You know you’re officially old when you say phrases like “the end of an era” …casting aside all pride, I’m saying it.
A few years ago one of our chapter members bought another member- Colonial Electric Supply bought Atlantic Electric Supply. This is not unusual in the electrical distribution landscape, but it meant something to me personally because I started my electrical career at Atlantic Electric more than 35 years ago.
In fact, the reason I know anything about IEC Chesapeake at all is because I encouraged Atlantic to join IECC so that I could network with contractors we worked with (some of whom were members) and meet new contractors. We also liked the idea of giving back directly to the industry that supported ours- without electricians and builders we didn’t exist.
The Atlantic Electric Supply building sits at 3726 10th St. NE in Washington, D.C. At the end of this year, it will shudder to become something else and, after 100 years, change the face of 10th Street forever.
I’ll never go back down to see it. I want to remember the old brick building just the way it was. When I was a twenty something salesperson parking along Turkey Thicket Park, across from the old row homes near Atlantic, I enjoyed my short morning and afternoon walks to the building. It was a sweet old neighborhood.
There was nothing new or flashy about Atlantic. It was unapologetically what it was. I was a lighting specifier at Atlantic and became the head of Builder Lighting, the first woman ever hired into sales there – soon to be followed by the inimitable Stephanie Sumner, the second woman hired, who went on to build and run their Commercial Lighting Division.
We knew what we were. We were niche sector players. Some companies thought this was funny; they were mistaken.
There’s a real value in knowing exactly who and what you are. Knowing this both guides your actions and gives you the strength and confidence to play your game to the best of your abilities- that’s what we did. While larger distributors went after large mass production builders I hung back and targeted several choice builders in Maryland and Virginia and a half dozen custom home builders. I was able to give boutique attention to my clients, worked on the road and out of client’s job trailers, and occasionally from our small showroom and lighting lab in Washington.
Atlantic allowed me to work remote long before remote was even a Thing; because we were small, we could be nimble. I was there nearly 25 years. They retained my two largest clients for years after I moved on to other industry facets, such was their care of their accounts and reps- some of whom I still count as good friends and contacts. We had a clean reputation. We made good money.
The way we used to sell lighting- and I mean how all distributors sold lighting-is a dying art. That’s not to say “it’s bad”; it’s to say “it’s sad”. I’m sorry to see so many lighting lines being merged or absorbed and often ending up in the hands of companies that are far removed from lighting itself.
I know, I know. I’ve turned into a lighting grandma. I’m waxing nostalgic. I am a bit nostalgic for the days of vibrant color catalogs and visits to lighting manufacturers to see new finishes and beautiful glass. The days of rolling out project blueprints, marking them up, meeting with design teams…
…and I realize there are still some beautiful showrooms out there and lighting professionals delivering a solid experience, but there’s something to be said for the days before doing it on Teams and JPG images.
I miss my Atlantic Electric days -from the old brick building and 1950’s linoleum floors to my days spent in job site trailers with some of the smartest and nicest builders and project managers on the planet. I miss onion skins laid over blueprints, lighting rep meetings and negotiations, Atlantic cookouts behind the building, and our annual meetings where our teams were recognized and applauded.
Family owned and family run for 100 years…it’s like will not be seen again.
Lovingly,
Jenny Boone, IEC Chesapeake
