Partner Spotlight: Square D Is A Winner!

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We already knew that Square D by Schneider Electric was a brand with a history of innovation and trust, but we are excited to report that their energy center was recently recognized with the 2020 Global Innovation Award from the National Association of Home Builders. The Square D Energy Center specifically won the Product of the Year award for its proficiency in home energy control and monitoring. It will be available in spring 2021.

The energy center includes “whole-home surge protection, EV connectivity, the Qwik-Connect solar inverter, a backup interface module, [and] a backup-ready panel” in the redesign of the residential electrical panel, powered by Schneider Electric’s Wiser Energy intelligence. While a Tesla and solar panels do not come with the energy center, the emphasis on adaptability and sustainability in home energy use is an asset to its innovation. Making whole-home surge protection a standard part of the energy center offers maximum protection, and we could see this technology becoming more popular, especially as the spring storm season rolls in.

Our congratulations go out to Square D for this wonderful accomplishment!

You can learn more about the Square D energy center here and read more about the Product of the Year award here.

April Showers Bring…Lightning, Thunder, and Power Outages

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Finally, spring is here! The earth is coming back to life. Flowers are blooming and the wild life is coming out of hiding.

Along with this comes thunder, lightning, and an occasional twister. Most people take cover during these storms but we here in the Midwest like to go outside, flip open our phones, say hold my drink, and film the whole event even if a house fly by.

Since most of us have been stuck working from home, a power outage or (even worse) a power surge can really mess things up. Our friends at APC by Schneider Electric have a broad range of products to take care this situation. Below is a brief survey of what you can find in APC’s surge protection products.

Battery Backup & Surge outlets keep CPU’s, monitors, and other critical devices running when the power goes out or fluctuates outside safe levels. Surge Only outlets protect printers, faxes or other equipment without reducing battery capacity (including three power-saving Controlled outlets on the BE750G).

Similarly, PowerChute Software lets you use your computer to access additional power protection and management features:
• Preserves your work, shuts down system during outages
• Restarts your system, minimizing work disruptions
• Enables customization of your UPS settings
• Monitors and displays power and battery status

Data Line Surge Protection guards against surges and spikes traveling over data lines. The Combination Power Button/LED Indicator provides visual and audible status of unit. Along with its ultra efficient electrical design, it is RoHS compliance and contains all recyclable packaging materials minimize environmental impact and maximize efficiency. A Building Wiring Fault Indicator lets you know if there are problems in your building’s wiring. Push Button Circuit Breaker enables quick recovery from overload. Automatic Diagnostic Testing ensures your unit is ready when you need it.

So your home office or maybe home theater stays safe in spring storms!

~Woody

Company News: Brad Robbins joins the Gordon team!

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Gordon Electric Supply recently hired Brad Robbins as an e-commerce customer service representative.

Brad brings both customer service and sales experience from years working in the retail industry. Previously, he was a business owner and worked in the music industry where he enjoyed traveling to multiple countries. In his free-time, he enjoys cooking and listening to music.

In his current position as an e-commerce representative, Brad’s responsibilities will include building relationships with online customers, processing orders, and handling customer service calls. We are excited to have Brad as part of the Gordon team and utilize his experience. “Everyone has been great and very welcoming from day one,” Brad said and added that it is a “great feeling to be a part of something bigger than one’s self–that you actually have an impact on the outcome.”

Gordon Electric Supply is located at 1290 N. Hobbie Avenue in Kankakee. You can read the Daily Journal’s news brief about Brad’s hiring.

Charge Your Device In a Safe Way!

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UPDATE: NOW AVAILABLE at Gordon online.

COMING SOON! Everyone has a chargeable device now. From a phone to a tablet. And it never fails that when you need it, the battery is dead or on its way!

The problem with the chargers, is the adapter that you plug the cord in is huge. If you have other things plugged in this can be a problem. USB type outlets have been out for awhile now, but, what about the kitchen, bathroom or garage?? These require GFCI outlets, and to fit the charging adapter in the outlet, you have to unplug everything else.

Legrand has the answer: Radiant® 15A Tamper-Resistant Self-Test GFCI USB Type-AC Outlet. Coming Soon to Gordon Electric Supply!

Enjoy superior safety and the convenience of built-in USB charging, in a first-of-its-kind outlet! Perfect for adding modern connectivity anywhere, including areas of the home where ground fault protection is required (kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, etc.). This outlet makes it easy to see and reset electrical trips right where they happen, while also providing two USB connections for keeping phones or tablets charged, no bulky adapter required.

The Quick Facts:

  • Ultra-reliable ground fault protection: Self-tests at an industry-leading rate of every 3 seconds, ensuring its always ready to protect.
  • Easy, accessible troubleshooting: Includes indicator light and test/reset buttons for resolving trips right where they happen.
  • Convenient, in-demand charging: Features two USB connections (USB Type-A and Type-C available) to keep devices charged and ready.
  • Quick installation: Replaces an existing outlet in 10 minutes or less.
  • Discreet tamper-resistance: Protects children from inserting foreign options with patented low-profile black “invisi-shutter” system.

See current USB receptacles from Pass & Seymour by Legrand here.

~Woody

Always Be Prepared: Not Just for Scouts

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One of the classic Monty Python’s Flying Circus quotes that comes to mind whenever the power goes out or a really bad storm blows through is “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” This may seem like an odd choice of humor when power outages are no laughing matter, but in the Monty Python skits, the “inquisitors” jump out at random times, even on contemporary characters, exclaiming this, and similarly power outages and bad weather often catch me off-guard like the characters in this skit.

When the blizzard rolls through my town, I start out thinking I am prepared. But no matter what the Scout motto of “Always Be Prepared” says, sometimes you can’t anticipate the affects of weather or nature. I always end up shaking my head thinking that “Nobody expects the power outage!” We can only be as prepared as possible, which is why I was happy to stumble upon some tips and useful products to help when you least expect a power situation.

  1. Make a power outage plan to outline what to do when an unexpected storm hits.  Our friends at Generac have a few extra tips that include a designated contact person to check on the entire family among others.
  2. Protect electronics and electrical devices or appliances for short or long outages. Back in July 2020, Woody shared one of his favorite surge protective devices. And in May 2015 he let us know about protecting outdoor installations & service panels.
  3. Sign up for local weather alerts and familiarize yourself with weather terms like watch and warning.

Most of us (especially me!) are not experts, which means I rely on resources from the professionals to help education my emergency preparation.

Stay warm and check on your neighbors, everyone!

~Kristine

A Trip You Don’t Want To Take!

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Whether you are working from home, or just browsing the internet, computers are an essential part of our lives. Depending on where in your house you are working, cords can be a hassle.

I hate having cords running across the floor; I always get tangled, trip and smash my face on the floor. Or, the cords come out of the device, sometimes ruining it.

Fun to explain to your IT guy that all you did was stand up, take one step and pulled the back of the computer apart.

So, a solution is installing a floor box next to you easy chair or work station.

Arlington’s FLBR5420 series RECESSED FLOOR BOX KITS offer great new features, like two low voltage openings, an ultra-thin stamped steel flange, and flush-to-the-floor in-use and blank covers. Here’s the solution for cost-savings and easy installation of a receptacle and low voltage connections in an existing, hard surface floor.

Because the flange is ultra-thin and the wiring device is recessed these floor boxes reduce the trip hazard caused by plugs protruding from the box.

You can also have power and now TWO low voltage openings, without the need for a divider, in the same box. That’s convenience!

Installation is quick and easy with a 5″ hole saw. Four mounting wing screws attach the 24.5 cubic inch box securely to the floor. Also included in the kit:

  • cULus Listed 20A tamper-resistant decorator-style receptacle.
  • Covers: SIX finishes/colors Metal in brass-plated, nickel-plated and antique bronze-plated zinc.
  • The powder-coated diecast zinc is available in black, brown and light almond.

With the Arlington FLBR5420 recessed floor box kits, you can now focus on planning that trip to Aruba instead of a trip to your floor!

~Woody

The Most Read of 2020

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Well, 2020 was an interesting year with so many changes to how we work, live, and socialize! Despite the tumultuous nature of the year, there was still cause to celebrate, and here at Gordon we celebrated the kind acts of our friends, colleagues, and partners with the creation of our Gordon Go-Getter page of the blog. It never ceased to amaze us how our community and industry came together.

Last year also had some new products introduced and new additions to the Gordon team. We are proud of everyone for making it through 2020! And thank you to all of blog readers for sticking with our puns and trips down memory lane. This top 3 list of the most read Product Talk posts is possible because of you. So without further ado, the three most read posts of 2020:

  1. Better Than a Lunchable and Bubblegum Rope! We introduced the new and improved Scotch Super 33+ Electrical Tape by 3M while learning about trends of the 90’s.
  2. If you haven’t been checked, then maybe it’s time!! We revisited a favorite from 2019 in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The pink 3M hardhats are a Gordon favorite!
  3. You’re not cool, unless you have a cooling towel! Back in July, all we could think about was beating the summer heat on the job, which made our discovering of the cooling towel by Klein Tools all the more exciting.

Happy New Year and here’s to 2021!

Rust Never Sleeps!

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Not just the name of a great album by Neil Young, but the truth!

I busted my knuckles more than once trying to loosen rusted nuts and bolts. The scars still remain.

Steel is a metal that holds a lot of iron, and let’s say, for instance, that steel is constantly surrounded by environmental factors like water and oxygen, the steel may start to see signs of rust in as little as 4-5 days. At the same time, there are different types of steel that can rust slower or faster than others.

To avoid metal from rusting 3M has 16-501 Zinc Spray.

3M™ Zinc Spray 16-501 is a dispersion of fine powdered 97% pure zinc in petroleum distillates, used to inhibit rust and corrosion of metal surfaces. More about the spray:
• Non-corrosive
• Controlled drying
• Non-CFC
• Halogen free
• Easy application by aerosol spray
• Meets MIL-P26915D
• Comparable to hot dip galvanizing (at 0.0015-inch thickness)

Avoid rust from forming by using 3M Zinc Spray!!

~Woody

Made in America

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A main goal of web design is creating an efficient user experience for site visitors, often based on easy navigation and page loading speed. Another element of an efficient website is providing tools for the user to find what they are searching for.

In November, we launched a new search filter on our website that shows which products from your search are made in America. So many of the brands that we sell are manufactured in the United States, and we wanted to highlight this information normally located in the specification section after clicking on a product.

All you need to do is enter what you are looking for in the search bar:

 

 

Or Click on the Shop Now or Manufacturers tabs to view product types and brands Gordon supplies:

 

 

Once you reach the results page, you can choose to show only the American made products by clicking on “Made in USA” option on the search filter bar on the left side of the screen.

 

 

This will show all of the products from your search that are made in the USA. Pretty simple, right?

We want to thank all of our partners for providing new, updated product information. And we hope you enjoy the new search filter!

 

 

 

#138 And Feeling Great!

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Gordon Electric Supply made Electrical Wholesaling magazine’s list of top 200 electrical distributors for 2020, coming in at #138 on the list. The 2020 list is comprised of large franchised and independent distributors, created from 2019 data yet updated sometimes to reflect acquisitions and new trends.

According to an analysis from Electrical Wholesaling, the backlog of contractor projects helped the electrical distribution industry sail into 2020 with momentum despite a slowing in the nonresidential construction sector. The disruption caused by COVID-19 also provided trends as responses and data was analyzed for the creation of the list. These trends showed that the resilience and versatility of our industry cannot be underestimated as many distributors rise to the challenge and continue to grow during this time.

As Gordon CEO, Cara Gordon Potter, stated earlier this year in an interview with IMARK Electrical, “Our biggest takeaway is an appreciation of the resilience and team spirit of our workforce and the importance of diversification of our customer base…Once again, I was thankful to be a participant in a strong, essential industry.”

The full list can be accessed on the Electrical Wholesaling website.