LAKE OCONEE, Ga. — Electrical wholesale distributor City Electric Supply (CES) officially opened the doors to a Lake Oconee store in Eatonton, Georgia to help with construction developments—which includes hundreds of new houses. CES Lake Oconee is 45 minutes away from any Atlanta metro area or suburb, and CES realized the need for a distributor.
“As soon as we put up the ‘Coming Soon’ sign, members of the community were saying, ‘Wow, we’re so glad you guys are here!’” said Branch Manager Mike Geohagan. “There are a bunch of contractors here, and they drive by us on the busy road, and now that we are open, they are coming in.”
Pre-Construction Coordinator of Landmark Construction & Development Carl Brown can’t wait to continue his relationship with the CES team members. Landmark Construction is a full-service general commercial contractor, and they self-perform the majority of their work.
“We purchase our own gear in-house, and we enjoy doing business with CES, especially Steve and Mike,” said Brown. “With the Lake Oconee location now open, being able to just run up the street and grab some specialty items we need—it’s indescribable how much of a difference it makes.”
“It’s exciting to finally be open in Lake Country. The reception we’ve received since coming to town has been fantastic. People keep coming into the store saying, ‘We’re so excited to finally have a distributor in the area,’” said District Manager Steve Frost.
Brown explained further, “We’ve had a relationship with Steve for over a year now, and he makes everything easy for us. Steve, Mike, and the rest of the CES team are so reliable. We wouldn’t give our business to anyone else.”
After spending close to two years searching the area for the perfect location to open a store, CES signed a lease on a building in October. The team spent six months getting the buildout completed on the 6,600-square-foot facility with help from Landmark Construction.
“Landmark Construction is a developer and contractor in the area. We’ve been doing business together for a little over a year, and the relationship has grown into a friendship,” said Frost.
After a year-long process to find a location and spending six months to complete the renovations, CES Lake Oconee is officially open for business.
“This Lake Oconee is a centralized location to some of our other CES locations, including two Augusta locations, Athens, Macon, Loganville, and Covington GA. The growth around Lake Oconee is tremendous,” said Senior Regional Manager R.T. Smith. “We are fortunate to have a great location and great staff. We are excited to have everything open and moving.”
Before this, Geohagan held the title of branch manager at the Loganville location. While he fulfilled his obligations at CES Loganville, Geohagan was transitioning to the Lake Oconee store. This location is closer to his home and gives him the opportunity to build a branch from the beginning.
The rest of the Lake Oconee team includes Operation Manager Jim Whitton, who has been with the company since 2004, spending 10 years as an operations manager. A seasoned professional, Whitton has more than 25 years of experience in distribution.
“CES has been looking in the Lake Oconee area for places to open a location before the pandemic. To finally be celebrating the opening of this store feels fantastic, and we look forward to seeing all the things CES Lake Oconee will accomplish here,” said Regional Manager Buddy Blanton.
Tagged with CES, City Electric Supply