FARGO, North Dakota – Border States Electric (BSE) sold its Juarez, Mexico, branch to ABSA del Norte, S.A. de C.V. (ABSA) and exited the Mexico market. The sale was completed on June 30, 2010. ABSA is an electrical distributor headquartered in Mexico with an existing branch in Juarez. In 2002, BSE sold its Chihuahua, Mexico, branch to this same company.
“After being in the Mexico market for 10 years, our Board of Directors concluded that the market would be better served by owners who are more familiar with and more focused on the market in Mexico,” said Tammy Miller, CEO.
In January 2008, BSE established a branch in Wentzville, Missouri, to provide third-party logistics (3PL) services for the undergrounding and reliability portion of AmerenUE’s “Power On” project. BSE closed the Wentzvillle branch on June 30, 2010, when the project was completed.
“This project was the first of its kind for us where we provided service but no product. The project was hugely successful for Border States,” Miller said. “It proved to be a great experiment which allowed us to develop and hone our 3PL services and expertise.”
BSE provides products and services to the construction, industrial, and utility markets. Active employees own 100 percent of the company under the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). With these changes, the employee-owned company now has approximately 1,300 employees and 58 branch operations in 13 states. BSE is the 9th largest electrical distributor and one of the 100 largest private ESOP companies in the United States. Corporate headquarters are located in Fargo.
