ORLANDO, FL — City Electric Supply is excited to share that it has officially opened the doors to its fourth branch in Orlando. The new store, CES Orlando Central, is located in the heart of the city. Branch Manager Robert Burrows and his entire team are excited to be open for businesses and to serve the local community.
“Can’t wait to see CES Orlando Central turn into something big,” he said. “I have a great feeling about this location. At this branch, we can be here for a long time and make a lot of people a lot of money. Now that it’s open, it has that chance.”
In fact, Burrows is so committed to the branch’s success that he has flyers on cars to make sure everyone knows about the new store in town. And it couldn’t have been in a better location — right in the middle of I-4 corridor. There is a large number of electrical contractors nearby, and the branch even has some competition just down the road. “We’re only a mile away from some of our biggest competitors. We’re bringing our business to where our customers are, and we’re ready to prove that we’re not like anybody else,” said Burrows.
Burrows is no stranger to running branches. He previously ran one of the most profitable CES branches in the entire company. But when he received an opportunity to build the CES Orlando Central branch from the ground up, he immediately accepted the challenge. “I’d been a branch manager at Orlando South for four years,” he said. “Last year, we were top five in the company. The most exciting thing to me, and the reason why I wanted to start over, is this location. I see so much potential in this area.”
And the branch will reach its highest potential, according to Burrows, with the right work culture. “We build our business around our customers’ business,” he said. “My team understands that their business is an extension of ours. We work for each other, and if they’re successful, we’re successful.”
According to Burrows, culture is what separates a good branch from a top-five branch. He is the type of team leader who runs counter days with dunk tanks and wacky wavy inflatable tube guys to make his branch look like a theme park just opened up. You might even spot him standing outside his branch spinning a sign around. “You’d be surprised what a good environment and a good culture can do,” Burrows said. “At CES Orlando Central, we brought that same mentality here. We have the right people, the right staff, and the right culture right out of the gate.”
In order to build that type of environment, it’s necessary to have the right team by your side. Knowing this, Burrows chose a group of individuals who have an incredible work ethic and mentality when it comes to helping customers.
“Richard Maxim is my Operations Manager. Before he came to work with me at Orlando South, he worked in the field as an electrician for eight years,” Burrows said. “Then, there’s my Counter Sales Bryan Byle, who already knows how the system works and is learning more every day. With our experienced staff and our well-stocked and well-organized showroom, we just have to execute.”
The team’s commitment to customer service is what Burrows believes will help the branch stand out from the other businesses in town. “What we do is not like anybody else. You can call us at 7 p.m., and we’ll answer the phone. We’ll stay late and open early. We’ll do whatever it takes to help our customers find a part, even if it’s just a $5 widget. It may not cost much to us, but that could mean all the difference between a guy finishing a job or not,” he said.
What’s currently important to the team is building their customer base. And that starts with what they know — solar. As if the location couldn’t have been more suitable for the team, the branch is also close to the biggest solar players in Florida. “In Orlando, we’ve embraced solar,” he said. “We work hand-in-hand with the Renewable Energies division at CES a lot. Some of the biggest solar companies in Florida are within a mile from me.”
CES employs more than 3,000 people in over 500 branches across the U.S.
