Yusen Expands into Western NY

Welcome to New York. That’s the sign on I-90 West as the Massachusetts Turnpike ends and you enter into New York. It’s also the road more electrical distributors and electrical reps will be taking.

Many New England distributors and reps are known for covering a six state region (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut). And, for those that don’t know, New York historical has been two rep territories … Upstate New York and then New York City, Long Island and Northern New Jersey.

Last year Green Mountain made a number upstate New York distributor acquisitions. Granite City also expanded into the market. Some others have been acquired. HZ Electric already had locations in the area.

And, where electrical distributors go, so go electrical reps. In some cases due to generational change, in other cases, opportunities arise. Recently Osterman Fox reversed the trend and expanded, via a merger, with Apogee Solutions Group.

Whether agency expansion is driven by companies seeking to expand their reach or responding to supplier requests, one never knows … (which came first, the chicken or the egg?)

Now comes news that Yusen Associates is expanding into Upstate New York.

According to its press release:

“Yusen Associates, a New England based Manufacturers rep since 1927, is excited to announce our expansion into the Upstate New York territory. The newly formed Syracuse, NY based division will be called Yusen-NY.

Yusen-NY’s Regional Manager will work directly for Joe LiPuma, President of Yusen Associates. The division will have a locally based outside sales team.

Starting June 1st, Yusen-NY will represent Lutron Electronics, MaxLite, and Panasonic Ventilation. Another manufacturer will be named later this month.

“We are excited to represent 4 premier manufacturer brands in a well-established territory”, said Joe LiPuma, President of Yusen. “We have represented these 4 manufacturers for more than a combined 85 years in the 6 state New England Market, with over 96 years in business. With current Distributor, Manufacturer & Rep consolidation, this expansion is a natural progression for Yusen. We are looking forward to working with the strong Electrical Distribution network in New York. We understand the need for a local sales force and are fully committed to that. One of Yusen’s value propositions has always been the ability to have enough salesman to regularly visit branch locations, we will do the same in New York”.

In speaking to Joe he shared that he has spoken to a number of distributors in the market and assured them that Yusen is committed to the local market with a local salesforce. He commented that he would welcome resumes from those with electrical experience that are looking to joining a market leading manufacturer rep agency that is committed to investing into its associates. Click here to reach Joe, if you are interested.

Having grown up in Massachusetts, and the knowing sports rivalries between Boston and New York, I can say that the evolution of these two markets isn’t too unexpected, especially since it is distributor driven. Now, to think that distributors, or reps, would move south into NYC? I wouldn’t take that bet! Them New Yorkers are different (and the “New Yorker” term is an NYC term, not an upstate term!)