DALLAS, TX — What started as a driving job for an 18-year-old young man turned into running branches and districts along the east coast, stretching from Philadelphia to the Carolinas. That same young man became the Co-Chief Operating Officer for City Electric Supply (CES) back in 2017. That man is John Gray, who just celebrated 35 years with the company.
In 1986, Gray kicked off his career with CES Watford and CES Hemel in England when he was only 18 years old. Gray started as a driver, delivering supplies. Soon, he was organizing warehouses and selling supplies door-to-door.
"When we opened CES Hemel, it was a brand-new branch, and we had no customers," Gray said. "I called on everybody — from residential to industrial. I didn't really care if anyone said no to me because I never accepted it."
With another supplier making a mistake, Gray was given the chance to make the corrections from people who had initially rejected him. Pretty soon, those who took a chance on Gray were becoming the most loyal customers.
"He gave us one chance on a list of material that was all messed up and needed everything to be labeled," Gray said. "Well, we delivered it, and he became one of my biggest customers."
Chances given like that one soon led to a steady stream of accomplishments, including earning his first Branch Manager position for CES Harrow in Northwest London. At the time, Gray was only 24 years old. Soon after that, he turned it into one of the most profitable branches in the district.
While a decade of hard work came and passed, in 1997, Gray was given a chance to move from England to Charlotte, North Carolina.
In the U.S., CES had a strong presence in Florida and was beginning to expand up the coast into the Carolinas. Over the course of 20 years, Gray oversaw the growth of CES up the east coast, with branches opening in North Carolina all the way up to Boston. Not only that, but he oversaw branch openings in Tennessee, Kansas, and Oklahoma, just to name a few.
More recently, he has overseen branch openings in Washington and Philadelphia, with CES opening its first branch location on the island of Puerto Rico. When asked what he is most proud of, however, the answer had nothing to do with the number of branches he has helped open.
"My proudest moments are when I look back and see the people I brought through," he said. "When I see them grow as individuals and see what they achieve, it's nice to be a part of that success. You achieve through them achieving."
Even though he has accomplished a lot in his time with CES, Gray wants to see that growth continue, setting a high expectation for the years to come.
"We're a huge company, but we still operate like we're an underdog, and I still consider myself as an underdog, too," Gray said. "I never truly felt like I arrived. I constantly have new goals, and they motivate me to keep going."
"I'd certainly like for CES to open 30 to 40 new branches every year," he said. "We want to continue to grow our network, and I believe we can do that."
Co-Chief Operating Officer Celebrates 35 Years with City Electric Supply
