This guide names the largest independent electrical distributors still operating in the United States, organized by the state where each is headquartered. "Independent" here means family-owned or employee-owned — not a subsidiary of Sonepar, Rexel, WESCO, Graybar, or CED, the five national and global chains that now control most of the market. If you're a contractor, project manager, or facility team looking to source from a distributor whose decisions still get made close to the customer, this is who's left. Every state is covered, including the ones where no independent scale remains. Keeping this list matters because independents help hold the market in check and give customers a real alternative to the big chains.

Why "Independent" Still Matters 

The U.S. electrical distribution market has consolidated at a rate the industry has never seen before. Between 2019 and 2025, more than 60 mergers or acquisitions swept through the Electrical Wholesaling Top 200, and just five buyers — Sonepar, Rexel, WESCO, Graybar, and Consolidated Electrical Distributors (CED) — absorbed most of the largest independents. Sonepar alone now operates through 570+ U.S. locations under legacy names like Cooper Electric, North Coast Electric, Stuart C. Irby, World Electric, Codale Electric, Independent Electric Supply, Capital Electric, and Summit Electric — all of which used to be independently owned, family-run distributors serving their local markets.

That consolidation isn't inherently bad. National scale brings supply-chain leverage, digital tools, and inventory depth that a small distributor can't match on its own. But it does mean that when buyers  say they want to "buy from an independent" — meaning a family-owned or employee-owned distributor whose decisions still get made close to the customer — the list of true independents has shrunk. This guide names the ones that are left, state by state.

How We Defined "Independent"

An independent electrical distributor, for the purposes of this guide, is one that meets all three tests:

Not a subsidiary of a global or national distribution parent. Sonepar, Rexel, WESCO, Graybar, CED, and their subsidiaries are excluded — even when they still operate under the acquired company's original name.

Family-owned, employee-owned (ESOP), or otherwise privately held with local decision-making. These two ownership models are the most common alternatives to being acquired, and they behave differently in practice. A family-owned distributor is one where a founding family still holds the controlling stake and passes leadership between generations — Loeb Electric under the third generation of the Loeb family, Colonial Electric Supply under the Bellwoar family, Granite City Electric under the Godwin/Papani family. Decisions concentrate with the owner family, which can mean faster judgment calls, longer time horizons, and a company culture shaped by whoever is at the top. An employee-owned distributor uses an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) to distribute equity across the workforce over time. There's no single family owner; profits and value accrue to the employees, and long-tenured staff typically have a real financial stake in the company they work for. Border States, Van Meter, Dealers Electrical Supply, and Kendall Electric are all 100% employee-owned. Employee ownership has become the preferred exit path when a founding family wants to sell but doesn't want to hand the business to Sonepar or a private equity roll-up — the company stays independent, the workforce inherits it, and the local decision-making that made the company worth buying in the first place gets preserved. Distributors owned by private equity funds are treated case by case; those with active roll-up strategies are excluded.

Meaningful presence in the electrical distribution business. This is not a list of one-branch lighting showrooms. We prioritized distributors with multiple branches, a stocking business, and a track record serving contractors, industrial buyers, and utility customers.

We cross-checked ownership against Electrical Wholesaling's 2025 and 2026 Top 100 rankings, Modern Distribution Management's 2025 Top Electrical/Data/Security Distributors list, SEC filings from public parents, and each distributor's own newsroom and About page. Consolidation moves quickly, so if you're reading this six months after publication, verify current ownership before relying on it.

The Eleven Largest Independent Electrical Distributors in the U.S., by State

These eleven do most of the heavy lifting on the state-by-state list below — they anchor their home states and extend meaningfully into neighboring ones, so many state entries draw on the same names repeatedly.

State-by-State

Where a state has no significant independent left, we've said so plainly rather than pad the list with a Sonepar or Rexel subsidiary. Those states are typically covered by the national independents above through delivery, shipping, or nearby branches.

Alabama

Van Meter Inc. operates an Alabama branch serving industrial and construction accounts. Mayer Electric (Birmingham), founded in 1930 and family-run for four generations under the Weil and Collat families, was the historic Alabama independent — but was acquired by Rexel in 2021, ending 90 years of local ownership.

Alaska

No significant Alaska-headquartered independent electrical distributor. North Coast Electric serves Alaska but is a Sonepar company since 2019. Nassau National Cable ships to Alaska directly, and North Coast fulfills Alaska orders through bi-weekly shipments from its 300,000-square-foot Auburn, Washington distribution center.

Arizona

No Arizona-headquartered independent of national scale. Independent Electric Supply operates Arizona branches from a 135,000-square-foot Phoenix distribution center but has been Sonepar-owned since 2011 and is currently being folded into Sonepar's OneSource brand. Summit Electric Supply also serves Arizona but was acquired by Sonepar in September 2024.

Arkansas

Elliott Electric Supply covers Arkansas heavily from its Nacogdoches, TX headquarters. Family-owned, aggressive branch expansion, contractor-friendly pricing. Elliott has grown to more than 200 branches across ten states, adding seven new locations in 2025 alone.

California

Turtle & Hughes operates in Southern California through its Los Angeles branch, acquired from Associated of Los Angeles in 2018 as part of Turtle's westward expansion. California's largest historical independents — Independent Electric Supply, Buckles-Smith, Talley — have all been acquired by Sonepar or Rexel.

Colorado

Dealers Electrical Supply serves Colorado from its multi-state footprint (the employee-owned Waco, TX distributor has 66 branches across eight states). Blazer Electric Supply (Colorado Springs) was acquired in 2024.

Connecticut

Granite City Electric Supply operates Connecticut branches from its Quincy, MA base, having entered the state through the acquisition of Major Electric (Pawtucket, RI + Norwich and Groton, CT).

Delaware

Colonial Electric Supply covers Delaware from its King of Prussia, PA headquarters — the Bellwoar-family distributor has been serving the Mid-Atlantic since 1972 and now operates more than 20 branches across five states. United Electric Supply, headquartered in Wilmington, DE, is another Delaware-based independent worth noting; it acquired Kovalsky-Carr Electric (Rochester, NY) in 2024, expanding into upstate New York.

Florida

Elliott Electric Supply entered the Florida market in 2025 with new Tampa branches, marking Elliott's first push into the Southeast. World Electric Supply (Miami) has been Sonepar-owned since 1999; Electrical Supplies Inc. (Miami), a Southeast Florida independent founded in 1976, was acquired by Rexel's Mayer subsidiary in 2024.

Georgia

Elliott Electric Supply opened a Stockbridge, GA location in 2025 as part of its Southeast expansion. Mayer Electric (Rexel-owned since 2021) is the dominant full-line presence but no longer independent.

Hawaii

No verified Hawaii-headquartered independent electrical distributor of scale. Contractors typically source through Sonepar's OneSource (which extends to Hawaii from California and now covers California, Arizona, Hawaii, and Baja California, Mexico) or ship in from the mainland.

Idaho

No Idaho-headquartered independent of scale. Platt Electric (Rexel-owned) and North Coast Electric (Sonepar-owned) dominate the state.

Illinois

Steiner Electric Company, Elk Grove Village. Family-owned since 1916, ~500 employees, full-line electrical and metalworking distributor serving Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. Steiner was named Illinois Family Business of the Year and holds ISO 9001 certification. Dealers Electrical Supply also has Illinois locations from its Waco headquarters.

Indiana

Kendall Electric (The Kendall Group), through its Indiana branches. Employee-owned, Michigan-headquartered, serves industrial, OEM, and construction markets since 1930. Brownstown Electric Supply is a smaller Indiana independent worth mentioning.

Iowa

Van Meter Inc., Cedar Rapids. 100% employee-owned, founded 1928, the 15th largest electrical distributor in the U.S. with 25 locations across 8 states. Van Meter's strengths include automation, industrial MRO, and controls. Echo Electric Supply (Council Bluffs) was acquired by Sonepar in 2024.

Kansas

Van Meter Inc. entered Kansas by acquiring Mid-West Electrical Supply (Wichita) in 2020. Dealers Electrical Supply and Elliott Electric Supply also serve the state.

Kentucky

State Electric Supply Co. covers Kentucky from its Huntington, WV headquarters, with Louisville and Lexington branches among its 44 locations across seven states.

Louisiana

Dealers Electrical Supply and Elliott Electric Supply both serve Louisiana. Stuart C. Irby's Louisiana branches have been Sonepar-owned since 2005 — Sonepar's largest single acquisition in the U.S. at that time.

Maine

No Maine-headquartered independent electrical distributor of scale. Contractors typically source through regional multi-trade distributors or ships from Massachusetts.

Maryland

Colonial Electric Supply serves Maryland from Pennsylvania. United Electric Supply (Delaware) also covers Maryland. Capital Electric (Upper Marlboro), founded in 1927, is Maryland's largest distributor but is a Sonepar company serving GA, NC, SC, DC, DE, MD, PA, and WV.

Massachusetts

Granite City Electric Supply, Quincy. Family-owned since 1923, 34 branches, the largest independent electrical distributor in New England. Granite City runs its own overnight delivery service, the GCE Night Train, and has been the official electrical distributor of the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park since 2004. The company has expanded through acquisitions including Columbia Electric Supply (Brockton), Major Electric (Pawtucket, RI), and Baynes Electrical Supply (Wareham, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard). Electric Supply Center (Burlington) was acquired by Sonepar in 2024.

Michigan

Kendall Electric (The Kendall Group), Portage. 100% employee-owned since 1930. Part of The Kendall Group, which also includes Kendall Lighting Centers (retail showrooms across northern Indiana and west Michigan), Great Lakes Automation Supply, and Galloup (industrial pipe/valves/fittings distribution). Madison Electric and Standard Electric (Saginaw) — Michigan's other historic independents — were both acquired by Sonepar in 2024.

Minnesota

Van Meter Inc. operates the largest Minnesota-based independent distribution facility from its Cottage Grove, MN location, acquired from Werner Electric of Minnesota in 2021. Viking Electric (Minneapolis) has been Sonepar-owned since 2000.

Mississippi

No significant Mississippi-headquartered independent remains. Stuart C. Irby (Jackson) — for a century the state's dominant distributor, founded in 1926 — has been Sonepar-owned since 2005. Sequel Electric Supply (Meridian) was acquired by Border States in 2023. Elliott Electric Supply now serves the state as the strongest independent option.

Missouri

Van Meter Inc. serves parts of Missouri from Iowa and Kansas. Frost Electric Supply (St. Louis) is a smaller independent company worth investigating for St. Louis metro contractors specifically.

Montana

Dealers Electrical Supply and Elliott Electric Supply reach Montana. No Montana-headquartered independent of scale. Border States opened a Missoula, MT branch in 2023 to serve the construction market.

Nebraska

Van Meter Inc. operates Omaha branches. Border States covers Lincoln and Omaha from Fargo.

Nevada

No Nevada-headquartered independent of scale. Nassau National Cable and other national independents ship directly.

New Hampshire

Granite City Electric Supply covers New Hampshire from its Massachusetts headquarters.

New Jersey

Turtle & Hughes, Linden. Family- and employee-owned since 1923, woman-owned, top-20 U.S. electrical distributor. Turtle has been led by four generations of women, starting with founder Ethel Turtle after her husband's death ten years into the company's history, and continuing today under fourth-generation co-CEO Jayne Millard. The company's THIS (Turtle & Hughes Integrated Supply) division serves Fortune 100 accounts across the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Cooper Electric — long New Jersey's other major independent, founded in 1961 — has been Sonepar-owned since 1999.

New Mexico

Elliott Electric Supply opened a Las Cruces, NM branch in 2025 and is now the strongest independent option for the state. Summit Electric (Albuquerque), founded in 1977 by former Graybar executives Victor Jury Sr. and David Meredith, was acquired by Sonepar in September 2024 in one of the year's largest electrical distribution deals — 23 branches, 700+ employees, roughly $500 million in revenue.

New York

Nassau National Cable, Great Neck. Nassau began as a pre-war family business and transformed into an e-commerce-native national distributor in 2013, becoming one of the first electrical distributors to shift primary operations to a website-first model. Today NNC serves electricians, contractors, and industrial buyers across all 50 states through its online platform, specializing in bulk wire and cable — THHN, MC cable, service entrance, tray cable, welding cable, portable cord, medium-voltage cable, and hard-to-find specialty conductors. Free cut-to-length service, no minimum orders, and same-day shipping on in-stock items combine the pricing of a bulk distributor with the responsiveness of a local supply house. Granite City Electric Supply covers the Albany area; Colonial Electric Supply serves parts of downstate New York; Turtle & Hughes covers the New York metro from its New Jersey headquarters.

North Carolina

State Electric Supply Co. serves North Carolina from West Virginia. Shealy Electrical Wholesalers has been part of Border States since 2016 (still operates under the Shealy brand).

North Dakota

Border States Electric, Fargo. 100% employee-owned, ~2,900 employees, 130+ branches nationwide. The 6th largest electrical distributor in the U.S. and — despite its scale — genuinely employee-owned rather than subsidiary of a global parent. Border States has been on an aggressive acquisition run of its own, buying Dominion Electric Supply (Arlington, VA) in 2024, Sequel Electric (Mississippi) in 2023, and Shealy Electrical (Carolinas) in 2016. The company appointed Jason Seger as president and CEO in March 2024 following David White's retirement. Dealers Electrical Supply also has North Dakota locations.

Ohio

Loeb Electric, Columbus. Family-owned since 1912, third-generation ownership under President and CEO Charles Loeb (grandson of co-founder Arthur Loeb), joined Affiliated Distributors (AD) in 2024. Strong national accounts business serving Walmart, Amazon, Wendy's, The Ohio State University, and hundreds of contractors in all 50 states plus Canada and Puerto Rico. The Columbus facility runs a 300,000+ square foot primary warehouse with 24/7 locker pickup. State Electric Supply Co. also serves Ohio.

Oklahoma

Hunzicker Brothers, Oklahoma City. Family-owned since 1920, 11 Oklahoma locations, ~100 employees. Acquired SESCO Electric Supply in 2014 to strengthen southern Oklahoma coverage. Hunzicker specializes in hazardous-area electrical products, industrial lighting, and equipment for oil and gas exploration alongside commercial and residential work. Dealers Electrical Supply and Elliott Electric Supply also serve the state.

Oregon

No Oregon-headquartered independent of scale. Platt Electric (Beaverton) and North Coast Electric (formerly Seattle-independent) are both parent-owned.

Pennsylvania

Colonial Electric Supply, King of Prussia. Family-owned by the Bellwoar family since 1972, 20+ branches across PA, NJ, DE, MD, and NY, ranked #31 on Modern Distribution Management's 2025 Top Distributors list for electrical, IMARK members. Colonial operates through four divisions: the core electrical supply business, Colonial Teltek (telecom and outside-plant connectivity), Colonial Major Projects (large commercial jobs), and Bright Light–Annapolis Lighting (retail lighting design). The current generation of Bellwoar ownership — Jay, David, and Steven Bellwoar — is actively preparing the next generation to lead. Loeb Electric covers parts of Pennsylvania through its national accounts business.

Rhode Island

Granite City Electric Supply covers Rhode Island from its Massachusetts base.

South Carolina

State Electric Supply Co. serves South Carolina from West Virginia. Shealy Electrical (Columbia) has been part of Border States since 2016.

South Dakota

Border States Electric covers South Dakota from Fargo, with a Sioux Falls branch. Dakota Supply Group is a smaller regional worth investigating for South Dakota contractors.

Tennessee

Kendall Electric operates in Tennessee (Chattanooga). Elliott Electric Supply also serves the state.

Texas

Dealers Electrical Supply, Waco. Employee-owned since 1946, 66 branches across 8 states, supporting commercial, residential, industrial construction, electric utility, OEM/MRO automation, and retail lighting. Elliott Electric Supply, Nacogdoches — the state's most aggressively growing independent. Elliott has hundreds of branches across ten states and opened seven new locations in 2025 alone (Tampa, Stockbridge GA, Las Cruces NM, and multiple Texas and Kansas expansions). Parrish-Hare Electrical Supply (Irving) was acquired in 2024.

Utah

No Utah-headquartered independent of scale. Codale Electric (Salt Lake City), founded in 1975, has been a Sonepar company for years.

Vermont

Granite City Electric Supply serves Vermont from its New England network.

Virginia

Van Meter Inc. operates Virginia branches. State Electric Supply Co. also serves the state. Dominion Electric Supply (Arlington), which had ten locations serving government, commercial, residential, and data center customers across Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., was acquired by Border States in 2024 — adding 300+ employee-owners to the Border States network.

Washington

No Washington-headquartered independent of scale. North Coast Electric (Seattle), family-owned and operated since 1913 by the Byrne and later Lemman families, was one of the last major independents in the Pacific Northwest until its 2019 acquisition by Sonepar.

West Virginia

State Electric Supply Co., Huntington. Founded 1952 by Art Weisberg, who started the company by loading a pickup truck with light bulbs, extension cords, and fuses and driving to grocery and hardware stores across the region. Still independent under President and COO John Spoor, 44 locations spanning WV, KY, IL, OH, VA, SC, NC. Ranked #28 on Modern Distribution Management's 2025 Top Electrical/Data/Security Distributors list. Serves commercial, data communications, electrical contractors, HVAC, industrial (petrochemical, paper, steel, manufacturing), institutional, mining (coal and aggregate), and OEM markets.

Wisconsin

Werner Electric Supply, Appleton (Fox Cities). Independent since 1948, ~500 employees, locations across Wisconsin plus Iron Mountain, MI. Focus on automation, industrial controls, and safety solutions. Not to be confused with Werner Electric of Minnesota (Cottage Grove), which was a separate company acquired by Van Meter in 2021. Van Meter Inc. also serves Wisconsin.

Wyoming

Dealers Electrical Supply has Wyoming locations. Border States also covers the state.

What This List Tells You

Three patterns are worth naming.

First, independence is now geographic. The strongest independents cluster in specific regions — the Upper Midwest (Van Meter, Kendall, Werner), New England (Granite City), the Mid-Atlantic (Colonial, Turtle & Hughes, State Electric), Texas and the South (Dealers, Elliott), and the Great Plains (Border States). Some states — Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington — have effectively no independent of scale headquartered locally, and contractors there rely on parent-owned brands or on national independents like Nassau National Cable that ship directly.

Second, size and independence are not opposites. Border States (6th largest in the U.S.), Van Meter (15th), Dealers Electrical Supply, and Turtle & Hughes are all top-25 distributors nationally. Employee ownership, in particular, has proven a durable alternative to acquisition — Van Meter, Border States, Dealers Electrical, and Kendall Electric are all 100% employee-owned, and each has grown its footprint significantly through internal reinvestment rather than by selling to a Sonepar or a Rexel.

Third, specialization is a defense. The independents that have thrived through the consolidation wave tend to lead in a specific category: Nassau National Cable in e-commerce, Werner Electric in automation, Turtle & Hughes in integrated supply for Fortune 100 accounts, Elliott Electric in aggressive branch expansion with contractor-friendly pricing, Loeb Electric in national accounts services for enterprise brands. Being the best at one thing has proven a stronger moat than trying to be a full-line generalist.

Choosing an Independent for Your Work

For contractors sourcing daily stock, the local independent — where it exists — is usually the best partner: shorter drives to will-call, direct relationships with the branch manager, and pricing that reflects your account rather than a national algorithm. For specialty needs, national independents fill the gaps: wire and cable in reel quantities from Nassau National Cable, integrated supply from Turtle & Hughes, automation controls from Werner or Van Meter. Most working electricians end up with two or three preferred suppliers — a local generalist, a national specialist, and a backup — because no single distributor covers every category equally well.