From data centers to power generation and infrastructure, mega projects are creating significant opportunities across the electrical industry. But delivering these projects takes more than access to products. It requires early planning, close collaboration, reliable supply chains, and the ability to adapt.
At the NECA Trade Show in Las Vegas, Trade Hounds CEO David Bauders sat down with Sean Grasby, Senior Vice President of Construction & Energy Solutions at Wesco, to discuss how distributors are responding. Their conversation covers everything from securing materials and streamlining project logistics to using AI and developing the next generation of talent.
Read their conversation to learn how Wesco is evolving its approach to support contractors and meet the demands of today's largest projects.
Last year, when we were together, we were talking about the mega project and how that continues to grow across infrastructure, data center, and power generation projects. I think we've learned a lot over the last year working with our key customers and really refined our offering, making sure that we're meeting the needs of customers both now and into the future.
Well, I think what was a bit of a Wild West is getting more refined and more polished, and we continue to build on lessons learned so we can bring those forward to the next project.
I think it really tends to come back to a couple of key things. More proactive communication and planning together make all the difference. The idea of collaboration versus protectionism: it takes a lot of people and a lot of different facets to get a big project like these done. The more we can work together and collaborate earlier, the better.
Then there's the power of data as it relates to the planning process and making sure we know where we need to be and when. But also, on the supply chain side, it's not enough to know when you're going to need the material. As distributors, we're working hard with our manufacturing partners to secure production volumes to match in advance, not just placing those orders and waiting on lead times, but trying to drive a differentiated outcome as it relates to lead time, getting the right key product in advance, and making sure we've got a secured pipeline to meet those needs.
Well, I think it's not only the contractors, but it's also working with end-user relationships as well, understanding their long-term needs, not at a project level, but at a programmatic level, and making sure that we can be a part of securing those critical products over the long term.
That way, contractors have one less thing to worry about. They know where they can get that product, it's dedicated to that end user, and the materials are one less thing to worry about.
Then helping to feather in all the ancillary components that need to be done, whether it's owner-furnished or direct supply from the distributor. There's a lot of different facets that need to come together.
I would say what's interesting about owner-furnished is that, on the scale and scope of what they're buying, they're also trying to effectively secure production space with manufacturers for the products they need. Working early in that owner-furnished purchase makes a big difference.
But what's also been a big learning is that, working with Wesco and our advanced supply chain solutions, just because it was sold early on doesn't mean that's necessarily the best way to execute on the job site.
Working with our advanced supply chains and our kitting, staging, and prefab locations can become a great cross-docking opportunity, making sure we're staging it for when the end user's job site actually needs it. Beyond the benefit of buying direct and making sure they got what they needed, the design process aligned, and production secured, we know that when it all needs to come together on the job site, we can help to articulate that final mile.
I think what we used to do isn't good enough anymore. What we need to be doing in the future is just that: more planning, more proactive support on sourcing and supply, helping on the design product, and really enabling a better, data-enriched experience. That's where we're seeing the differentiation happening.
For a data center, we can take the medium-voltage cable, have it all cut to length, terminations installed, where they can put it on site and pull that wire exactly where it needs to be.
It'll lay out exactly where all the terminations need to be done, and it makes it real easy. You're not managing multiple reels on a job site, and you're not needing to cut to length, cut and terminate, and then bolt it in. Those things can all be done in advance so the install is that much easier. That's a great example.
There's a lot of kitting and staging. The last thing a busy job site needs is more clutter, more garbage, or excess product that's not needed yet. So the timely delivery of those things, kitted, staged, and prepped in whatever way they need to be, matters as well.
I think selling in general is evolving, and I think it's underpinned by the power of data to start, understanding what we can bring forward from prior learnings into the next projects and applying those things.
I think AI is actually really enabling us to do a differentiated level of data and prep, gleaning insights from that and working with the different platforms and partners. Many of our contractors, and some are very evolved in the space, want to be able to easily integrate, easily source, and find information using agentic AI to go out and find the information they need for different jobs. We need to make sure that we're meeting them where they're at.
Not every contractor is at the same place. So, continuing to be easy to work with, trying to be on the leading edge where we can, and meeting those partners where they are, while also leveraging our own AI tools and making those available to other contractors who haven't maybe made the investments yet but can still benefit from those types of insights and tools.
Well, the one that I'm really intrigued by is agentic AI, where contractors are using AI tools to go out and source products, look for options, look for inventory levels, and even add value by cross-referencing different products against one another.
Again, that, as a distributor, changes the way we need to think about how we optimize ourselves. It's not for the person picking up the phone and calling us. Our websites, our digital footprint, and the quality of our data need to be optimized in partnership with our manufacturing partners to make sure that we can tell that story online, that customers can find the answers they're looking for, and that the first-pass AI tool can help them get the initial answers they need.
When I think about AI, I think what we're seeing now is that answers are easy to come by, but asking the right questions becomes the real magic.
I think that's the evolution in selling: asking the right questions and making sure that we're providing the right information to get to the right outcomes.
A lot of people are leaving the industry, and with them goes a lot of individual, anecdotal knowledge that's stuck between their ears.
I see AI playing a key role helping us institutionalize that information and knowledge. That's another data set that we're really trying to build out currently.
Through some structural alignment, we're making sure that technical expertise doesn't need to sit with the relationship owner, but sits in a support model that allows them to be relevant on any ask that a customer brings forward.
But also, how can we take those 30 or 40 years of experience from somebody who's been with us a long time and has really created real value for customers on a one-to-one basis? How do we internalize and institutionalize that knowledge so that many team members across Wesco can bring that information to one, and one can get the benefit of information to many?
Well, our ideal customer is one that's working on mega projects, typically somebody who travels well, so that regardless of where they need to be tomorrow, that Wesco W on the wall is a familiar sight for them. We show up in a way that's consistent and repeatable, delivering on their experience.
But again, where there's a level of scale, there's a level of complexity in the project. I think that's where we really shine. I think that's where we've got a unique offering. Trying to be great with those contractors matters the most.
There's definitely a lot. And I think what we're realizing is we've got two opportunities. The first is those customers that do give us the opportunity to serve them every day: learning from them, asking good questions, and asking how we can do better for them. But then also getting to know others that look more like that and making sure that we can expand that value proposition.
And to think we would be relevant to everyone everywhere is a great way to disappoint customers. But to know who we can do a really good job with, get keenly focused on that customer group, understand their opportunities and their needs, and really refine our model and how we execute there, I think is where we're going to see our path of growth and opportunity to add value.
In fact, we were excited to announce that we were the inaugural executive sponsor of the ELECTRI apprenticeship program, and we've re-upped again for a fourth year.
We've had 155 apprentices go through that program so far, and we're about to recognize them here at the conference, which I think is fantastic. And we've re-upped again, so another 54 or 55 will go through that program this year.
We're excited to be a part of that program. We think it's fantastic. And what I think is really compelling about this program is it's not necessarily people looking to start their career, but people who are maybe looking to change their career. This apprenticeship program is a really great way to fast-track the knowledge and expertise you'd need to be able to project manage in this industry.
As mega projects grow in scale and complexity, opportunities are emerging for distributors to play a more strategic role in supporting customers. Those that invest in early planning, collaboration, data, and services that help contractors manage materials and labor are better positioned to differentiate themselves and deliver greater value.
For Grasby, that evolution also means looking ahead: finding new ways to use AI, preserving the knowledge of experienced employees, and investing in the next generation of industry talent. Ultimately, it's about continuing to find better ways to support customers today while building the capabilities needed for the projects ahead.
Watch the full conversation with Wesco’s Sean Grasby below for more insights on the future of mega projects, the evolving role of electrical distributors, and how technology is shaping the industry.