DALLAS, Texas — City Electric Supply (CES) is proud to announce the opening of its 39th store in Texas and the first in Hutto. The new location, near the intersection of Texas Loop 130 and US79, is excited to serve every market in Williamson County, including Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Tyler, and all of Hutto.
“We’re very aware that we are in the heart of a growing area,” Branch Manager Arthur “Buzz” Carruth said. “Right off the edge of the Texas Hill Country, Hutto is a great place to live, work, and play. As for the branch, we’re in a huge under-served electrical construction market, both residential and commercial.”
The growth Carruth is talking about is the spike in population that’s struck the city of Hutto since the year 2000. The town grew from 1,000 residents to 26,000 in just 20 years. This produced a lot of development in the area. Today, the Round Rock and Williamson County area is one of the top 10 fastest-growing markets in the United States, according to Carruth.
“We are surrounded by sprawling new subdivisions still under construction,” he said. “There’s about 200 homes being built. Within a 10-mile radius of our store, there are almost a dozen construction cranes at commercial building sites. As for customers, we’re focusing on the high-end residential contractor, the commercial finish-out contractor, facility managers, and especially low voltage data/com system integrators given how much growth we’re seeing right now in the tech industry.”
The branch, which is supposed to be wrapped up in 90 days, took nearly six months from start to completion due to the pandemic.
“This was a huge learning process for me. I’m an electrical sales guy, not a project manager, so having the chance to learn something new during this process has made me appreciate it that much more. We had to set up the new warehouse, assemble the pallet rack and shelving, and place stock orders,” he said. “After all those long hours and days, it feels great to finally move from construction to distribution.”
And on the very first day the branch opened its doors to customers, they came across one individual who reminded them what truly makes CES unique. Right as Carruth was ready to turn off the lights to close, he received a call from a prospective customer asking if they were open because all other distributors were closed.
“I told him to come on over! When he made it, he needed some EMT couplings, connectors, a small disconnect, and a few sticks of ¾-inch EMT,” said Carruth. “It wasn’t a huge order. But that’s why we’re so unique in this industry. We will stay longer, do more, and assist the contractor when the other guys won’t. I really believe in the CES axiom: Supply what you want, where you want it, when you need it, and at the right price.”
Carruth’s team has over 10 years of experience. And while he’s new to CES, he’s been in electrical distribution his entire career.
“Electrical distribution is literally all I know,” Carruth said. “I’ve been honored to work with some great companies, such as Leviton Integrated Networks/Controls, Schneider/Square D Lighting Control Division, and United Lighting Standards. Most of my career was serving as a Regional Sales Manager for manufacturers of lighting and lighting control systems.”
According to District Manager Mehs Ess, two of the greatest strengths of CES Hutto are going to be the location and the experienced team.
“Hutto is one of the fastest-growing construction areas in the Austin market, so expanding our network to more local contractors is going to help us become their preferred supplier. When you add everything up — the experience of the staff, the great location, and us being one of the first electrical distributors to set up shop in the area — we should have nothing but success.”
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