Greaves recently joined NAED as a manufacturer member. Quite frankly when I saw the brief announcement I was taken back for two reasons. First, most of the announcements I see from NAED regarding new members are software providers or small, niche, manufacturers and here was a name, quality, manufacturer who hadn’t been a member and was now joining. Secondly, I was surprised that the announcement was relatively cryptic with nominal insights about the company and I’m thinking “here is a quality manufacturer joining the distributor association and getting limited incremental visibility to the membership.”

So, knowing Matt Strand, as he is a member of the NEMRA Strategic Advisory Council, I reached out and asked him some questions about why he joined NAED, especially at this stage of the company’s development, what he hopes to get from it, and to share more about the company.

Who is Greaves and NAED as a Listening Post

Matt shared:

“At a high level, Greaves is a U.S.-based, family-owned manufacturer of electrical connectors, grounding products, and power connection solutions. We’ve been around since 1947, but I think the more relevant story is what Greaves represents today: domestic manufacturing, engineering responsiveness, and speed-to-serve / speed-to-solve in a market where lead times and supply-chain reliability have become real commercial issues.

I like to tell our team that we’re the world’s oldest startup. We have a long history, but we are constantly hungry, constantly learning, and constantly remaking ourselves around what the market needs next.

Our primary business has always been through electrical distributors, supported by our manufacturer reps. We decided to join NAED now because we want to be more active and more visible in that community, and because we want to give our reps another platform to start important conversations with distributors. Greaves has been a NEMRA member for decades, and reps are the backbone of our sales presence. A good rep does much more than introduce a line card. They translate the manufacturer’s capabilities into distributor value. They know which branches are serving which contractors, which distributors are project-focused, where inventory matters, where a technical solution is needed, and where a manufacturer can step in and help win business. For Greaves, the rep-distributor-manufacturer relationship is central to how we go to market.

Distributors are not just customers for us — they are strategic partners, and they are part of the equation for how we ultimately serve the end user. They help us understand where the market is moving, where projects are developing, where contractors are running into problems, and where manufacturers need to support them better. Every time I walk into a distributor, I learn something new — and I hope they do too.

I like to think our job is not just to teach distributors why to buy Greaves products. Our job is to help them understand how to sell them. That means giving them the product knowledge, application context, competitive positioning, lead-time story, and technical support they need to create value for their customers. That journey, and the critical people within that channel, is why we joined NAED when we did. It was past time.

I see NAED adding value by helping us deepen those relationships, better understand distributor priorities, participate in industry conversations, and stay connected to the people and companies shaping the future of electrical distribution. For Greaves, NAED is not simply an association membership. It is a listening post, a learning environment, and a relationship platform. Greaves is fundamentally a teaching and learning company. We want to teach distributors about our products, where they fit, and how they help solve real field problems. But just as importantly, we need to keep learning from distributors: what their customers are asking for, where projects are getting stuck, where manufacturers are making their lives harder, and what it takes to be easier to do business with. NAED gives us a broader forum for that kind of exchange.

From a CEO perspective, the ROI of joining a distributor association is less about counting immediate leads and more about the relationships we are trying to build. We are looking for market access, credibility, friendly relationships, better intelligence, and stronger alignment with the channel. The longer I run Greaves, the more I see how interconnected this industry is. Everyone knows each other. Greaves buys from companies that are also competitors. They buy from us. Distributors are constantly trying to help their customers by getting manufacturers to support them better. At the end of the day, the goal is pretty simple: solve the customer’s challenge and delight them while doing it.

That is what I want Greaves to keep getting better at. If NAED helps us become a better partner to distributors — faster, more responsive, more informed, more useful to our reps, and easier to do business with — then that is a very real return.”

And not only did Matt respond but Mark Champney, Greaves’ National Sales Manager, and Shazia Arfin, who is responsible for their marketing, also added their thoughts.

Connecting at Conferences

Mark Champney, Greaves National Sales Manager shared:

“In my time at both Hubbel and NSI, I’ve participated in many regional and national meetings, and I recognize the value in these structured events. Often times, the NAED Eastern & Western are the only opportunity for top-to-top meetings and networking opportunities for executive leadership from manufacturers and distributors come together. I’ve also been a part of the LEAD conferences and have sent several direct reports to the Women in Industry forums which are outstanding professional development and networking groups. All of this can help Greaves as an organization increase our visibility and awareness within the industry.”

And Shazia Arfin, who will attend her first NAED Marketing Summit in August, commented:

“I believe NAED, especially the regional and niche meetings, will create valuable opportunities for Greaves to engage more directly with distributor management and strengthen relationships in the field.

Since Greaves is not part of AD, NAED gives us another important platform to increase visibility, build connections with distributor leadership, and create more face-to-face engagement between our team, reps, and distributor partners. I also believe these events will help us better understand distributor priorities and how we can continue supporting the channel more effectively.”

With the electrical connectors, grounding products, and power connection solution product categories dominated by conglomerates, Greaves brings a fresh, focused, family perspective to the business. They desire to find ways to say “yes” to support their reps and distributors to create profitable business for all.

Distributors who are not aware of Greaves should either reach out to their local rep to learn more or perhaps consider reaching out to Matt and/or Mark. I’ve linked to their LI profiles (they can add their emails in the comments section if they so desire.