AD REWARDS PROGRAM
Tammy Kirby – Vice President, Gimpel Electric Supply Ltd
Tammy Kirby stepped into her role as Vice President of Gimpel Electric Supply Ltd. in 2019. After obtaining her commerce degree from Western University, she joined the long-standing family business in 2001, offering a unique perspective to the established industrial and commercial distributor business, performing purchasing, sales, and accounting roles during her 20 years with the company.
Gimpel Electric Supply has deep historical roots in the Quinte Area. Electricians and brothers, John and Joe Gimpel, enjoyed fishing during their weekends away from Toronto in Prince Edward County in the 1960’s. They soon established many farmer friends in The County, who were calling on them for their expertise in the electrical field. The Gimpel brothers were unique electricians in that they recognized the wisdom of keeping a large inventory of their own electrical material at home, which enabled them to service their growing industrial customer base in the Trenton area. When a line went down in a local plant, the Gimpel’s not only had the part to get the job done, but the knowledge to do it as well.
The Gimpel’s soon realized there was a market for an electrical distributor in the area, and they hung up their tool belts to establish Gimpel Electric Supply Ltd. in 1976. Gimpel has always been known as the distributor that has it on the shelf. Not adhering to the popular just-in-time inventory strategies of the nationals, Gimpel Electric maintain their commitment to being a full line stocking distributor with their vendor partners, to this day. When Joe’s son Karl – who is also an electrician by trade – took over the family business in the ‘90’s, he had the vision to expand and increase the branch size to 35,000 square feet at a new location in the Downtown core. In addition, he helped establish a successful retail lighting showroom with the creation of Beams Lighting.
Another unique strategy that the Gimpel’s employed, was their partnership with quality suppliers. Their membership in Ontor, Seabell, IED and now AD Canada, cemented their focus on only offering the very best product that the industry has to offer – they did not support the many fly-by-night start-ups out there. Joining up with fellow Independent Electrical Distributors across Canada enabled their sole location to successfully leverage best in Canada business practices with fellow like-minded independent entrepreneurs in the industry.
The AD Rewards program has been an incredible tool to reward Gimpel’s loyal customers with incentives to purchase from participating AD Reward Suppliers. The point system offers a strong pull-through for customers to commit their support to both the branch and the supplier. Handing the customer their AD Reward gifts at the branch cements the mutual feeling of loyalty and keeps the relationship strong.
Changed from: When Joe’s son Karl took over the family business in the ‘90’s, he had the vision to expand and increase the branch size to a new location in the Downtown core to 35,000 square feet, in addition to establishing a successful retail lighting showroom with the creation of beams lighting.
