Graybar yesterday announced that it is expanding its presence in Oklahoma with the acquisition of Broken Arrow Electric Supply.

The company, which already had two locations in the state under the Graybar name, will be adding seven more under the Broken Arrow brand.

Broken Arrow Becomes Member of Graybar North American Subsidiaries

Becomes Member of Graybar North American Subsidiaries

Like its other eleven North American subsidiary businesses (excluding Canada), Broken Arrow will operate independently. According to others I’ve spoken with who manage within this model, the concept has worked very successfully with Graybar providing some input, especially from a financial guidance perspective, and maybe even helping on some of the back-office areas (accounting, HR, etc.) but has allowed local management to grow the business … effectively.

According to sources, the Broken Arrow deal was desired by a number of other national chains, indicating that Graybar either was a preferred acquirer by Broken Arrow management due to culture and management style or simply that they outbid for the business.

This is supported by input from Bruce Garner, CEO of Broken Arrow:

“Broken Arrow and Graybar share similar values, a people-focused culture and a long-term commitment to customers. Becoming part of Graybar allows us to preserve our distinctive culture while opening the door to new opportunities for growth, innovation and service.”

Kathy Mazzarella, chairman and president of Graybar commented that “Broken Arrow Electric Supply is a highly respected organization with a strong market position in Oklahoma. This acquisition complements Graybar’s business and enhances our ability to serve customers and accelerate growth in the region. We are excited to welcome the Broken Arrow team to Graybar and look forward to achieving long term success together.”

According to the press release, the company will “0perate under the Broken Arrow Electric Supply name with the same team, locations and suppliers” which provides continuity for customers, staff, and continued diversified marketplace presence for Eaton.

In 2022 Electrical Wholesaling Top 150 report, which would have 2021 sales, the company reported $102 million in revenue. Given commodity price increases, tariffs, market growth in Oklahoma (oil / gas, data centers), and other localized market growth … as well as research we’ve done in a segment of the Oklahoma market … company revenues were probably in the $150-170 million range.

2027 would have marked Broken Arrow’s 50th anniversary as an independent distributor but now it will continue under a strong, employee-owned organization that is positioned for continued diversified growth. While Graybar is strong in the contractor market, as is Broken Arrow, increased visibility to this geographic area will help Graybar increase its share in each segment of the Oklahoma market.

Congratulations to Graybar and Broken Arrow.

What does this mean for the acquisition market

• This marks the third significant distributor event this year – Wedco to Border States, Echo / Sonepar entering the Kansas City market via the acquisition of Shaw Supply. Are we on pace for repeating last year (3 this quarter = 12 for the year, a slight outpacing of 2025 but 50% of the past five years) or are things ramping up in a tough market being powered by the data center market?
• From an NAED viewpoint it is another independent member lost; however, other Graybar subsidiaries do continue to attend NAED events.