Tristate Electrical & Electronics Supply Co. Inc., Hagerstown, Md., has acquired Allied Electric Supply Co., an electrical distributor serving the western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia markets.
The purchase of Allied Electric, Pittsburgh, expands Tristate's market reach by adding a branch in West Virginia and 10 locations in the Pittsburgh area.
While this is a new market for Tristate, its parent company, Hagemeyer NV, Naarden, Netherlands, has had locations in the Pittsburgh area through Vallen, a safety distributor it purchased in 1999. Hagemeyer has also been in the Pittsburgh market through business done by the CamBar/McJunkin joint venture. However, it's the first time that Hagemeyer or any of the distributors it recently acquired will have a branch operation in Pittsburgh focused on selling electrical supplies.
Allied Electric's customer mix is approximately 60 percent contractor, 35 percent industrial/commercial and institutional and 5 percent retail and other customers.
"Because Allied Electric, previously owned by Ed Berman, uses a similar business philosophy, they are the perfect complement for news watch our expansion efforts in the mid-Atlantic region," said Grayson Oldfather, Tristate's president.
Berman agreed that Tristate and Allied Electric share a similar business philosophy. "Having been associated with Allied for 50 years, it was important that we find a buyer for the company that shared our philosophy of caring and respect for our employees and customers. Tristate is a perfect fit in that regard."
Fred Morrelli, Allied Electric's president, will oversee the newly created Pittsburgh region. He said Allied Electric will benefit from the acquisition because of Tristate's diversity. "The depth of experience in terms of specialty niches in our industry that Tristate has is incredible - I mean their datacom division, utility division, seven or eight specialty groups that we can really tap into relatively quickly. "
Allied Electric Supply will continue to operate under its own name.