JD Martin Expands

The month of January saw a few rep mergers / acquisitions announced that inevitably have enabled some to expand into new territories. Some have expanded their offering such as Visual Interest’s acquisition of Trifecta. Obviously lighting, or supply, is a growth opportunity for an rep firm / agency to expand.

Another market that is drawing interest from manufacturers, distributors, and perhaps now reps, is the utility market.

Much resources are being invested into “the grid” due to aging, electrification, and environmental reasons. Some of these funds are in initiatives such as the IIJA (Infrastructure Bill). Other is driven by the EV “boom”. Grid “neglect” and the need to upgrade is well-known. Environmentally, California wildfires is stimulating authorities there to move utility lines underground. Same in Florida due to hurricanes.

Other key growth markets for many are data centers, EV infrastructure and battery manufacturers and solar.

So, “follow the money.”

Recently JD Martin announced the merger / acquisition of Broomfield Lamb Holman (BLH), which is a medium and high voltage power rep firm in the Southeast. Key manufacturers include ABB, Hitachi Energy, Shawcor, Electro Switch, G & W, and others. They provide solutions for industrial, construction, data center, solar, and utility applications for their clients.

Having had some exposure to this market, they market can buy through distributors as well as direct.

JD Martin Acquisition

From the JD Martin press release:

“Greg Baker, CEO of JD Martin, and John Broomfield, President of Broomfield Lamb Holman (BLH), are pleased to announce the two firms have joined forces, effective January 5, 2024.

The alignment of BLH and JD Martin provides local channel partners and customers located in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Florida’s panhandle access to an expanded range of industrial, commercial and OEM portfolio of products, a team of dedicated specification experts along with an expanded sales force focused on delivering an exceptional customer experience.

Broomfield shared, “Bruce and I, along with the entire Broomfield Lamb Holman crew, are excited to join forces with JD Martin and their solid team of proven performers. This partnership offers a “powerhouse” within our market areas. One that allows both companies to excel and deliver best in class service to the customers we collectively serve. Our shared core values and similar cultures ensure we are well positioned to move forward.”

BLH, which was established in 2001, will continue to operate as an independent operating company (OpCo) and service an existing customer base with a focused effort to grow. The current leadership team, organizational structure and staff will remain intact while adding local headcount and increased service capacity within existing markets. John Broomfield and Bruce Lamb will act as Principals of BLH while Brian Camera will hold the position of President.”

Takeaways

• Expansion to further support these higher growth markets (industrial, solar, data center, utilities, EVs) makes sense as does further investment into the growth Southeast.
• As a rep, expanding into this market requires personnel with engineering expertise and contacts. Acquisition is the way into the market. This deal also highlights that there are other “electrical” segments that reps, and distributors, can explore, especially to be more “full-service” to their manufacturers, to distributors, and to applicable end-users.