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Rexel USA Embraces Electrification for Its Customers and Its Own Operations

Electrification in the United States is gaining significant momentum across various sectors, driven by the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to cleaner energy sources. At Rexel USA, one of the nation’s largest electrical suppliers, electrification has emerged as a priority focus. The company provides complete energy solutions, including electrification services and products, for its national customers and energy service companies (ESCOs).

Formerly the president of Rexel’s Mountain Plains Region, Eric Packer was appointed as Senior Vice-President of Strategic Growth Initiatives to oversee all aspects of the company’s electrification strategies and operations, both externally for customers and internally for Rexel’s own sustainability initiatives.

Packer said that Rexel embraces the importance of its role to provide guidance, source inventory, and efficiently distribute the components needed for much of the work underway in our nation’s office buildings, factories, malls and sports arenas, homes, and other structures.

For customers, Rexel’s Energy Solutions Group provides end-to-end solutions, not just the hardware and software, which drive efficiencies and cost controls for the customer. The Group has vertical expertise around solar, energy storage, EV charging, lighting, HVAC and others that overlay with the company’s core business and customers. They also provide turnkey solutions, such as energy audits, lighting retrofits, and other solutions to help customers make informed decisions.

“We provide expertise, products, and services to increase educational awareness and help customers make informed buying decisions in all things, including electrification initiatives,” said Packer. “Our customers look to us for guidance, and we collaborate with them by first understanding what they aim to achieve, then helping them put together a full action plan to get there.”

Internally, Rexel has its own sustainability goals, which include electrification and other measures to decrease its carbon footprint.  The company is electrifying its fleet, installing solar, increasing energy storage, and adding EV chargers to its facilities, said Packer.

“Our goal is to really walk the talk,” Packer said. “We are engaged in comprehensive sustainability initiatives because we believe in these measures and can see the positive results.”

As the United States arm of a global company, Rexel USA has an excellent roadmap to follow that was pioneered long ago by its European-based parent, Rexel Group. Packer has looked at what Rexel has accomplished in Europe and taken that as a blueprint to help distinguish which practices are adaptable for the United States.

“We’ve taken a page from our European counterparts, but there are differences that don’t exactly translate across continents. For us, that means adopting best practices and developing programs to help with retention and recruiting for employees,” Packer said. “An important component of success is to have a well-educated workforce, which includes all of the new and emerging technologies that support sustainability.”

Packer, a long-time industry veteran, concluded, “It’s a transformational change for our country and the electrical distribution industry. This reminds me of about 15 years ago when we went away from incandescent and fluorescent lighting to LED lighting,” Packer said. “As we see more incentives with electrification and power demand continues to grow, it will create new opportunities for us to support our customers as well as our own company growth initiatives.”