Electrical Wholesaling Authors and Contributors

Chris began his career in the electrical industry 30 years ago in Spokane, WA, in the way so many in the electrical wholesaling space have – working the counter and the phones. He relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, and continued his career progression in an inside sales role with King Wire covering the Southwest. His next stop was Atlanta, where he continued to learn the business and worked the Southeast region. Little did Chris know that a move back to Washington state would start a career with Houston Wire & Cable that would span nearly three decades.    If you have any questions about DISC's subscription-based data services, contact Chris at 346-339-7528 / [email protected].

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John Gross
Copper Pricing / President, J.E. Gross & Co.

John Gross is president of J.E. Gross & Co., Inc, the management consulting firm he established in 1987. In addition to his consulting activities, Gross has worked with global leaders in the metals industry over the past thirty-five years. He began his career in metals in 1973 when he joined U.S. Metals Refining Company, a division of Amax Inc., where he rose to become manager of administration. In 1981 he joined Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting as manager of trading and in 1983 became a futures broker with Johnson Matthey, specializing in metals on Comex and the London Metal Exchange.

He joined BICC Cables Corp. in 1985, now owned by General Cable, where he became V.P. of strategic metals for their North American operations. He was also director of metals management with Scott Brass, a producer and manufacturer of copper and brass strip products.

Gross is a graduate of Hofstra University, and is a highly decorated Vietnam Veteran. He has held memberships in several trade organizations, was a director of the American Copper Council, and served as a member of the Comex Advisory Committee. You can contact John at [email protected] / 631-824-6486.

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Burk Burkhardt
Mergers & Acquisitions / Senior Managing Director, HT Capital

Burk Burkhardt has been with HT Capital Advisors since 1994. Prior to joining the firm, he was a general investment banker for over 10 years with Janney Montgomery Scott, the investment banking subsidiary of Penn Mutual Life. He began his career as a financial analyst with Aetna Life and Casualty’s Private Placement Financing Department and subsequently was elected an officer and became manager of Aetna’s Corporate Development Department. He is a U.S. Army Veteran and holds an A.B. from Brown University; an MBA from Columbia University Business School; and an L.L.B from Duke University School of Law. He can be contacted at (212) 759-9080 or [email protected].

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 Ted Konnerth

Human Resources & Lighting / President & CEO, Egret Consulting Group

Ted Konnerth is president/CEO of Egret Consulting Group, Mundelein, Ill., a retained search firm with specialties in the electrical market, consulting services (architectural and engineering), and mergers and acquisitions consulting. Prior to founding Egret Consulting in 1999, Konnerth was Cooper Lighting’s vice president of sales. You can reach Ted at (847) 307-7125 or e-mail: [email protected].

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David Gordon
Marketing / President, Channel Marketing Group

David Gordon is a 30-plus year business-to-business marketing veteran. He spent the first 11 years of his career in the performance marketing industry helping clients achieve goals such as increasing sales and market share, acquiring new customers, improving customer retention, enhancing employee loyalty and building and enhancing brand awareness.

As V.P. of marketing and e-commerce strategies for the IMARK buying/marketing group, he developed strategies to increase manufacturer sales and market share through the group’s members and in helping members enhance their marketing efforts. In 2001, Gordon founded Channel Marketing Group, a marketing consulting firm for electrical distributors and electrical manufacturers. He has worked with distributors in the development and implementation of their strategic plans and marketing strategies, and with manufacturers on market research, market segmentation strategies, customer specific approaches, branding initiatives and distributor portfolio strategies. Gordon is a frequent contributor to Electrical Wholesaling and has written for Industrial Supply Magazine, Progressive Distributor, Modern Distribution Management and Supply House Times. He has presented at NAED’s Marketing Conference, Wit's Marketing Conference, speaks at distributor and manufacturer meetings and advisory councils and has co-authored a chapter in NAW's Outlook 2009 on Private Labeling. Contact David Gordon at 919-488-8635 / [email protected].

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Mike Dandridge
Sales / Founder, High Voltage Performance

Mike is the founder of High Voltage Performance, a consulting firm that specializes in designing customer experiences for the industrial marketplace. Dandridge has 25 years of experience in the electrical market, including sales and management positions with Rexel and authored the books, Thinking Outside the Bulb and Business Turnaround. You can contact Mike at [email protected] or 214-708-2534.

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