More than 100 guests enjoyed barbecue food truck fare, raffle prizes, a dunk tank and the opportunity to meet industry members face-to-face during an open house held March 23 at Apex Electrical Sales Inc. in Phoenix.

The manufacturers’ representative agency held the event as part of its 15th anniversary to thank customers and manufactures for their business and loyalty.

“I am really grateful for what the industry has done for the company, and our employees,” said Rick Kostewa, the agency’s owner and president. “This has gone beyond any expectation I ever had when I set out to work for myself.”

Stefanie Hadland, senior sales representative for Apex Electrical Sales said she was “overwhelmed” by how many people came out to attend the open house.

“We really appreciate the many people who came out to celebrate with us,” she said. “It was very cool to see.”

The event’s dunk tank raised $650 for the Arizona Animal Welfare League’s no-kill shelter. Guests also participated in fun and unique activities like a Flir photo booth, which captured photos of guests’ heat emissions with a neon Apex Electrical Sales sign in the background. Giveaways included various industry-related items, a golf bag and more, which guests could have a chance at winning through a raffle and balloon-pop game.

Kostewa, who grew up in the industry, founded the agency in 2002 with a strong industrial and heavy commercial focus. Today, Apex Electrical Sales has evolved to serve residential, utility, renewable energy and just about every sector in Arizona and southern Nevada. As well, the agency’s staff has grown from just Kostewa to a team of 16.

“The strength of our company really is the people we’ve assembled over the years,” Kostewa said. “We’ve got a really great team and our interaction with customers has been phenomenal.”

Kostewa also said he is fortunate to have the opportunity to represent industry leaders.

During its first year in business Apex Electrical Sales represented Heritage Plastics, Raychem and ERICO (CADWELD) lines, which Apex is still partnered with 15 years later. Rooted in the electrical industry Apex Electrical Sales’ partnerships have grown to include Eaton’s B-Line, Bussmann, Crouse-Hinds, Cooper Power and the Wiring Devices series, FLIR, Gardner Bender, Calterm and Sperry Instruments.

Also among Apex’s partners are Honeywell’s E-Mon energy monitoring products and its thermostats, Lew Electric floor boxes, ILSCO connections, LENOX, IRWIN, Dymo, and Rubbermaid Commercial Products as well as commodity lines such as Oldcastle, Perma-Cote, United Fiberglass, United Poly Systems and most recent additions Allied Tube and Conduit, and AFC Cable Systems.

Tom Eslick, vice president C&I southwest for Sturgeon Electric Company, has utilized Apex’s expertise in material solutions since 2002 and said his company has won projects based upon Apex Electrical Sales’ ability to provide “outside the box thinking.”

“Each of our Arizona business units, Phoenix and Tucson, have relied upon Rick’s knowledgeable staff to make sure our estimators, project managers and field staff are kept apprised of the latest in technology and labor-saving products,” Eslick said. “We really appreciate their responsiveness.”

Apex’s mission statement is to “strive for honesty, integrity, and to aggressively grow each manufacturer’s sales as much as possible through our electrical distributor, engineering, and end-user partners that have become a critical part of our success.”

Kostewa said it was wonderful to have so many of the agency’s factories in attendance at the open house, so customers could meet with them directly and interact with “the power behind the agency.”

“We’d like to thank everyone who came out,” he said. “We will continue to improve in the areas where we need to and continue to represent the best in the business.”

He added, “We want people to be proud to have us as their rep – whether it’s a manufacturer, distributor or end customer – and we want them to feel good about working with us.”