A new distributor serving the electric and utility markets has opened its doors in the Atlanta metro. Hicks Electric & Utility Supply Co. (HESCO) is now open for business at 6915 Northeast Expressway, Doraville, Ga. HESCO serves electrical and utility contractors, as well as industrial and commercial accounts in Georgia and throughout the Southeast.
The opening of HESCO marks the return to the electrical market of the David Hicks family, remembered by many contractors as the founders of DH Supply Co. DH Supply was sold to French-owned Rexel in 2006. Several other electrical distributors have started up new distribution businesses after selling the family business to Rexel, including Steve and Mike Blazer of Blazer Electric Supply, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Scott Schieffer of Hill Country Electric Supply, Austin, Texas; and Al and Gary Russello of Granite Electrical Supply Inc., Sacramento, Calif. The Russellos sold their company, Pacific Electric Supply, to Rexel in 1997. In 2003 they started up Granite Electrical Supply with Jim Flynn and Bob Powers.
In a press release announcing the opening of his new location, David Hicks Jr., the company’s president, said, “There is a void in the marketplace today of locally owned, independent distributors. We see a competitive advantage in our ability to be responsive to customers’ needs and make decisions on the spot. This is a business that comes down to people and relationships, and we feel that we can fill that niche and give contractors another choice and the kind of service they are looking for.”
Located at the intersection of I-85 and I-285 on the old DH Supply property, the new HESCO facility features a 60,000-square-foot warehouse, and a retail counter. “We returned to this location because it’s convenient for our customers, and allows us to service the entire metro area effectively,” said Hicks. “The large warehouse also provides the opportunity for us to stage and store materials for our customers’ larger jobs.”