Crawford Electric Jazzes up New Orleans Electrical Industry

Electrical distributor reaches out to industry professionals through participation in two events

New Orleans,  December 11, 2008 – Crawford Electric Supply, a subsidiary of Sonepar USA, hosted an arc-flash safety seminar on November 18th in New Orleans, LA.  The four hour seminar stressed the importance of electrical safety around high voltage electrical systems. The seminar drew an attendance of 25 local industry professionals, including many electrical engineers, hospital and plant maintenance managers, and several other qualified electrical personnel.

"The event was a huge success,” said Cheryl Kesner, Projects and Sales for Crawford Electric. “We were able to showcase our services to the New Orleans electrical community, and further spread the Crawford name to the local industry professionals.”

The half-day session, which was co-sponsored by Littelfuse®, reviewed several OSHA and NFPA70E rules and regulations for Arc-Flash safety; including different types of personal protective equipment (PPE) that are needed for potentially hazardous situations. Certificates for continuing education credits were issued to all participants.

Following the event, Parker Stewart,  Area Manager for Crawford Electric/New Orleans served as a guest speaker at the International Electrical Inspectors Association monthly meeting.  Stewart spoke to a crowd of about 60 local members, and emphasized Crawford’s commitment to providing quality service to the New Orleans electrical industry.

"Crawford Electric has made great strides in getting to know the local professionals that we serve in the New Orleans market,” said Crawford Electric Chief Executive Officer Craig Levering.  “We’re looking forward to continuing our effort to ensure all of our customers know that Crawford Electric will do ‘whatever it takes.’”

About Crawford Electric Supply
Crawford Electric Supply, also known as CESCO, joined Sonepar USA in January 2007. Founded in 1986, Crawford has grown dramatically over the years. The company ranked 27th among the largest electrical and lighting distributors in the U.S. for 2006, by Electrical Wholesale Magazine. Crawford is headquartered in Dallas, Texas with branches in Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, College Station, Austin, New Braunfels, and recently New Orleans, Louisiana.

About Sonepar USA
Sonepar USA is made up of the finest electrical supply distributors in the United States. The company has over 4,600 associates in 12 companies operating more than 253 branches in 35 states. In 2007, Sonepar USA achieved $3 billion in revenue. It is a member of the Sonepar group - the world's largest privately held electrical distributor. Worldwide, Sonepar employs over 34,000 employees, with 2,050 branch locations and 2007 annual sales of $19 billion pro forma.