Roden Electrical revs up Allen-Bradley/Rockwell business in Alabama auto market

In a major expansion of its industrial automation offering in Alabama, Roden Electrical Supply Co. Inc., Knoxville, Tenn., has been awarded the Area of Primary Responsibility (APR) for the Rockwell Automation and Allen-Bradley product lines in the Montgomery, Ala., territory. Roden has opened a branch in Montgomery.

The company will also sell Allen-Bradley products in Tuscaloosa, Ala., through an acquisition. Roden Electrical Supply acquired Tuscaloosa Electric Supply, which already had the Allen-Bradley APR for that region. Tuscaloosa Electric is operating as Roden Electrical Supply at the Tuscaloosa location.

Tuscaloosa's current CEO and principal owner Ed Minges will continue with Roden as a special consultant responsible for strategic customer retention and growth. Gary Anderson, current general manager and partial owner, will also be retained to assist with integration initiatives.

Roden already has the Allen-Bradley/Rockwell Automation APRs in Alabama at its Birmingham and Huntsville locations, as well as at its branches in Dalton, Ga.; and Chattanooga, Cleveland, and Knoxville, Tenn. Roden Electrical Supply's four Alabama branches (counting Tuscaloosa) will supply several key automotive plants: Honda (Odyssey and Pilot models) in Lincoln, Ala.; Hyundai (Sonata and Santa Fe models) in Montgomery; and Mercedes Benz (M class model) in Tuscaloosa.

Roden Electrical Supply is the nation's 96th largest electrical distributor, according to EW's 2005 Top 200 listing. The company, which had 2004 sales of $61.5 million, has 11 locations in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.