CED Announces New President/CEO Kurt Lasher
by Wayne John: Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc. (CED) has named Kurt Lasher to the position of President and CEO effective August 17, 2012. Lasher takes over the position from Dean Bursch, who has been appointed Chairman of CED. Bursch will also continue his duties as both Chairman of U.S. Electrical Services, Inc., and Walters Wholesale Electric, subsidiaries of CED.
Lasher, 42, has worked for CED in multiple progressive roles. A native of California, he honed his managerial skills as a Profit Center Manager and was quickly recognized as a leader. Lasher was then named Tri-County Division Manager in Southern California in the mid-2000’s.
A promotion to Mid-south Region Manager and Gulf Coast Division Manager in 2006 allowed Kurt and his family to relocate to Grapevine, TX. In 2009, he was promoted to Southwest Region Manager overseeing six Division Managers and over 100 Profit Centers. As President and CEO, Lasher will continue the vision of CED owner Keith Colburn, with their motto of ‘Service, Integrity and Reliability.’
Since 2011, the company headquarters have been located in Irving, TX after a long residency in Westlake Village, CA.
CED was recently named #96 on the Forbes list of largest privately-owned U.S. corporations with revenues of $3.6 billion. The company has more than 500 locations, or Profit Centers, and 6,200 employees. CED has been aggressive over the past five years in acquiring key companies such as U.S. Electrical Services and Walters Wholesale Electric. This is most likely in response to foreign-owned companies such as Sonepar and Rexel (both from France) that have made a heavy push into the U.S. marketplace and have been successful in their own acquisitions.
