Ricki and Vanessa loving lunch at the new Wegmans down the street from our HQ! Family owned and wouldn’t you know they use a fantastic independent electric distributor for their lighting needs. Shout out to Horizon Solutions based in Rochester, NY!
25th May 2012
Double cake at AD’s HQ!!! Happy Birthday to the lovely Susan and Marlene!
Can’t wait for #NAM2012!
The view from AD’s HQ
First day of spring = Rita’s water ice!
Don’t Get Overwhelmed with Social Media
Jason Falls, author and social media expert from Louisville, Kentucky shares examples of strategies business owners can use to achieve their social media goals.
“In order to understand what you want to accomplish with social media, you first have to understand what’s possible,” Falls says. He encourages entrepreneurs to first identify one or more of these seven business goals for social media before even getting started:
1: Enhancing Brand Awareness
2: Protecting Your Reputation
3: Enhancing Your Public Relations
4: Extending Your Customer Service
5: Building a Community of Advocates
6: Facilitating Research and Development
7: Driving Sales and Leads
“It’s not always about dollars. I think that’s something people get caught up on when they start using social media,” Falls says. “They’re like, ‘Okay, I’ve got a Facebook page, a Twitter account and a blog, so where’s the money?’ Well, you’ve got to figure out what you want to use social media for strategically and approach it like you would any other business [initiative].”
To learn more about social media from Falls check out www.socialmediaexplorer.com.
Notes: 2
As we celebrate the birthday of our first President, let’s take a moment to remember the man who dedicated his life for the fight of independence.
“Nothing short of independence, it appears to me, can possibly do.”
-George Washington, Letter to John Banister, 1778
In groundbreaking news… We are happy to announce the first installation of a Renewegy wind turbine at one of our affiliate locations - Werner Electric Supply in Wisconsin.
Congratulations to Renewegy and Werner Electric! Teaming up to win!
Click here to watch a Renewegy wind turbine being installed at 15X speed.
If you would like a wind turbine installed at your location, or to learn more about AD’s Clean Energy program, contact Christian Siebens, Director of Clean Energy at csiebens@adhq.com or 610.977.3144.
AD’s Commitment to Independents Results in Near Record Growth for 2011
“In spite of tremendous market uncertainty and stiff competition, our independent Distributors and Suppliers battled back from the depths of the Great Recession to sales levels that now exceed their peak in 2008.” – Bill Weisberg, Chairman and CEO of Affiliated Distributors
Sales for all AD Divisions were up 16% in 2011.
AD Divisions continued to outperform national chains, their markets and take share.
Doing their part for the economy, in 2011 alone, AD Affiliates:
- hired 2,250 new people,
- made 39 acquisitions and
- opened 99 new branches.
AD Affiliates approved the addition of 38 new Clean Energy Suppliers to the AD Preferred Supplier list.
To download Affiliated Distributors’ 2011 Year End Result Highlights Click Here: http://bit.ly/yuwDSQ
Manufacturing.Net Features Market Leader: Shively Bros.
Here is an excerpt from the article featuring this exceptional market leader:
Despite flying below the radar for many years, Shively Bros. has lately become a company to watch. As many of their competitors were scaling back, Flint-based Shively was propelling forward—even cracking the Industrial Distribution Big 50 List for the very first time in 2011.
Based on its name, you can easily assume that Shively Bros. is a family company. But what wouldn’t be so easy to determine, once you entered their Flint, MI-based headquarters, is who among this group is actually related.
They all seem like family and, in essence, the entire staff is a Shively brother or sister, considering the company formally went ESOP in 1988. The ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) means each associate is empowered to make this 65-year-old company the best it can be… and it shows.
“We’ve always tried to maintain a low profile,” says Shively. “That served us well for a lot of years, but as we’ve grown and we’re now looking at other larger customers, we found it important, in order to be taken seriously.”
In addition, Shively Bros.—a founding member of the Affiliated Distributors Industrial Division (an organization who’s mission is to help independent distributors compete with national chains)—has been the recipient of three of the organization’s awards in the past four years. This past October, the company was named an AD “Affiliate of the Year” for the second time.
Watch Shively Bros. receive AD’s 2011 Industrial Supply Affiliate of the Year: http://bit.ly/yYn27F
To read the entire piece click here: http://bit.ly/xPgOJr
Congratulations to Shively Bros.!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAYMOND A. HOPKINS III!
What would life be like at AD without Ray? It is hard to imagine. This hard working fellow has been plugging away in Divisional Operations since 2004. On Friday, the AD staff celebrated Ray’s special day.
Since the majority of the AD team is taking part in an office “Biggest Loser” competition, our ever thoughtful, Angela Serensky, equiped the party with some lo cal yumness. The star of the yum train was Turkey Hill Light Ice cream. Turkey Hill is a local and independent company. So check them out!
One of the things we love about Ray is his big heart. Ray is at the forefront of our Giving Back programs at AD. He sets the tone every year by using his Community Time Off (CTO) to rebuild homes for people in need through the Appalachia Service Project.
Read more about Ray’s adventures Giving Back here: http://bit.ly/oen7xi
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAY!! We are grateful for everything you do.
Do you have any great memories from working with Ray? Please share them in the comments below. Let’s celebrate this humble guy!
Gorgeous!
Come by our showroom to check out our new Wac Lighting display! Some of these custom-made glass shades on the pendants look absolutely stunning.
Store hours:
M - F • 9am - 5pm
Sat • 9am - 3pm
Sun • closed
Reblogged From active-elec
Welcoming Jeffrey Beall (President, PHCP Divisions) and Kristen Furchak (Executive Assistant, Electrical Divisions) to the AD team with a 12 bagel salute.
Affiliated Distributors Invests in Divisions with New Hires and Promotions
This week, Affiliated Distributors (AD) announces the establishment of fully empowered, fully resourced strategic business units for each AD Division; Electrical, PHCP, Drywall and Industrial.
“The strategic business unit structure provides for increased Divisional autonomy, which accelerates growth, while keeping our costs-to-serve low by sharing our best-in-class back office. Each strategic business unit now has a Divisional President and a dedicated team of executives and staff members that serve and take direction from our distributor members and our suppliers through representative Boards and Councils,” says Bill Weisberg, AD’s Chairman and CEO.
Electrical Divisions Promotions:
David Oldfather promoted to President of the Electrical Divisions.
Laura Dendyuk promoted to Senior Executive Assistant & Marketing Coordinator.
Pam Erickson, Vice President of Marketing, Electrical Divisions, will now focus solely on Electrical Division Marketing.
PHCP Divisions New Hire:
Jeffrey S. Beall joins the company as the President of the PHCP Divisions.
According to Bill Weisberg, “Jeffrey Beall comes to AD with strong distribution skills and positive relations with a number of our key suppliers. He embraces the AD model with conviction. I am confident that Jeffrey will be a strong addition to the solid team of executives we are blessed to have within PHCP.”
Industrial Supply Division Promotions and New Position:
Jack Templin promoted to President of the Industrial Supply Division.
Stephanie Leister promoted to Senior Executive Assistant & Marketing Coordinator.
The Industrial Supply Division (ISD) is also creating, and actively seeking to fill a new position, Director Affiliate Relations, ISD.
AMAROK/Drywall Division Promotions:
Dan Maroni promoted to President of the AMAROK Division.
Mary Stamm promoted to AMAROK Services Coordinator.
Click here to scroll through all of the AD News.
Affiliated Distributors’ associates decorate our “Giving Back Tree” with warm clothes and toys to be donated to Cradles to Crayons, a local organization helping kids in need.
Click here to watch AD’s holiday VIDEO message!
P.S. Even Oprah agrees that Cradles to Crayons is a great way to make a big impact on a tight budget.
