News of the Electrical Industry

July 1, 2003
Westburne expands operations into New Jersey, Pennsylvania: Westburne Inc., St. Laurent, Quebec, has made two moves that would add approximately $40 million

Westburne expands operations into New Jersey, Pennsylvania: Westburne Inc., St. Laurent, Quebec, has made two moves that would add approximately $40 million in annual electrical sales to the company's bottom line. In moves that would give Westburne its first electrical presence in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the company has agreed to buy Anesco, a two-location electrical distributor based in Kingston, Pa., with 40 employees and annual sales between $15 million and $20 million; and SPT Electric Group, Belle Mead, N.J., which has five branches, 79 employees and annual sales between $20 million and $25 million. The two companies will be added to Westburne's Electrical Group in the United States.

Anesco will continue to be led by Daniel Fierman and his existing management team. Jim Bulvanoski, the major shareholder of SPT, will continue to lead the company.

Hagemeyer to buy CamBar and Great Britain's WF Electrical PLC: Hagemeyer, a Dutch distribution giant, with a rapidly expanding base in the United States. has agreed to buy Southeast region powerhouse Cameron & Barkley, Charleston, S.C., and WF Electrical PLC of Great Britain. The proposed acquisition of Cameron & Barkley is subject to approval by its 2,000-plus employee owners. CamBar's employee-owners are expected to vote on the proposed acquisition by August.

Hagemeyer's first venture into the U.S. electrical market was its acquisition of Tristate Electrical & Electronics Co. Inc., Hagerstown, Md., last November. Between the two acquisitions, Hagemeyer would have at least $424 million in U.S. electrical sales if the acquisition of CamBar is approved. CamBar's electrical products sales were $229 million in 1999, according to Electrical Wholesaling magazine's Top 250 listing. The company's total sales volume, which includes the sales of industrial, safety, electrical and other MRO products, total $850 million through 24 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico.

With its 1999 purchase of Vallen Corp., Houston, a 162-location safety products distributor, Hagemeyer has quickly pulled together several key elements of a strong U.S. presence in integrated supply. CamBar' strength in the industrial MRO market is well-known, and integrated supply accounts for approximately one-third of its total revenues and is its fastest-growing market segment.

Hagemeyer's acquisition of WF Electrical PLC was equally big news across the Atlantic. WF is the fifth largest electrical distributor in the United Kingdom, according to the Financial Times of London. The company, which is in the power, industrial, commercial and installation markets and feeds 110 locations through its distribution center in Dagenham, Essex, is particularly strong in London and southeastern England.

Renwick retires from All-Phase: Six years after traveling north to Michigan from his beloved Texas to take the helm at All-Phase Electric Supply Co., Ken Renwick has retired from his post as the company's president and CEO, effective June 1.

In a letter to All-Phase employees, Renwick said he has planned for some time to retire from All-Phase after guiding the company through the transition phase of its September 1999 acquisition by Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc., Westlake Village, Calif.

Renwick came to All-Phase Electric Supply in 1994 after a 29-year career with Summers Electric Co., Dallas, that was capped by a 14-year stint as company president. At the time, industry insiders had expected the next president of All-Phase to be Richard or Steve Kinney, sons of founder Ron Kinney. However, the company went outside the family to hire a leader with the additional seasoning that it felt would be necessary to guide the company to the next level.