Sun Prairie, Wisconsin — City Electric Supply is thrilled to announce the opening of its newest location in Sun Prairie. After a year-long search, the team was able to find the perfect location in one of the fastest-growing cities in Wisconsin.
“At the end of 2018, I found out I was going to be Branch Manager,” Branch Manager Joe Gaudet said. “But we take finding the right location very seriously, so it wasn’t until the beginning of 2020 that we were getting ready to renovate the branch.”
And just a few months into the renovation project, COVID-19 hit, bringing everything to a halt.
“Add in the pandemic and doing a complete renovation, and it took a little longer than we would have liked to get here, but we made it,” Gaudet said. “CES Sun Prairie takes up 8,000 square feet of a 40,000-square-foot building, so we had to tear a lot of stuff out, put walls up — it was a full build-out.”
But it was all worth it as the new branch is located in a city that is projected to gain 10,000 more residents in the next year or two on top of its current population of over 30,000 people. And the population increase is sure to be accompanied by an increase in residential and commercial development jobs for the new CES branch.
“Sun Prairie is making a huge push to bring in more people — and it’s working. People from all over the country are moving to work and live here. It’s not expensive compared to other big cities; there’s a lot of outdoor activities here, and we have a lot of major employers, like Epic Systems, which is a massive healthcare software company.”
And the team couldn’t be more prepared for this opportunity. And what makes contractors in the area excited to do business with the new branch, according to Gaudet, is exactly what makes City Electric Supply unique – the personal service that is provided to each customer.
“We’re a team of 4 people — compared to other stores that might have 20 or more. That’s a huge strength for us. When customers call, they know exactly who they’re going to talk to. We build relationships with these guys, and we can do it the best way that works for us,” said Gaudet. “We’re competitive. We want to do the best we can to make our customers happy, and City Electric Supply gives us that opportunity to cater our services to each customer.”
The team is already making a splash in town, according to Gaudet – who’s grown up in the area – just as they’re putting the finishing touches on their inventory, stocking building, and piping wire, cans, and pretty much anything that might go into a multi-family, residential, or commercial development.
“We’re gaining a lot of respect from bigger customers who haven’t used us in the past. They’re thinking we must be doing something right to be growing the way we are,” he said.
And as for contractors who already work with City Electric Supply, they’re excited to have a CES branch in the area.
“We’ve already had a ton of current customers ask if we’re open because they’re getting a lot of business in this area,” he said. “It’s just going to make it a lot easier on our contractors who work or live here. They don’t have to make the drive down to Madison and deal with traffic — they can get what they need right here from us.”
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