Longtime CES Operations Leader Jim Lawson Retires - Modern Distribution Management

Longtime CES Operations Leader Jim Lawson Retires

Lawson's nearly 45-year career with City Electric Supply began as sales rep in Glasgow, Scotland in 1985 before moving to the U.S.
City Electric Supply CES

Electrical supplies distributor City Electric Supply announced July 13 that Jim Lawson — the company’s Vice President of Operations — has retired after nearly 45 years with the company.

Jim Lawson

CES detailed that Lawson helped build CES into what it is today as one of the largest electrical wholesale distributors in the U.S. — No. 8 on MDM’s 2023 Electrical Distributors List.

He began with the company as a sales representative in Scotland before becoming a branch manager there in 1985. By 1991 he was a district manager, and was offered to come to the U.S. in that same role shortly after.

“I wanted to come to America and help build something from scratch,” Lawson said in a CES article.

Bringing his wife Lynn and two sons along for the journey, Lawson began building business for CES from Raleigh, North Carolina in 1996. He moved to Charleston, South Carolina before helping open CES in Colorado in the early 2000s and oversaw company expansion in Philadelphia.

As a VP of Operations for at least a decade and a half, Jim’s territory reached 115 CES stores across South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Northern Florida and parts of Mississippi.

CES shares Lawson’s career story here, including a retirement video.

Related Posts

Share this article

About the Author
Recommended Reading
Leave a Reply

Leave a Comment

Sign Up for the MDM Update Newsletter

The MDM update newsletter is your best source for news and trends in the wholesale distribution industry.

2

articles left

Want more Premium content from MDM?

Subscribe today and get:

  • New issues twice each month
  • Unlimited access to mdm.com, including 10+ years of archived data
  • Current trends analysis, market data and economic updates
  • Discounts on select store products and events

Subscribe to continue reading

MDM Premium Subscribers get:

  • Unlimited access to MDM.com
  • 1 year digital subscription, with new issues twice a month
  • Trends analysis, market data and quarterly economic updates
  • Deals on select store products and events

1

article
left

You have one free article remaining

Subscribe to MDM Premium to get unlimited access. Your subscription includes:

  • Two new issues a month
  • Access to 10+ years of archived data on mdm.com
  • Quarterly economic updates, trends analysis and market data
  • Store and event discounts

To continue reading, you must be an MDM Premium subscriber.

Join other distribution executives who use MDM Premium to optimize their business. Our insights and analysis help you enter the right new markets, turbocharge your sales and marketing efforts, identify business partners that help you scale, and stay ahead of your competitors.

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!