Steiner 1916 - 2006 and Beyond

Much has changed over the past 90 years. Steiner Electric has grown from a small office at 208 N. 5th Ave., to 115 N. Wells, to 210 S. DesPlaines, then to 1221 W. Washington Street on Chicago’s near west side, to spending over forty years at their fifth location located at 3500 N. Milwaukee Avenue. Finally transforming itself in its move to Elk Grove Village in 1982. Originally selling washing machines, refrigerators and other consumer goods as an “Appliance Dealer” to compliment the electrical supply business, Steiner, today, has evolved into products and services that were never imaged when founded by George S. Steiner in 1916.

The past 90 years has not been as kind to others within our industry. Most of the original locally owned electrical supply houses founded in the early 1900’s have either been acquired or are no longer in business. Names like, Englewood, Brook, Bright, Efengee Electric Supply, Metropolitan, Highland Electric, Otto Frankenbush & Sons, Excel, Electric Supply Company, Wholesale Electric Supply, and many others that once were part of the landscape have all disappeared. Others have started up and are still family owned today, but out of the “original” distributors there are only two that are still owned by the founding family….Steiner Electric Company is the oldest. What has enabled Steiner Electric to survive is our ability to meet the challenges the customers have presented by embracing change and consistently raising our ability to provide solutions.

The transformation of Steiner Electric actually began in the early 70’s when we closed our lighting showroom, officially changing our image, leaving no question that Steiner is a totally focused OEM / MRO Distributor. In 1980 we developed our Automation Department by providing specialized factory floor automation products and services that include, PLC’s, drives, sensors, HMI, motion control and others from leading manufacturers to service the changing needs of our customers. The highest quality manufacturers solutions to enable our customers to remain competitive in the “flattening” of the world that we are experiencing. In the mid 1980’s, Steiner applied the same dedication to the contractor market. As a result, we have a team of Lighting & Gear Specialist and full service Will-Call counter at every location.

The reinvention, or better yet transformation, has taken many forms…and continues to this very day. The most obvious has been Steiner’s willingness to locate a branch to meet the needs of a local market. The first branch in 1979 in Rockford, 1980 the St. Charles location, Gurnee in 1983, to Chicago in 92, South Holland in 1997 and our most recent location, Cyrstal Lake in 2007. Some of these were new operations, but others were the result of strategic acquisitions to enhance Steiner’s market position, product offerings and services.

With the addition of Excel Electric in 1992, Steiner became recognized as a leading motor repair shop and supplier for motors, drives and accessories, providing more services to our OEM and MRO customers.

The acquisition of Crown Industrial Supplies in 1999 enabled Steiner to fill the needs for cutting tool, coolants, abrasives and general industrial / maintenance supplies. This acquisition gives our customers a one-stop shop solution, effectively lower transactional costs……… “Taking Total Responsibility….and Taking it Very Seriously.”

In addition, in 1999, Steiner acquired Powertron a small generator service company, as part of a strategy to become the exclusive representative of Kohler Power Systems. We then partnered up with Leibert Corporation a few years later. This makes Steiner the only electrical distributor in the Chicago market, and one of three in the nation, to offer power solutions that include generators sales, service and rental, in addition to UPS and TVSS in a deregulated market that has seen costs escalading, and the need for reliability of critical power.

While adding products is important to servicing the customer, a key component is the support provided by Steiner. To accomplish this, Steiner has added application engineers and field support personnel to help the customer in selection and implementation of critical and specialized solutions. This is not a separate entity within Steiner Electric, but a component that compliments and supports the general sales team. All levels of customer support is empowered to take responsibility to ensure that the customer will have the correct cost effective and competitive solution.... helping them to be the best for their customer.

While providing basic electrical supplies is still at the core of Steiner’s business, no other distributor has invested as much additional value over the past 30 years in as many areas that has become necessary in the basic operation of a business. What the next 90 years will bring are difficult to tell as it was in 1916, but you can be assured that whatever it is, Steiner will continue to be the market leader by finding new ways to help our customers find solutions……and continue to be your preferred source.