Michael Gordon Potter, 35
CEO
Gordon Electric Supply
Mike grew up in the industry working summers and school breaks in the warehouse at Gordon Electric Supply and has been at the company full time for nine years. “As a gap year before college, I worked for National Electric Supply in Albuquerque and spent about 24 months with them, including school breaks,” he recalled. “After college (2014) I spent a few years working in other industries to gain professional experience and a broader perspective of distribution. After two-and-a-half years in finance and data analytics (2017), I joined Gordon full-time to begin my career.
Mike spent the first six months at Gordon training through the warehouse, counter sales, project management, and ultimately account management where he spent nearly three years pursuing relationships with electrical contractors in the Chicago market.
“When COVID struck, it made sense for Gordon to move me into operations, where I started as the operations development manager with no direct reports,” he noted. “In 2021, I was promoted to the director of operations, and our three branches began reporting through me. In 2022, I was promoted to chief business officer, where the whole company was reporting through me, and I reported to the CEO. On April Fool’s Day 2024, I was promoted to CEO to lead the company.”
Mike noted that even though he grew up in the family business, there was no pressure or expectation for him to join. “What appealed early in my career and continues to be personally motivating is the nature of being in a big competitive industry, where the necessity to differentiate and adapt often leads to sustainable growth,” he said. “In an industry where everyone has identical products, winning loyalty from our customers continues to be a function of reliability and resourcefulness to meet their needs. Fundamentally though, I love how integral we are to the well-being of our community, even if most people don’t understand what we do.”
Asked about a hurdle the industry is currently facing, Mike said “Many distributors are afraid of consolidation and mass retirements, but the bigger problem is establishing a flywheel for good culture where good employees stay until retirement as they benefit from growth opportunities to develop their soft skills and technology skills. We foster a culture where employees grow through mastery of Gordon’s technology investments, where we routinely focus on our core values: reliability, teamwork, resourcefulness, and compassion. All four are human functions, which may become augmented by technology or AI, but in an industry where people are the biggest asset, we continue to structure an environment where employees can embody the culture and customers will choose us as their partner.”
Looking ahead, Michael’s next goal is enabling independent-thinking and quality decision-making from all Gordon leaders. “It is the next layer of soft skills needed in the company, and to get there, I am focused on psychological safety,” he explained. “The balance is hard, to both motivate initiative AND maintain accountability, similarly it’s hard to support innovation AND never fail. Everybody wins when the best ideas are surfaced and teams methodically execute in cohesion. The problem is that sometimes bad ideas get acted upon and good ideas are not always heard, and it all stems from psychological safety within the business culture to respectfully challenge assumptions. I believe that when everyone can see their impact, every team player will give their best.”
What would Mike tell someone new to the industry? “Have you ever seen a graph that shows how compounding works with your savings account?” he asked. “Life and success happen the same way: You must have the discipline to follow your plans despite life’s distractions. Normally growth happens ‘gradually, and then suddenly.’ There are so many opportunities for personal growth and leadership in this industry. I encourage people to stay patient and to work on their interpersonal skills (as technology replaces our busy work). Stay curious and be patient. If you feel stagnant, or get frustrated with your employer or your colleagues, don’t run, find the courage to resolve a new plan before making irreversible decisions. Secondly, keep your ego in check. People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. If you want to go fast go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. Prioritize your leadership and teambuilding skills.”
When he’s not working Mike loves travelling, trying new things, and experiencing other cultures and lifestyles. “Scuba and snow skiing are two of my favorite hobbies,” he noted. “I also enjoy being a member of Vistage where I can further develop as a CEO.”
___
Each year tED magazine recognizes 30 of the industry’s best and brightest under the age of 35. Please visit tEDmag.com/30Under35 for nomination information and updates about the 2026 program. Questions can be sent to tED Editor Misty Byers at mbyers@naed.org.
Tagged with 2025 30 Under 35, 30 under 35, Gordon Electric Supply, people