Border States Electric Moves Into Kansas and Missouri with Western Extralite Purchase

Border States Electric (BSE), Fargo, N.D., has reached an agreement to purchase Western Extralite, Kansas City, Mo., which more than 250 employees and 19 locations in Kansas and Missouri. Western Extralite will join Border States on Oct. 1.

“Three years ago, we started a journey to transition Western Extralite to an employee-owned company,” said John Isenberg, Western Extralite’s V.P., government sales. “Joining forces with Border States accelerates this effort while ensuring our customers will continue to be served with excellence. Border States shares our values and mission and will ensure a bright future for both our customers and the employees of Western Extralite.”

Both John and Tom Isenberg will continue to work at Western Extralite. The name will change slightly to Western Extralite, a division of Border States. BSE also announced their South Central regional office will relocate from Lubbock, Texas, to Kansas City.

“I am excited that John and Tom Isenberg chose us as the succession plan for their very successful and well-respected family-owned business,” added Tammy Miller, BSE CEO. “For 75 years, Western Extralite has been adding value to everything they do — from their attention to detail to their focus on the customer needs which completely aligns with our service excellence culture. Western Extralite employees will become employee-owners. We welcome them to our employee-owned company and the Border States family.”

BSE supplies products and services to construction, industrial and utility customers. The 100% employee-owned Border States Electric is rated the eighth largest electrical distributor in the U.S. by Electrical Wholesaling magazine. BSE will have more than 1,900 employees and 82 branches in 16 states after Western Extralite joins BSE.

Border States’ growth of late has been primarily a steady flow of new branches and branch expansions. Its largest recent acquisitions before Western Extralite were Electrical Wholesale of Utah, Salt Lake City, with eight branches, and Utilicor Corp., a utility specialist with locations in Jackson and Nashville, Tenn., both of which joined Border States in 2013.

Its expansions include the construction of a 96,000-square-foot branch operation in its home city of Fargo, announced earlier this year. That branch serves customers in an 80-mile radius of Fargo, in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. In a second phase of the expansion plan, the company will expand its headquarters in Fargo in spring 2016.

BSE opened a new branch in Phoenix in June, and late last year moved and expanded its branch in Midland, Texas.