The Good Stuff, Vol. 168

Welcome to “The Good Stuff,” where we highlight positive news and ways that NAED employees and member companies go above and beyond to give back to their communities! If you have some “Good Stuff” that you would like to share with tED, find out how below.

In this issue of “The Good Stuff,” City Electric Supply (CES) Indian Trail donated nearly $15,000 in electrical supplies to help build a Charlotte, North Carolina-area home, supporting $2.7 million raised for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For nearly a decade, City Electric Supply (CES) Indian Trail has partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the Charlotte, North Carolina area to help raise money for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases by donating essential supplies for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway. The partnership began when one of District Manager Shawn Odom’s customers came to his branch to pick up some supplies. 

“When I was a branch manager at CES Waxhaw, a customer came through needing some material to do electrical installations on a new residential build,” said Odom. “They told us about the cause, and I immediately agreed to donate whatever was needed free of charge.”

For the team at St. Jude, partnerships with companies like CES make all the difference.

“St. Jude researches and treats cancer and other pediatric diseases,” said Amanda Bagwell, area development advisor of the St. Jude Carolinas team. “Partnering with organizations like CES allows us to help more children and ensure that no families are receiving a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so that they can focus on spending time with their child.”

When the baton was passed down from Odom to Connor Rains, branch manager of CES Indian Trail, to take the lead in donating essential materials, Rains was eager to continue the tradition.

“I started participating in 2021 when I was managing CES Waxhaw,” said Rains. “It was a continuation of what Shawn started, and I carried that tradition over to the new Indian Trail location.”  

For the 2026 Dream Home, CES Indian Trail donated approximately $15,000 in electrical materials to long-time customer Tayco Electric & Solar, which partnered with local construction company Four Oak Builders to install the home’s electrical components.

“Anything that’s needed to wire a house, we donated: panels, wire, boxes, receptacles, and other supplies,” said Rains.  

“CES Indian Trail also provided the switches, outlets, and cover plates,” added Tayco Electric & Solar Project Manager Pablo Cortez. “We were able to go directly to the branch for anything we needed, and when we needed extra materials, they had it available for us the same day.”

For Tayco Electric & Solar, contributing to this project was more than simply providing electrical services. It was an opportunity to make a difference.

“Being able to give back to children in need was super important to us,” said Tayco Electric & Solar Executive Assistant Makayla Thomas. 

This project was also an important milestone for Four Oaks Builders, as it was the company’s first home built for St. Jude.

“This was the first home we had built for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway,” said Andy Suttle, owner of Four Oaks Builders, “but we were already familiar with the project. My friend Jeff Newton, another builder in the area, has constructed 10 homes for St. Jude over the course of 10 years.”

For Newton, that involvement with St. Jude began years before — and ultimately became much more than a building project. Years ago, builder Jeff Newton worked on a St. Jude home construction project with Shawn Odom and Connor Rains during their time at CES Waxhaw. 

Newton loved the experience so much that he eventually sold his company to work for St. Jude full time, educating other builders across the country on how they can take part in building dream homes and searching for new areas where the charitable home-building project can grow.

“It feels really good to contribute to something that gets bigger and bigger every year, and the fact that this helps kids makes it even better,” said Odom.

Find more “Good Stuff” articles here on tEDmag.com.

tED wants to know about your “Good Stuff”. If you work with someone who is helping other people, or a group of co-workers who are creating better outcomes, we want to know about it.

Please send your “Good Stuff” to Marie at mjakle@naed.org and Nicky at nherron@naed.org. Send details, names, and photos if you have them.