Cairns Electrical Wholesalers
By Richard Mead.
This article appeared in Electrical Gems Issue 82, December—January 2008
Living proof that life's not all sun, sand and surf in the tropics.
Anyone who thinks the laid-back lifestyle that some tropical resort towns are famous for permeates to all levels of the local population has never done business with Cairns Electrical Wholesalers. This progressive, hard-working company has a reputation for taking on the challenges others won't.
Sunny North Queensland, it's most people's idea of paradise. Miles of golden sun-swept surf beaches, sipping ice-cold beer beneath swaying palm trees, yachts gently gliding across the clear, turquoise waters of the Great Barrier Reef... But before I get too carried away here, there is another side to Cairns that the tourist brochures don't take you to.
As well as the perennial tourist boom, Cairns is enjoying a building boom. And a busy building industry usually means a busy electrical industry. As a result, Cairns has a very strong competitive market and one of the highest number of electrical wholesalers per head of population in Australia.
"We supply only brand name products, yet we are constantly told that if we don't stock an item or can't get it in for the customer, then it isn't made."
John Holzhauser, Owner, Cairns Electrical Wholesalers
Centrally located at 187 Newell Street Cairns, Cairns Electrical Wholesalers is proudly 100 percent locally owned and operated and a local company that understands the local market. In a region where a lot of building activity means heavy demand for materials, CEW was not satisfied to be just another electrical wholesaler. John Holzhauser, owner and managing director of CEW, explained how they found their point of difference in their willingness to take on the challenges that others find just too hard.
John is proud of the company's ability to carry more depth of stock than the opposition, and CEW's willingness to solve problems, particularly for their trade customers - problems that other dealers seemingly don't want to know about. "We cater for the areas that most of the others don't want to be in, as it's always too hard, and most of the contractors end up here for us to sort out the problems, or for the item that is too hard to find", said John.
"We carry one of the largest range of stocks in town, mostly many of the items that others don't carry. We supply only brand name products, yet we are constantly told that if we don't stock an item or can't get it in for the customer, then it isn't made," John added.
Cairns Electrical Wholesalers started in December 1991 as a partnership between founders John Holzhauser and Bob Korman. Then in November 2003, Bob retired and John bought him out. CEW now has a staff of 9, with two sections; one is Cairns Electrical Wholesalers, which caters for both small and large contractors. The other is Cairns Northern Lights, with a separate showroom specialising in (you guessed it) lighting.
"We have lighting consultants to help with lighting plans," explained John, "and we can advise on all aspects of your lighting needs. "We also cater for the domestic, industrial, marine, mining and commercial areas. We have a showroom for lighting, a separate trade showroom and trade counter for fast and efficient trade sales. And, we have trained electricians on staff to help with any problems that might come up," John added.
If the future of Cairns as a fast-developing regional city is anything to go by, the future for Cairns Electrical Wholesalers looks as bright as the lights they sell.