USESI To Expand Southeast Presence With Purchases Of Danlar Lighting And Lade

Expanding its presence in the Southeast, US Electrical Services LLC (USESI) plans to acquire Danlar Lighting and Distribution (Danlar) and Lade Electric Supply Inc. (Lade). Both transactions are expected to close in January 2007, after which the two would operate as one company.

Located just outside Atlanta, Danlar supplies a range of materials to contractors, home builders, and electricians in the greater Atlanta area. The company, which has 20 employees and approximately $20 million in sales, was founded nine years ago by owners Danny and Sonya Cook and has become one of the fastest growing distributors in the Georgia market.

“Danlar is an outstanding, growing business that focuses on contractors and residential builders. Under Dan Cook’s leadership, the company will continue to expand aggressively. We are excited to have Dan, Sonya and the entire Danlar team join USESI,” said Ellis Thompson, president of USESI’s Southeast region.

With two locations and more than 60,000 square feet of warehousing, Lade Electric Supply has been serving the greater Atlanta market for 30-plus years. The company recently expanded its warehousing capacity to accommodate its growing stock sales business and has opened a new branch in Suwanee, Ga. Lade Electric, which has 25 employees and $30 million in sales, was purchased five years ago by owners Wade Townsley and Mitch Tenney. They have created a company with a reputation for solid operations and execution, particularly in stock sales and lighting project management, USESI said.

Lade and Danlar will operate as one company. The initial focus of the company will be on metro Atlanta, but they may expand into other parts of the state, said USESI’s Thompson.

“Lade and Danlar are a great first step in establishing USESI in the Southeast USA,” said Richard Worthy, president and CEO of USESI. “This market is important to our business and I am confident that Wade, Danny and Mitch will increase their footprint via new branch openings throughout Georgia while, at the same time, Ellis expands USESI throughout the Southeastern region. Lade plus Danlar, together with the proven capabilities of Ellis Thompson, is a very strong team to lead our growth in this market. We are extremely pleased at our good fortune.”