SURREY, B.C. – Tim Horsman, President and CEO of E.B. Horsman & Son, an independently owned full-line electrical distributor in Western Canada, announced that the company will relocate to a new and expanded location in Victoria, British Columbia.
The distributor announced it will develop a new larger and strategically located long-term branch location to better serve it’s growing customer base of Electrical Contractors, OEMs, Systems Integrators, Industrial End Users, and Institutional Buyers.
Located at 472-476 Dupplin Road, the expanded Victoria branch will be home to the Victoria branch sales team as well as technical specialists and divisional reps in Automation & Controls, Process Instrumentation, Lighting, Data Communications, Large Projects, and Power Distribution Divisions.
The company’s current Victoria location at 816 Cloverdale Avenue is currently a full line electrical wholesale location and will remain open until the construction of the new branch is complete.
“We’re thrilled to have secured the site of our new Victoria location,” comments Horsman. “This exciting move will reinforce our long-term commitment to Victoria – one of the best places in the world to live and work – and the rest of Vancouver Island, a region known for its diversity and commitment to supporting well run local businesses.”
Horsman continues: “Our Victoria business has grown to the point where we need a new, more operationally efficient location in Victoria to demonstrate our long term commitment to our customers. A better Victoria facility will allow us to combine our diverse electrical products with advanced warehousing technology and expanded customer service offering.”
Site features will include a +/- 26-foot clear-height ceiling, open concept counter service area, dock and grade-level loading areas, and approximately 20 parking spots equipped with electric-vehicle chargers. The new Victoria branch will be located near transit and highly walkable areas, as well as the Galloping Goose riding trail.
“The opening of our expanded Victoria location will serve as a reentry to a market that was once one of our largest locations. We are excited that our local investment will be able to illustrate our dedication to operational excellence, reinforce the E.B. Horsman & Son brand, and enable us to serve customers in better ways than our competition can,” says Tyson Carvell, Vice-President of Marketing for E.B. Horsman & Son. “Many of our customers are electrical contractors and integrators that appreciate the customer service, responsiveness and flexibility that an independently owned business like ours can provide. Today we are the largest (most locations, most people) distributor on Vancouver Island, and we appreciate the support our customers are giving us. We strive to repay this loyalty by having the right products and people in place when customers need them.”
Carvell adds: “Thanks to +/-26-foot-ceiling height, the expanded Victoria location will allow us to stock more products that reflect customer requirements and preferences and enable customers to avoid facing uncertain delivery times like they do with off-island distributors. Furthermore, expanded counter service, inside sales, technical specialists and project champions will enable contractors have an exceptional service experience. Suppliers will also benefit from our larger location, expanding their product mix and sales reach in the dynamic Victoria marketplace.”
Like the company’s distribution center in Surrey and other branches across Western Canada, the expanded Victoria location will deploy LED lighting and paperless warehousing technology, along with totes and crates that minimize plastic-packaging needs. The new branch will be built in accordance with local, provincial and national green-building guidelines and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards.
“Our new Victoria location will allow more local electricians, engineers, planners, purchasers, maintenance and operations specialists, and industrial end-users – among others – to quickly and easily access our products and services,” says Dan Bennett, South Island District Manager for E.B. Horsman & Son. “It will also enable more institutional and industrial buyers to access our suppliers’ offerings locally. The new Victoria branch will provide more purchasing opportunities for integrators operating in such technologically intensive disciplines as energy management, datacom, AV, and security.”
When necessary, the expanded Victoria location will provide same-day delivery to the company’s other Vancouver Island branches.
E.B. Horsman & Son (EBH) returned to the Victoria market in 2013 by acquiring Albrite Lighting. Albrite continues to operate as a lighting brand of EBH that focuses on providing lighting products and services to such markets as Retail, Hospitality, Property Management and Eldercare. EBH and the Albrite lighting team will continue to share space in the new location.
Horsman concludes: “E.B. Horsman & Son has a longstanding history and love of Vancouver Island. The south island is a vibrant and growing region in which we are committed to being “The Electrical Distributor of Choice!”