Canadian Electrical Wholesaler is published by Kerrwil Publications Limited with support from the EFC
Volume 3 • Issue 6

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's

In this issue Rick McCarten continues comparing contemporary leadership skills to military milestones in the history of humanity. What to render unto Caesar in this context is his knowledge of the competition and not, as believed at the time, his luck. The take-away: knowing your competition can help you adapt to change and become the artisan of your own luck, regardless of how big or small your company is. In this issue, you will also learn more about emerging markets, best practices in distribution, the state of our economy, and a leader who does not run after his luck but you could certainly say creates it. One can also describe him as a visionary. Good reading!

Line Goyette, Managing Editor
linegoyette@kerrwil.com  

CHANGING SCENE

Best Managed See Which Electrical and Lighting Firms Are Among Canada's Best Managed Companies
A number of firms from Canada's electrical and lighting industries have made the list — again. Check out who's on it…
Cs Ad 2015 AD Member Sales Up 2% to Record Breaking US$32 Billion
AD, the US$32 billion contractor and industrial products wholesale buying/marketing group, reports that sales for all AD members, across all seven divisions and three countries, grew by 2% in 2015…
Cs Abb ABB Electrification Products / Thomas & Betts Canada Executives Assume Greater Responsibilities
David Tracey, Vice President Sales — Thomas & Betts Industrial Products, and André Boudreau, Vice President Sales — Thomas & Betts Commercial, Retail and Emergency Lighting Products, have assumed additional responsibilities…

Opinion

Agility: Knowing Your Competition

By Rick McCarten
Rick McCarten It is interesting how we measure people's ability. Today, we look at leaders' education, their IQ, their creativity and their ability to make positive change. This is all based on solid facts, either accredited or publicly proven. Success comes from hard work, determination and innovation. In Ancient Rome, one of the best qualities a person could be perceived to have was not education or IQ, but simply luck. However, it wasn't luck that decided the outcome of Julius Caesar's confrontation with Pompey the Great. Read More

Smart Lighting

Selling Lighting or Selling Data?

By David Gordon
David Gordon Recently we touched on how the emergence of connected lighting is opening new opportunities for manufacturers and distributors that could explode into an array of services as the "connected" environment generates an ecosystem. Our posting generated a conversation with Chris Cloutier from D+R International. D+R works with governments, businesses, trade groups, and efficiency program sponsors to move residential and commercial consumers toward greater energy efficiency. He shared the following thoughts… Read More

Peers & Profiles

Running Man: Stelpro's Yves Chabot

By Line Goyette
Yves Chabot You will read in this profile musings from a corporate leader on managing, sharing success with your team, balancing professional life and personal life, and more. You'll have read each of them before, but collectively they give meaning to what Yves Chabot, President and CEO of Stelpro, has accomplished. Chabot makes it all sound so effortless, but he's a true original. He runs every day regardless of the weather — a useful model for taking on life's challenges. Read More

Marketing

Customers = Profitability… Right?

By Danah Head
Danah Head Have you ever held a customer appreciation sale? You know the one where you put up flags in your parking lot, send out massive emails to your entire customer base, maybe invest in a mailer, give out hot dogs, and hopefully sell off some dead stock? These are great opportunities to let your customers know just how much they mean to you. Also I am an advocate for free hot dogs any time, any day. But do you feel you got the most out of your customers? Have you ever truly calculated what your customer is costing you? Read More

Economy

Value of Building Permits Falls 9.8% in January

Total Value of Permits Municipalities issued building permits worth $6.4 billion in January, a decline of 9.8% from the previous month. This decline, which followed a 7.7% increase in December, was largely due to lower construction intentions for multi-family dwellings in British Columbia and Ontario and, to a lesser extent, institutional buildings in Quebec and Alberta. The value of residential building permits fell 12.5%; non-residential building permits, 4.8%. Read More

Economy

GDP Rises 0.2% in December

Economy Real gross domestic product grew 0.2% in December, after rising 0.3% in November. Manufacturing and wholesale trade increased, while retail trade, mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction as well as utilities posted notable declines. The output of service-producing industries rose 0.3%, mainly as a result of increases in wholesale trade, the finance and insurance sector and the public sector (education, health and public administration combined). In contrast, retail trade declined notably... Read More

Economy

December 2015 Demand for Power Declines 6.8% YOY

Electricity Generation and Consumption Canada's demand for electricity totalled 49.5 million megawatt hours (MWh) in December, down 6.8% from the same month in 2014. Unseasonably warm weather in most of the country contributed to the decline in demand. The lower demand pushed generation down 6.5% to 53.9 million MWh, the lowest level for a month of December since 2003. Exports of electricity to the United States also declined year over year in December, falling 3.1% to 5.2 million MWh. This was the first year-over-year decrease in exports of electricity since October 2014. Read More

Canadian Electrical Wholesaler is published by Kerrwil Publications Limited with support from the EFC
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