Is the TV room getting crowded?

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These are definitely some freaky times!!! The best way to stay safe and protect others is to stay inside. If you have a large family, the TV is always in use, but not everyone wants to watch the same program. Not to mention, sometimes we need to separate or the TV room could turn into a wrestling ring!!

What to do, what to do!!

You need another TV, but it’s not that simple anymore.

When I was a kid, it was easy. All you needed to do was plug in the TV, adjust the antenna, and you had 3 channels. (If the screen was full of static, just add some tin foil to the antenna).

Now you must run a cable to the cable box but putting on the connectors can be a challenge.

Ideal Industries has just to kit to do the job!

The 33-620 Economy Coax Compression Kit includes the basic tools and connectors to cut, strip and terminate coax cables.

Applications: RG59 and RG6/6 Quad cable preparation and compression termination for F connectors.

Kit Includes:

  • 33-632 LinearX®3 Compression Tool
  • 45-605 PrepPRO® Coax (59/6/6Q/Plenum)/UTP Cable Stripper
  • 45-075 Data T®-Cutter
  • 10 RG-59 RTQ™ F Compression Connectors
  • 30 RG-6 RTQ™ F Compression Connectors

This kit has everything you need to correctly install connectors to your cable!!

So run the wire, hook up the box, and enjoy your favorite programs in peace.

And remember, this virus is no joke. Keep yourself and you love ones safe!! We will get through this!

~Woody

Celebrating Service at Gordon Electric Supply

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Gordon Electric Supply is a family-owned company, but more than that, we pride ourselves on the family atmosphere at each location. Many employees begin their careers at Gordon and retire from Gordon. It is amazing and heartening to see long-time employees and hear their stories. This month we would like to honor some employee milestones.

Crystal Benedict reached her 5th year working at Gordon Electric Supply in 2019. Crystal is our Lighting Quotation Specialist and works at the Mokena location. Thank you, Crystal, for your six years at Gordon and here is to many more!

 

Dan Whalen started his career working in the Gordon Electric Supply warehouse in 2000. Twenty years later he is the resident gears specialist and salesperson. Congratulations to Dan! We cannot wait to see what you will accomplish in the years to come. 

Todd Wilson is a staple of Pontiac Electric Supply. He began his time with Pontiac Electric Supply twenty-five years ago and has been a knowledgeable inside salesperson ever since. Thank you, Todd, for all of your hard work and being a part of the Gordon team! 

Jo Ann Ford is celebrating her 45th year with Gordon Electric Supply. She has been a mainstay of the Kankakee office since 1975. Jo Ann has worked in our purchasing department and is now our web sales coordinator. We are lucky to have Jo Ann and thank her for all of her knowledge and hard work!

Pictured with all of the service award recipients are Cara Gordon Potter, CEO and president, and Dan Korthauer, Vice President Sales & Marketing.

~Kristine

High Visibility Yellow Safety Vest: Not Just for Crossing Guards anymore!!

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Being a nerd and growing up in a small Midwestern town, as I did, and getting picked as the weekly crossing guard at school was as cool as you could get.

There were many perks involved in such an important job. First and foremost, you were allowed to go to class late in the morning and out early in the afternoon.

Second, you got to boss everyone around as they crossed the street (except for the kids bigger or older than you because that would get you shoved in your gym locker).

Third, and this was so fun, you could hold up traffic for as long as you wanted to!

But the coolest thing was wearing the yellow vest! It made you the boss!

Over the year, the safety vest has come along way and is required on most construction sites.

We now stock the High Visibility Yellow Safety Vest from Milwaukee.

Straight from Milwaukee: Our ANSI Type R Class 2 High Visibility Safety Vest is designed to carry more. The high visibility safety vest has 10 pockets including a clear ID holder and internal pocket, providing you with added storage. The safety vest features a quick internal size adjustment providing you with a better fit as well as a durable pass-through slit for fall protection gear. This allows you to wear the same vest in the summer over a t-shirt or in the winter over a jacket. Additionally, a zipper closure on the safety vest provides you with ultimate job site security. Our high visibility reflective vests are required if you are working around traffic going 25 mph or working around heavy machinery. This includes construction, road construction, traffic direction, utility crews, and survey crews. Yellow and orange color options are available, as well as CSA compliant safety vests.

So, stay safe out there!

~Woody

Company News: Promotions and Retirements

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We’ve started the year off with some important company news. Back in January, Nelson Gowler was promoted to Operations Manager at our Kankakee location from his previous role of procurement and materials management specialist. This is an exciting opportunity to utilize Nelson’s experience and knowledge. He brings years of industry experience and fresh ideas to the job. The Daily Journal published a wonderful brief about the promotion in its January 11, 2020 issue.

With Nelson’s promotion comes the sad news that long-time employee MaryAnn Hanahan is retiring this month. MaryAnn has worked at Gordon Electric Supply for over 30 years in various accounting roles. As president Cara Gordon Potter mentions, “She’s been a lady of many talents!” We wish MaryAnn all of the best and enjoyment of her retirement. On behalf of everyone, it has been a pleasure working with MaryAnn.

~Kristine Weller

Parallel Wire/Cable Reeling makes your job easier!

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Parallel

[ par–uh-lel, -luhl ]

(of lines, planes, surfaces, or objects) side by side and having the same distance continuously between them.

It’s amazing how many people have trouble saying that word. Just the other day, I had a customer ask me if we “paralegaled” wire. And without a blink I said yes! I could relate because I have a hard time saying “all you man e mum”, aluminum.

Having to set up a bunch of reels to make one pull is time consuming and that’s expensive. First you have to find a lot of reel jacks, and if there is no fork truck, you need some big guys to lift reels!

Then what to do with the empty wood reels? (Side note: The small ones make great end tables if it’s your first apartment.)

Luckily for you, we here at Gordon’s offer cable paralleling!!

How does paralleling cables work? A multi-compartment reel allow ground wire to be added to the reel and spin independently. These reels can spool up to five wires or cables onto this one multi-compartment reel, which makes the installation process easier and faster. It simplifies and cleans the job site by decreasing the number of reels.

We also will deliver and pick up empty reel, making it easy to keep the job moving!!

~Woody

Not Another Top 10 List…The Best of 2019

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Top 10 lists or countdown lists from 2019 are everywhere as 2020 comes around the corner. You might be sick of all of the countdown lists, so we thought we would, of course, add one more to your reading list! Luckily this is only a Top 4 list.

Over the years, Woody has shared some fun memories, thoughts, and information about the electrical industry. To celebrate another year of electrical humor and new products, we are taking a look at some of the best 2019 blog posts.

And without further ado:

  1. Gone FIshin’: Woody had a fun time with this fish tape solution from Milwaukee. We think he hid the fish tape tool and only shared the video with us!
  2. Is It Ever Gonna Warm Up?: A question that has been on my mind recently, but that is a Midwest winter for you. Woody sums up our need to stay warm with a Marley space heater and shares his new favorite television show in the process.
  3. Think Pink with 3M: Woody gets serious to explain the importance of our partnership with 3M for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We ended up donating proceeds from these sales to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, a great organization for information and support.
  4. Sliding through the raceway made easy!: The sad news is that this post is not about a water slide. The good news is that Polywater Lubricant J is an effective solution for pulling wire through conduit.

There you have it: the top 4 posts from 2019. You can read the full article by clicking on the link in each title. Thank you for enjoying and have a happy New Year!

~Kristine

Welcome to Toyland!

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It’s that wonderful time of year for gift giving!! It can be stressful running around to stores and possibly getting trampled to find the right present.

Who can forget the horrible Cabbage Patch Kid Riots of 1983? People were fist fighting, kicking and trampling each other just to get one.

Or the Tickle Me Elmo from 1996? Oh man, no one was giggling when they were clawing and scratching to get that red, furry, and (kind of creepy) vibrating stuffed animal!

Why risk your physical well being and sanity when you just shop at https://www.gordonelectricsupply.com/? In the electrical world there are all kinds of toys that are cool to give—and receive! Here are few cools things you can find!

From Klein Tools is the 55421BP-14 Tradesman Pro™ Backpack

  • 39 pockets for tons of tool storage
  • Hard, molded front pocket protects safety glasses
  • Front zipper pocket for small parts and tools
  • Taller bag and interior pockets allow for long screwdrivers
  • Fully molded bottom protects from the elements
  • Orange interior for easy tool visibility
  • 1680d ballistic weave for durability and water resistance
  • Shoulder straps with extra padding and handles for easy carrying

From Ideal Industries is the Large Mouth Bag Tool Kit, 18”, 16-Piece 

 So have a great Holiday Season, and if you do hit the brick and mortar stores …Stay Safe!!!

~Woody

A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work!!

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I have heard this saying a lot, but I don’t think it is always true. Hear me out:

Who remembers Captain Quint form Jaws? His fishing trip didn’t end well at all!

Or Captain Ahab? He went down roped to the whale!

Then there are those guys up in Alaska catching crabs. The Baring Sea, 10 degrees Fahrenheit, high winds and sliding around on the frozen deck of a boat full of vengeful sea creatures that walk sideways and have pinchers! (on second thought—that would make a great movie!)

Fishing through conduit to pull wire is the same way! Sometimes the tape pushes right through and the wire pulls easily while other times the conduit is clogged or the wire won’t pull, and when it does you wind up with the fish tape all over or bouncing off of a live buss!

Milwaukee Tool has a very cool answer for this!!

The MILWAUKEE® M18 FUEL™ ANGLER™ Pulling Fish Tape System is the world’s first battery powered fish tape solution. The fish tape wire puller’s AUTO-RUN™ Powered Feed and Retract eliminates manual pulling tools for less user fatigue and automatically reels the tape back into the drum for a cleaner jobsite. The electric fish tape wire puller features a POWERSTATE™ brushless motor that provides the ability to pull wire through a 200′ run with 360° degrees of bends. This new battery powered fish tape puller is more efficient with an automatic feed that pushes through bends faster for maximum jobsite efficiency. The M18 FUEL™ ANGLER™ Pulling Fish Tape Powered Base is powered by the M18™ REDLITHIUM™ battery pack and is compatible with 4 anti-binding steel and non-conductive drums to tackle any situation. The automatic wire puller is equipped with REDLINK PLUS™ Intelligence to ensure maximum performance and protection from overload.  

~Woody

See the M18 FUEL™ ANGLER™ Pulling Fish Tape in action:

Think Pink with 3M

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Breast cancer is one of the most common kinds of cancer diagnosed in women. About 1 in 8 women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point in their lives.

The good news is that most women can survive breast cancer if it’s discovered and treated early. A mammogram – the screening test for breast cancer – can help find breast cancer early when it’s easier to treat.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a chance to raise awareness about the importance of finding breast cancer early. Make a difference! Spread the word about mammograms and encourage communities, organizations, families, and individuals to get involved.

How can National Breast Cancer Awareness Month make a difference?  We can use this opportunity to spread the word about taking steps to detect breast cancer early.

3M is helping with the H-713R pink Hard Hat

These hard hats show support for breast cancer detection all while looking stylish!

  • 4-point ratchet suspension allows wearer to customize height and fit
  • Meets requirements of ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2014 Type I, Class C
  • Replaceable brow pad enhances comfort and extends service life of hard hat
  • ANSI/ISEA compliant when worn in the forward and reverse donning positions

 

And the P2001 No-Touch Ear Plugs. A comfortable and easy way to show your support for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

  •  No roll-down, easy-insertion design keeps tip clean even if hands are dirty
  • Push-to-fit livewire stem flexes sideways if impacted during wear
  • Cylindrical shape fits most ears comfortably
  • Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) 29 dB. CSA Class AL

~Woody

Sliding through the raceway made easy!

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Pulling wire through conduit can be challenging sometimes and depending on the amount of bends and the length of the pipe run, it can be almost impossible!

Someone finally discovered that the best thing to use was some kind of lubricant to make the wire slide through the raceway.

Over the years I have heard of all kinds of things being used: dish soap, motor oil, and grease to name a few!!

(Hair gel never really caught on.)

WHAT A MESS!!!

The other problem is that, in a few years, you have to pull the wire out for some reason. The wrong lubricants can make the wire stick in the pipe.

All along the solution has been wire lube!! So a lot of companies started making it—some good and some NOT so good.

Some lubricants were made with dyes that stain your hands and anything it got on!!

Then came POLYWATER!!!!!

Polywater Lubricant J has been proven through use with a track record of more than 30 years pulling cable and wire. Due to its reduction in tension and friction, Lubricant J can be used on both electrical and communication cables.

Polywater Lubricant J

Features:

  • Meets LEED and Green Seal criteria
  • Lubricity for months after use: clean and slow drying
  • Maximum friction reduction
  • No wax, grease, or silicone content found in Lubricant J
  • Specified for fire-critical cables (Noncombustible residue)
  • Stays on cable jacket during application
  • UL listed and CARB compliant
  • Stable in variety of temperatures (20°F to 120°F)
  • Viscosity Rating 25000 to 40000 Cps at 10 RPM
  • PH Rating 7.5 to 9

~Woody