PARTICIPANT SPOTLIGHT

Kevin Powell

President • Summit Electric Supply

Big Dreams Drive Innovation For

Kevin Powell and Summit Electric Supply

In 2016, Kevin Powell was ending a six-month hiatus from a leadership role in the distribution industry. “I wanted to re-energize my brain with not only what was happening in the industry but also with what could happen in the industry,” he said.

For such inspiration, Powell turned to Dirk Beveridge, a longtime distribution consultant and the mastermind behind UnleashWD, the only innovation summit for distributors. This two-day conference curates world-class speakers from outside distribution and provides the perspective shift necessary to help distributors create sustainable, relevant and profitable futures.

Over the years, Powell had attended several industry meetings that Beveridge had moderated. Powell recalled: “Dirk’s moderation style was very engaging, exciting and progressive, and I felt that by attending UnleashWD that same mindset would be reinforced in me.”

It was.

“As I attended the summit, I was energized and excited. I knew distribution could be so much better than it is today,” Powell said. “I wanted to dream big and find a company where I could make those dreams a reality.” At the end of UnleashWD, Powell declared “Dream Big” as his personal motto, which he would use to define the next stage of his life.

“Dream Big” thinking eventually led Powell to talks with the owners of privately held Summit Electric Supply, an independent wholesale distributor of industrial electrical equipment and supplies, headquartered in Albuquerque, NM.

“I’ve known Summit’s CEO, Vic Jury, through the industry for many years. When we started talking, it was clear our goals were well aligned,” said Powell. “They were looking for innovative leadership. I was looking for an innovative team to lead.”

“I was really encouraged by being exposed to innovative ideas and thought leaders from outside the electrical wholesale distribution business. All too often we in the industry surround ourselves with ourselves. The summit reinforced the idea that big dreams can be implemented into reality.” – Powell

The dialogues continued and ultimately delivered clarity for both sides. “The conversations developed in a direction of what I could – with my combination of experience, creativity and that ‘Dream Big’ personality – bring to Summit to take a good company to an even better place,” Powell said. “It became very clear how my strengths complemented the strengths of the ownership and the direction they wanted to take the company.”

Summit hired Powell as its president in 2017.

He brought to the position impeccable educational credentials – an MBA from the University of Wisconsin and a baccalaureate degree in Industrial Engineering from Marquette University – as well as extensive experience. His career trajectory included senior sales engineer for an international manufacturer; inside sales, outside sales and branch management for a distributor; then executive positions within distribution as vice president and president.

Powell’s “Dream Big” mindset was the qualification that sealed the deal.

“There is a strong desire within Summit, which is a company in the top 20 in volume in the nation, and a belief that with big dreams and creative solutions, the company can be the innovator that is a market leader in more ways than just volume,” Powell said.

To achieve those big dreams, Powell focuses his innovative thinking on Summit’s culture. “We don’t sell products anymore; we sell solutions,” he said. “The products of our company are the people and the value they add in solving a customer’s problem, and the best solutions come from a culture of creativity.”

From Powell’s perspective, creativity springs from associates who feel valued and empowered. “They feel like they have ideas that can be expressed, considered, encouraged and acted upon and that they truly have a voice in what we can bring to the customer and what we can be as a company,” he said. “As opposed to this is a job where I come in and do my thing and go home.”

Powell’s philosophy of associate empowerment was strengthened at UnleashWD when he heard an Operation Desert Storm commanding officer discuss delegation and empowerment on the battlefield. By having a common objective, shared values and a specific battle plan, military leaders can make immediate decisions without asking for permission.

Powell saw parallels: “If we as business leaders have the same values, the same picture in our minds of the outcome and the same or similar inputs, we should come to similar conclusions without having to ask for permission. That to me is empowerment.” Feeling both valued and empowered himself in the top spot at Summit fuels Kevin Powell’s impact: “My impact has been taking those big dreams, creating a vision of what the future could look like and starting the process of putting the action in place to execute on those dreams.”

Powell’s inspirational spark to “Dream Big” happened at UnleashWD. “I was really encouraged by being exposed to innovative ideas and thought leaders from outside the electrical wholesale distribution business,” he said. “All too often we in the industry surround ourselves with ourselves.” He added: “The summit reinforced the idea that big dreams can be implemented into reality.”