BRAMPTON August 20, 2024 – William (Bill) C. Smith, Director, Transitional Business of Electrozad Supply Company Limited announced his retirement as of August 30th, 2024 after 49 years of leadership.
Bill began his electrical career working part-time at Electrozad Supply while completing a Sales & Marketing Program at St. Clair College. After his first full-time position in the industry with State Electric in 1974, Bill started working full-time with Electrozad in 1975 and has worked his way through each department and function of the organization over his career.
“For a short, skinny kid with long hair, coming out of St. Clair College, that worked at Electrozad part-time—that didn’t want anything to do with this industry—I soon became the S.O.B. (the “Son of the Boss”) and learned from the ground up,” Bill said.
In April 1992, Bill was appointed President of the Electrozad Group of Companies with locations in Windsor, Chatham, Sarnia, and London. In 2022, Bill was appointed to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. After Electrozad was acquired by Sonepar in 2024, Bill was assigned the position of Director of Transitional Business.
Throughout his career, Bill’s leadership and professionalism have been exemplary. He has served in various roles, including Chairman of Copel, CEDA Board Member, EFC Director and Chairman of multiple committees since 1990, Chairman of the EFC Supply & Distribution Council (2000-2001), and Chair of the Canadian Division Board of Directors for A-D for eight years. He also contributed to the supplyFORCE Steering Committee. Bill has been an avid supporter of numerous charitable organizations, especially the United Way, the Electrozad Foundation and the Ozad Institute.
“When I think of Bill, I think of him as a welcoming face to the industry, as a person who is passionate about his industry, and as a person who has tremendous wisdom on industry matters,” said Carol McGlogan, EFC’s president & CEO.
In 2017, EFC awarded Bill the “2017 Industry Recognition Award”. Bill has influenced the electrical industry with strong leadership, investment in both people and organizations, strong ethics, energy and good nature.
Over Bill’s 49 years at Electrozad, he earned the respect and friendship of customers and suppliers, but the employees were family.
Bill’s leadership, guidance, laughter, jokes, kind-heartedness, wisdom and willingness to sit and listen when a talk was needed will be deeply missed. We wish you a long, happy and fulfilling retirement.
About Sonepar
Sonepar is an independent family-owned company standing as the world leader in B-to-B distribution of electrical equipment, solutions, and services. In 2023, Sonepar achieved sales of €33.3 billion. Present in 40 countries with a dense network of brands, the Group is leading an ambitious transformation to make its customers’ lives easier providing them with an omnichannel experience and sustainable solutions in the building, industry, and energy markets. Sonepar’s 45 000 associates are committed to accelerating the world’s electrification and driven by a shared Purpose: Powering Progress for Future Generations. www.sonepar.com
About Electrozad
Electrozad is the leading electrical distributor in Southwestern Ontario. Founded in 1955 in the City of Windsor, we offer a full range of electrical products, services, and solutions from world-class suppliers. As your trusted electrical and automation solutions partner, we offer extensive experience and technical expertise while providing the highest standard of quality products, service, and support. Our full line stocking facilities are in Chatham, Sarnia, Windsor and London, Ontario. We cater to the Automotive, Construction, Food & Beverage, Machine Tool, OEM markets, Petrochemical, as well as many other industries.