-based resource for information on the lighting industry, go no further. This site has a terrific selection of product information and sources for lighting products.
www.lightingforthehome.com
Operated by interLight.com, one of the largest online lighting resources, this Web site offers design advice and other technical information for residential applications.
Lighting Research Center
www.lrc.rpi.edu
Managed by staff and students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, N.Y., the Lighting Research Center offers a wealth of technical data on residential lighting, as well as different segments of the lighting field.
GE Lighting's Virtual Design Center
www.gelighting.com/na/virtualhouse/home.html
In GE Virtual Lighting designer, you can compare different lighting schemes in a house. GE Lighting's Nela Park Lighting Institute in Cleveland, Ohio, is world-famous as a training center.
Lightolier's Lessons In Lighting
www.lightolier.com/edu/eduprograms.htm
Lightolier's Web site offers a free online training course in the fundamentals of lighting.
Don Klipstein's Lighting Info. Site
http://misty.com/people/don/light.html
This site offers a potpourri of lighting facts, opinions and links.
DON'T-MISS WEB SITES
When doing online electrical market research, you don't have time to mess around with search engines that dredge up hundreds of miss-hits and extraneous information. The Web sites that Electrical Wholesaling's editors find useful are listed below.
Electrical Wholesaling
www.ewweb.com
Pardon the self-promotion, but EW's editors believe the site's editorial archives, which contain all of the feature articles appearing in the past few years, can help electrical marketers research companies, key trends and other important market statistics.
Sales and Marketing Management magazine
www.salesandmarketing.com
This site is loaded with top-quality editorial on sales, marketing and management issues. The site also offers subscription-based online access to the magazine's popular “Survey of Buying Potential” demographic data.
Inc. magazine
www.inc.com
Along with being one of the finest monthly business publications, Inc. runs a dynamite Web site. You can access hundreds of articles on virtually any business topic, participate in surveys and read current articles.
Industrial Distribution magazine's Web site
www.manufacturing.net/ind
While the information on this site is not always specifically about electrical products or electrical-industry companies, it's packed with information on trends in the distribution business as a whole.
Merrifield Consulting Group
www.merrifield.com
Bruce Merrifield's site has for years had so much darn good information for surfers interested in broad trends in the wholesale distribution industry.
Hoover's Online
www.hoovers.com
If you are looking for financial data or profile information on a public or private company, visit Hoover's Online.
HousingZone
www.housingzone.com
If you touch the residential market at all, make the HousingZone one of your regular stops on the Web. Designed for building professionals, the site gives a good flavor of what's new in the housing market.
Small Business Association (SBA)
www.sba.gov
This site is loaded with solid information on starting, operating and expanding a small business. If the Web site does not have what you need, contact your local SBA office, which is listed on the Web site.
U.S. Census Bureau
www.census.gov/ftp/pub/const/www/index.html
When you need statistics on construction or population trends, make this site one of your first visits. You can access data on housing starts, permits and related construction trends.
Fed Stats
www.fedstats.gov
More than 70 federal government agencies, including the U.S. Census department, can be searched in one stroke from this site maintained by The Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy.
Bizsites' State and Region Reviews
www.bizsites.com
Developed by Plants Sites & Parks magazine, this Web site packages information on the business climate in different regions of the United States for companies considering relocation or new facility construction.
Mike Holt Enterprises
www.mikeholt.com
This Web site, run by one of the leading N.E. Code authorities, will answer many of your questions on the N.E. Code. Your customers will find it to be a valuable resource for information on many areas of running an electrical contracting firm.
Joe Tedesco's N.E.C. Violations
www.joetedesco.com/nec/
Joe Tedesco, a Massachusetts electrical inspector, is nationally known for his columns on National Electrical Code violations in EC&M magazine.
Federal Reserve Banks
www.ny.frb.org/links.html
These banks often have excellent regional economic data. To find the Web site of the nearest Federal Reserve, go to the address listed above and click on the map in the appropriate region.
BUYING/MARKETING GROUPS
Affiliated Distributors (A-D)
Ph: (610) 292-9270
www.adhq.com
IMARK Group
Ph: (301) 567-8888
www.imarkgroup.com
Equity Electrical Associates/Electrical Distributors Network (EDN)
Equity: Ph: (508) 698-0097
www.equity.org
EDN: Ph: (800) 338-8308
www.profitpower.com
UPA — The Integrity Group
Ph: (407) 323-6250
www.upaonline.com
SOFTWARE VENDORS
Aperum
Ph: 800-232-2999
www.sofsol.com
Daly.Commerce
Ph: 800-343-2414
www.dalycommerce.net
Dimasys, Inc.
Ph: 214-488-9998
www.dimasys.com
Integrated Systems Technology
Ph: 800-633-5583
www.istserve.com
Intuit Eclipse
Ph: 800-932-5477
www.eclipseinc.com
Mincron Software Systems
Ph: 800-299-7010
www.mincron.com
NxTrend Technology Inc.
Ph: 719-590-8940
www.nxtrend.com
Prelude Systems Inc.
Ph: 972-931-9005
www.prelude.com
Prophet 21 Inc.
Ph: 800-776-7438
www.p21.com
The Rubicon Group Limited
Ph: 630-574-7766
www.therubicongroup.com
SIRIUS Software, Inc.
Ph: 937-228-4849
www.siriusgt.com
TECSYS Inc.
Ph: 514-861-0001
www.tecsys.com
TradePower
Ph: 215-542-8300
www.tradepower.com
Ustaad Systems
Ph: 717-564-8890
www.ustaad.com
Vormittag Associates, Inc.
Ph: 800-824-7776
www.vaisw.com
DATA MANAGEMENT
i2 Technologies, Inc.
Ph: 469-357-1000
www.i2.com
Material Express
Ph: 800-594-7044 x148
www.materialexpress.com
Industry Data Exchange Association (IDEA)
Ph: (703) 841-3247
www.idea-inc.com
MARKET-PLANNING RESOURCES
Rand McNally Commercial Atlas and Marketing Guide
This book offers a ton of easy-to-find demographic information, as well as the maps of all Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the United States. It's usually available in a good business library.
2002 Survey of Buying Power
Published by Sales and Marketing Management magazine, this is one of the bibles in the demographics field. It's packed with local market data, including five-year population growth forecasts. Look for it in the library or pay the $99 for a yearly subscription and online access to this resource.
State and Metropolitan Area Data Book
Published by the U.S. Census Department, this handy resource is packed with demographic information. Check www.census.gov/statab/www/smadb.html for more information.
Departments of economic development
Any state in the U.S. actively courting new businesses usually has a Web site with some basic economic information.
Chambers of Commerce
While some chambers of commerce offer little more than the phone numbers of the local Welcome Wagons, others may have the information you need. It's worth a shot, but don't get your hopes up.
Local union chapters
When looking for employment statistics on the number of electrical contractors in your area, check with the local union hall.
Local home builders' associations
These groups often have statistics on housing starts or building permits. The local Board of Realtors may also have this information.
Business department of a college or university
You may be surprised by the amount of data business schools collect on the local economy. It's a mixed bag as to how to access this data. Sometimes it's available for free on the Web; at times it may be a for-pay proposition. It's also often available at the nearest college or university library.
Banks
You have a decent chance of finding some free statistics at good-sized banks in your area. Some of them may even offer this information online.
Local newspapers
Many newspapers do a real nice job of archiving business articles of interest to the local community. Sometimes there is a per-article fee to access a newspaper's database.
Manufacturers
Hopefully, your friendly suppliers are loaded with exactly the type of market data you need. Don't bet on it, but some electrical manufacturers invest a lot of time into researching end-user market potential.
Customers
Your salespeople's Rolodexes are probably the best reference sources for forecasting future sales. Good salespeople always keep an ear to the ground for leads on expansion plans or new bids. For sales-potential estimates, they should also know the number of employees a customer has, and then use the sales potential multipliers available each year in the November issue of Electrical Wholesaling.
CONSULTANTS
Randy Bliss, YHB Consulting
Phone: (860) 313-4061
Web site: www.yhb.com
Expertise: Succession planning
Adam Fein, Pembroke Consulting Inc.
Ph: (215) 523-5700
www.pembrokeconsulting.com
Expertise: Strategic planning
Robert Footlik, Footlik & Associates
Ph: (847) 328-5644
www.footlik.com
Expertise: Warehouse design
Neil Gillespie and David Gordon, Channel MarketingGroup
Ph: (412) 490-6950
www.channelmkt.com
Expertise: Increase market share
Ron Landisi and Vince Cassano, Landisi Electrical Consultants
Ph: (407) 481-3454
Web site: www.landisi-ec.com
Expertise: Marketing
Bruce Merrifield, The Merrifield Consulting Group
Ph: (919) 933-7474
www.merrifield.com
Expertise: Strategic planning, sales, marketing and management strategies
Bill McCleave, W.R. McCleave & Associates
Ph: (704) 892-4117
www.blazingchannels.com
Expertise: Marketing, management, market research and integrated supply
Michael Marks, Indian River Consulting
Ph: (321) 956-8617
www.ircg.com
Wayne Murphy, WTM Consulting
Ph: (412) 741-1068
Expertise: Marketing
Dick Noel, Electrical Management Personnel Inc.
Ph: (973) 731-1004
Expertise: Management recruiting
Tom O'Connor, Farmington Consulting
Ph: (860) 676-7876
www.fcgltd.comExpertise: Strategic planning and company repositioning
John Schreibfeder, Effective Inventory Management
Ph: (972) 304-3325
Web: www.effectiveinventory.com
Expertise: Inventory management
George Spilka
Ph: (412) 486-8189
www.georgespilka.com
Scott Stratman, The Distribution Team Inc.
Ph: (719) 597-5978
www.thedistributionteam.com
Expertise: Inventory management
Tim Underhill, Underhill and Associates
Ph: (918) 494-8085
www.underhill-assoc.com
Expertise: Strategic planning and profitability analysis