There’s lots of change going on in the industry, at all levels of the channel. Contractors are consolidating and being bought by each other and PE firms, manufacturers are buying each other (Hubbell and NSI, Prysmian and Atkore to name two and then others expanding their offerings that may or may not involve the electrical channel (Hammond and AEG, TE and Astrodyne TDI), distributors acquiring (EECO and Frontier, Rexel and Revere, Graybar three times this year) and diversifying (Rexel and Dee Electronics), and then on the rep side with Nexus Power receiving a PE investment, others acquired (JD Martin and New Century), and some moving into new territories.

You need a scorecard to remember the players and the changes!

Larry Rodger, President of ELA Synergy has been in the midst of this. His company, aside from growing organically and expanding its line card by attracting a number of high-quality lines, continues to grow.

And for those who don’t know Larry, aside from leading an agency in two of the largest markets in the industry (Philly and metro NY), he is also the current chair of NEMRA.

In this article he shares two announcements that impact what has become a key growth area for his business.

Synergy Grows in Metro NY and Long Island

“These days, the terms “consolidation” and “mergers & acquisitions” have almost flattened in meaning. Consolidation is everywhere in every industry. Mergers happen every day – the size and scope have increased as consolidation continues, and the ramifications intensify as a result. We often forget about the very real context and weight behind such decisions, or the years of discussions between leadership teams that result in a merger or a change in representation.

As the owner of an established family agency with a close-knit team culture, merging or acquiring another company is very literally the biggest decision you can make as a leader. Fortunately, my family agency, which started as Jacobson-Rodger Associates, has consolidation etched deeply into its history. It’s specifically why we rebranded to the name Synergy in 2001 after combining multiple legacy agencies into one team.

“Synergy” is another word that has lost a bit of its shine due to overuse. Its meaning, “the interaction of multiple elements to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate parts,” was pretty profound in 2001, and still resonates for our agency model each time I revisit it.

Our company mission has always been consistent: redefine the rep model and bring value to the customer with every interaction. We strongly believe that the best way to do that is with a well-rounded go-to-market strategy that includes a strong specification team, allowing early-stage project involvement and visibility, and a strong supply team that can support the project through completion – a model that we built over decades in Philadelphia and continue to build today in New York.

Our merger with ELA in 2024 and formation of our parent company, ELA Synergy, was a major leap of faith and signaled our unwavering belief in the multi-division business model we had built in Philadelphia. ELA brought significant strength in architectural lighting and specification, along with deep relationships and a longstanding presence in the New York market. Synergy brought its operational strength, marketing engine, expertise in controls, and deep roots in electrical wholesale distribution. Over the years, that reputation began to extend well beyond Philadelphia as our distribution customers expanded north into New York, creating a natural foundation for what we wanted to build there.

Together, we had a real opportunity to take the model we had already proven in Philadelphia and build it in the largest market in the country. Our leadership team’s belief that the specification-to-supply-to-service pipeline was the best possible go-to-market strategy for an agency became even more compelling as our two organizations came together. Our architectural lighting and controls team could be involved early, when projects were being designed and specified, while our supply organization could support the distributor and manufacturer relationships that ultimately carry those projects through completion.

Today, ELA Synergy is our parent company, with ELA and Synergy operating as complementary sides of the business. Synergy, the supply division, is the organization that will proudly carry our electrical supply strategy forward in New York.

Wired For the Future

My history in the industry is firmly on the NEMRA/supply side of the business. As the president of ELA Synergy with a focus on the Supply Division specifically, building out our supply organization in New York is one of the most rewarding parts of our company’s growth, and certainly of my career.

While the electrical industry of 1992, when I started, and the electrical industry of today look similar in many ways, there have also been tremendous changes. Operationally, manufacturers are starting to partner across larger footprints with agencies that can innovate, invest, and adapt to market needs at a quick clip. Incidentally, when the foundation of an agency is built on merging with like-minded companies and teams – innovation, willingness to invest, and adaptability is part of your DNA. Without those values underpinning your team culture, it’s difficult to succeed and longevity is compromised.

Built into our culture is a nagging insistence to do better than we did the day before, take care of our customers, and carry each manufacturer’s banner with excellence. It’s baked into the way we recruit new team members, train teams, build out new systems, and scale efforts.

So, when we were given the staggering opportunity to present a new business plan to Prysmian / Encore Wire for representing their brand in the New York market, we knew they were betting on more than the team we had in place in New York. They were betting on our vision, structure, experience and willingness to invest, and our ability to bring that same approach to a new market.

Effective September 1, 2026, Synergy will represent Prysmian / Encore Wire in the New York Metro market, including New York City, Long Island, and North Jersey.

Synergy has represented Encore Wire in Philadelphia since 2016, and the Prysmian line since it acquired Encore. Our established partnership has given us years of experience and alignment with their culture, values, mission, and expectation for excellence.

Expanding that relationship into New York is a natural progression for both organizations and a significant step in the strategy we have been building since the formation of ELA Synergy. This is the start of something we have believed in and worked toward for years, and it is not an opportunity we take lightly – which brings me to the next milestone for our supply team in New York.

Our Next Chapter with Gumersell Cashdan

At ELA Synergy, we also understand the inestimable importance of legacy and longstanding relationships. That understanding is one major reason that we strive to attract the best talent and, in special situations, the most established agencies looking to close one chapter and step into a new one.

In the case of our appointment to represent Prysmian / Encore Wire in New York, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss the future plans for Gumersell Cashdan with their ownership.

Like Synergy in Philadelphia, Gumersell Cashdan has a longstanding history and established name in New York. As such, we’ve held each other in high esteem for years as like-minded agencies, representing many of the same brands on our line cards and even sharing a tractor trailer that promotes both of our company logos. And because we were like-minded, we’ve been friends for many years.

The origins of Gumersell Cashdan began in New York City more than 90 years ago. For over three generations, they have represented quality, American-made electrical manufacturers, valuing integrity, diligence and best-in-class service above all else.

It is with great respect, pride, and excitement that I am able to announce ELA Synergy’s acquisition of Gumersell Cashdan.

Gumersell Cashdan is a major piece of the puzzle as we build out our New York supply organization. Their history and relationships in the market give us an established foundation to build upon, while the broader ELA Synergy organization gives the team additional resources and capabilities.

The Gumersell Cashdan business will move forward under the Synergy name, but we strive to maintain the connection to the Gumersell Cashdan legacy. There is enormous value in what has been built over three generations, and our goal is to carry that forward while continuing to invest in the people and capabilities needed for the next generation.

Supporting Our Distributors

Investment in people and technology has always been a cornerstone of our agency’s success, and we are actively following the same aggressive investment strategy in New York that has served us well in Philadelphia. We are building a team specifically for this marketplace, with the sales coverage, product specialists and operational support required to serve our customers and manufacturers at a high level.

Beyond the supply organization, our divisions will continue to work together for the benefit of all parties. We are not simply growing our line card or expanding our team. We are building the same kind of connected organization we have proven in Philadelphia, with specification and supply working together and with the right people embedded deeply in the market to make that model work.

Synergy’s partnership with Prysmian / Encore Wire and our acquisition of Gumersell Cashdan are major steppingstones, but our goal has always been the same: serve the customer and redefine the rep model.

We are bringing the supply roots and operating discipline we built in Philadelphia, the specification expertise and New York relationships we have developed through ELA, and a team that is hungry to build something new.

For our customers, that should mean one thing: a stronger partner, with more people, more expertise, more breadth, and more of the capabilities needed to help them win the next project.

When we chose the name Synergy in 2001, we believed that the combination of the right companies, people and capabilities could produce something greater than the sum of its parts. More than 25 years later, I still believe strongly in what we’re working toward, and I could not be prouder to bring Prysmian / Encore to market in New York under the Synergy name.

Larry Rodger, President, ELA Synergy

Thoughts and Takeaways

Congratulations Larry and the entire Synergy ELA team on earning the Prysmian / Encore line, your acquisition of Gumersell Cashdan and expansion in the New York market and taking New York from a small entry with your Pyramid acquisition to a powerhouse.

1. Knowing Larry and Synergy, this is the continuation, and execution, of a strategic plan. I’ve known Larry for many years. Some of these elements were 10+ years in the making but they were also based upon vision and seeing market trends. Over the years there has been much “movement” between the Philly and New York markets of distributors now serving the entire market rather than thinking of it as two; large contractors working both markets; lighting agents and other supply reps combining and more. What used to be NY/northern NJ and southern NJ / eastern PA (and Delaware) are now one.
2. The NEMRA Rep of the Future models, aside from Synergy’s vision and strategic plan, help operationalize plans for growth, and this will also enable business continuity. Combined, these help attract “the right” lines. Quality attracts quality.
3. In some markets size matters. In others focus matters. What matters most is a vision and execution. Together reps/agents can achieve their goals. A phrase I use is “not everyone wants world domination and be a super-regional or national rep, the key is understanding your vision and having a plan to achieve it.”