News & Events

February, 2021

Recharging Electrical Distribution at NEMRA21

The National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA) a not-for-profit, electrical industry association comprised of independent sales representatives and manufacturers held its 21st Annual Conference in February. The NEMRA Conference looked very different this year because of COVID. However, while there wasn’t a big hotel with lots of conference rooms and in-person meetings, the show did go on with the NEMRA 21 Recharge Virtual Conference, February 2 - 5, 2021. Along with the usual one-on-one meetings, manufacturers held virtual large group meetings to inform everyone about the current market, the industry and manufacturing developments. This year, playing off of NEMRA’s 2021 theme, CANTEX presented a virtual conference entitled Recharged to over 70 sales agents on February 3rd. The CANTEX presentation focused on opportunities for growth surrounding electrical distribution amidst the challenges of a worldwide pandemic. During the presentation CANTEX Vice President of Sales and Marketing Dave Milius discussed key factors that led to an incredibly “Recharged” year for sales of CANTEX products in 2020 despite the challenging times facing many businesses. Milius attributed large percentage increases in sales for CANTEX PVC ... Read Full Post

February, 2021

Why Quality Product Information is Important to Electrical Distribution

One fact of life in this Information Age is that people want lots of good information about anything they are interested in purchasing at the click of a button. What is the first thing you do when you want to purchase anything? If you didn’t say “Google it” you definitely aren’t the norm in this century. Chances are, even if you’re planning to make your purchase in a brick and mortar facility, you will look for the product on the internet first. Consequently in 2021, there is no doubt that you will sell more products if you have the best product information with the best online access to that information. It doesn’t matter what you are selling. According to a recent article in Electrical Wholesaling, Electrical Distribution customers are more mobile than ever before because mobile devices make it easy to access product information.1 This mobility makes easily accessible high-quality product information more crucial to successful Electrical Distribution than ever before. According to manufacturing.net, a recent survey on online shopping activities indicated that consumers felt companies that provide detailed and ... Read Full Post

November, 2020

CANTEX PVC PIPE IN THE NEWS

In the September issue of TED Magazine Vice President of Sales and Marketing Dave Milius shared insights into the current PVC pipe market. TED Magazine Excerpt: Conduit Keeps Up An industry mainstay, the demand for conduit is on the rise as the need for bandwidth and data accelerates. By Kara Bowlin Conduit is a mighty mainstay of the electrical distributor’s catalog. Simple and straightforward, both steel and PVC conduit have become an important asset during the pandemic as reliance on Internet-enabled devices has skyrocketed. In fact, according to Dave Milius, vice president of sales and marketing at CANTEX (cantexinc.com), many of the markets served by the company are soaring. “Some of it is supporting infrastructure, including roadways and wastewater treatments plants,” he explained, adding that a lot of the company’s business today is also going to new data center construction. “The need for more bandwidth and more data continues to accelerate.” Milius also noted that the construction forecast for PVC piping and fittings shows a 10% increase over the next four to five years. “So it hasn’t slowed down; if anything, it’s accelerated for us,” he ... Read Full Post

November, 2020

Customer Care in the Time of COVID

There is no doubt that COVID has significantly affected the lives of most people in one way or another. Consequently, millions of people feel isolated and have experienced some hardship and loss during the course of the COVID outbreak. Since times of crisis make people more vulnerable, it is important to remember that excellent customer interaction is essential during this global pandemic. “Particularly in times of crisis, a customer’s interaction with a company can trigger an immediate and lingering effect on his or her sense of trust and loyalty. As millions are furloughed and retreat into isolation, a primary barometer of their customer experience will be how the businesses they frequent and depend upon deliver experiences and service that meet their new needs with empathy, care and concern.”1 While isolating and social distancing have created major challenges for connecting and maintaining business relationships or cultivating new ones, there are strategies that can help you show customers that you care. These simple steps can help you connect and build the trust crucial to sustaining and cultivating valued business relations. Since many people are ... Read Full Post

October, 2020

CANTEX Receives CSM Vendor of the Year Award

CANTEX recently accepted the Continental Sales & Marketing (CSM) Vendor of the Year Award for 2020 with great honor. Continental Sales & Marketing is one of the largest and most respected retail sales representatives in the nation. The award was presented to CANTEX for being an exemplary partner with CSM in key areas most valuable to CSM in their partnerships. Those key areas include the following: • Leadership – Setting the standard as the premier supplier for retailers in a given category of business. • Responsiveness – Ability to address issues or concerns or course correct to meet the needs of retail partners. • Alliance – True partnership in all aspects of daily business related to communications, strategic planning and execution with retail partners. “CANTEX has been a key partner for Continental Sales and Marketing for over 37 years. While they have always been a great partner, in 2020, they have taken extraordinary measures to meet the myriad of challenges arising from the global pandemic. They have continued to provide unparalleled service and quality PVC electrical products in a time when many suppliers have been unable to meet ... Read Full Post

July, 2020

Turning to Digital Marketing for Help during the Pandemic

The shutdown of many sales channels such as live events, conferences, trade shows and most face-to-face business is creating a huge marketing challenge for many businesses amidst the pandemonium of this pandemic. Yet many businesses continue to do quite well. What is their secret and how can we tap into it in the world of Electrical Distribution? “In the coming months, businesses are going to become more reliant than ever on their digital strategy. Without wanting to sound too alarmist, in many cases it will be the deciding factor in whether they make it through the tough times ahead,” Forbes Magazine said in their recent article entitled Why Companies Turn To Digital Marketing To Survive COVID-19.1 With more people self-isolating and spending more time online than ever before, a strong internet presence is more important than ever. Keeping products like PVC electrical pipe and fittings in front of potential customers online can help you remain competitive during these difficult times. “Digital is likely to be the clear winner here, and companies – including ones that may not so much as had ... Read Full Post

July, 2020

Navigating Electrical Distribution through the Waves of a Pandemic

If you have ever driven a boat, you are well aware that it is a bit more challenging than driving a car. There are no landmarks or roads to follow, very few signs and many unseen dangers hidden underwater. Driving a boat definitely presents many unknowns. There are also additional challenges like the weather, the tide and even the waves when you are out at sea. Similarly, navigating a business through the drastic changes brought about by a global outbreak of disease like the pandemic create many unknown obstacles. These obstacles make it harder to navigate a path to success. However, just because it’s harder, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible or that it isn’t worth the ride! Just like driving a boat takes a little more navigating upfront with navigation equipment, knowing more about the downturns and upturns in your business market can help you to weather storms. Staying abreast of market trends during a crisis like a pandemic can help you keep your business afloat. For example, although business closures and social distancing have caused a downturn for many ... Read Full Post

March, 2020

CANTEX INC. COVID-19 Update

March 17, 2020 Dear Valued Customer, Given the current level of concern surrounding COVID-19, I want to take a moment to update you on our preparedness and reassure you about our stability of supply. You should know: We continue to service our customer base without disruption at this time. We are monitoring COVID-19 and its effects to determine if there are any potential impacts on supply. At this time, we believe our supply chains will not be disrupted. Nevertheless, we have taken a safety stock position on some materials to insure the best service possible for our customers. We have executed plans which will allow us to both protect our employees and ensure stability of supply. We are restricting face-to-face customer meetings that are not business critical, especially in regions hit hard by COVID-19, and we will expand or reduce those restriction based on CDC guidelines. Be assured that we remain committed to our employees and customers. There is the potential for communication to ... Read Full Post

March, 2020

Dave Milius Appointed to NEMRA Manufacturing Group Executive Committee

Dave Milius, the new CANTEX Vice President of Sales and Marketing, was appointed to the NEMRA Manufacturing Executive Committee in February. Milius’ appointment to this industry powerhouse is an honor to both Milius and CANTEX. Excerpt from NEMRA News: Eight Respected Industry Leaders Will Advocate for the Independent Manufacturers’ Representative and the Manufacturer Affiliates February 24, 2020―The National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA) announced the appointment of four officers to its Board of Directors and four Executive Committee Members to the NEMRA Manufacturers Group (NMG). NEMRA is a powerful voice in the electrical industry and an advocate for the independent manufacturers’ representative and the manufacturer affiliates. The NMG is an allied group of manufacturers who go to market principally through the use of independent manufacturer’s representatives. Appointments to NEMRA’s Board of Directors include: Troy Jennings of John Moore & Associates in La Vergne, Tennessee; Gabe Schill of Locust Sales in Ardmore, Pennsylvania; Winn Wise of Southwire in Carrollton, Georgia and Bill Tucker of One Source in Columbia, Maryland. “I am pleased to welcome these newest members to our Board of Directors” said Jim Johnson, ... Read Full Post

March, 2020

Powering the Next Decade---NEMRA Conference Presentation

The past decade has seen extremely rapid transformation to all things electrical brought on by the innovation of digital space; you can see it everywhere you look. Our ever-present connectivity includes but is not limited to smartphones, consumer-driven social media, intelligent manufacturing, smart technology, smart homes, smart cities, smart grids, rampant online shopping, and data centers that are popping up in every city. According to the World Economic Forum, energy consumption will increase 30% by 2040 and the necessary transformation of the electrical grid will have an economic value of $3.3 trillion in the next decade alone.1 It is this constantly evolving digital age that inspired the theme for this year’s NEMRA Conference: “Powering a Smarter World”. Playing off of this timely theme, CANTEX presented “Powering the Next Decade,” to all of their agents at the Orlando conference at the beginning of February. The presentation focused largely on the opportunities for growth surrounding electrical distribution as technological advancements continue at an even faster pace in the next decade. CANTEX President Dave Merker spoke about how all the changes to the electrical ... Read Full Post

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