Electrical Marketing's LiveWire

Egret Consulting (Mundelein, Ill.): The executive search firm has appointed Larry Cabel to head up its Wire and Cable division. Cabel has had a long career within the electrical industry, including posts as Belden’s North American manager; Anixter’s director of sales and marketing; and director of business development for CSC (WESCO). He will handle recruitment services for all wire and cable manufacturers and all downstream manufacturers associated with wire/cable (connectors, terminations, lugs, cable tray, etc.). Cabel has more than six years of executive search experience and 30 years of sales and marketing experience in both the electrical and construction equipment industries.

Generac Power Systems Inc., Waukesha, Wis., plans to commit $5 million to $6 million to expanding and remodeling its headquarters and an additional $3 million to $4 million in upgrades to create a technical center. The company currently employs more than 550 people at its headquarters, and plans to add more than 200 new jobs over the next three years. The expansion and remodel, funded solely by organic growth, should be completed by the end of 2013. Looking beyond 2013, Generac has already purchased land adjacent to its Waukesha headquarters in preparation for future expansion.

The current project will convert approximately 27,500 square feet of manufacturing space into office space and will add approximately 3,300 square feet for a new main entryway that will include an area detailing the history of the company and its products. The new technical center will be a state-of-the art research, development and testing facility and will include investments in equipment for data acquisition, analysis and testing of engines, generators and other power equipment. Specifically, new test chambers containing highly specialized equipment for the testing of emissions, sound, and environmentally controlled conditions will enable Generac’s engineering team to enhance its knowledge and competencies in these areas.

Omni Cable Corp., West Chester, Pa., recently relocated its Chicago operation to a larger, more modern building and broke ground on an addition to its existing facility in Houston on Jan. 26. The company’s expansion of its current Houston facility will add 40% more warehouse space.
The new Chicago area facility in Carol Stream, Ill., is 42,000 square feet and carries $5 million inventory. Dave Santoro, the company’s Midwest regional manager said in a press release announcing the opening, “Our larger and more diverse inventory positions us to serve the entire distribution network with same day will calls and shipments.”