Meet Southwire

Dan and I were driving in the car the other day and took some time to laugh at ourselves.  Why were we laughing at ourselves?  We were reflecting on the time we received our first pair of Southwire pliers.  We were standing in his garage and opened a box from Southwire, which had a pair of pliers.  At the time, we thought they were innovative and seemed like good quality, but who the heck is Southwire?  We have never heard of them.  We did a little research and checked out their website and thought, okay this is cool, but we still don’t know who they are or any anything about their pliers.  This gets me back to why we were laughing at ourselves.  If we knew back then, what we know now, it might have been a little different reaction when we opened the box.  Over the past couple of months, we have learned a ton about this company.  Not too long ago, we were at STAFDA and had the opportunity to meet some of the people first hand and learn about the company.  Well, let me tell you Southwire is an incredible company and one we initially underestimated who they are and what they stand for.  So we thought to ourselves, how cool would it be to tell the Southwire story to the TIA Crew.   I am sure there are a ton of people who don’t know about this company.  Yes, there are those people who are going to roll their eyes and can’t believe we have never heard about them in the past and for those people, you have every right to roll your eyes.

Before I go on, I do want to let you know they are advertisers of ours and do support us.  However, that isn’t the reason we are writing this article.  We probably turn down more advertisers than we accept.  We only like working with and promoting companies who not only make some of the best tools but also go above and beyond with their business, which Southwire fits into this category.  We really want to give you an inside look at who Southwire is and why we like them.  This is truly an amazing company.

The Company

As the name implies, Southwire is located in the south and they deal with wire (well they do a little more than just wire).  Isn’t it nice when a company’s name truly represents their business?  Southwire is located in Carrollton, Georgia. Learning that a company that is in the trades is headquartered right here in the United States is a huge plus for me.  Southwire started back in 1937 when a young man started a business of erecting power poles.  As you can see, Southwire isn’t new to this world.  This is a company who has seen a ton of growth over the years.  In fact, the odds are you have their wire in your house or you at least pass by something every day where they have played a part in your life.  One in three new homes built in the US contains Southwire wire.  They produce half of the cable used to transmit and distribute electricity throughout the United States.  That’s a pretty impressive figure.  Southwire holds over 240 patents in 40 different countries.  Southwire developed the Southwire Continuous Rod® or SCR, a method for casting copper and aluminum rods. Today, half of the world’s copper rod is made using the SCR method.  Now this is just a fraction of what they do and a little bit about them.

I tell you these things to help paint a picture of who they are so you understand they are a very large company with an incredible resume.  They have been through bad and good economies and still have been able to survive while other companies have long disappeared, so they are doing a ton of things right in order to be this good.  Now when I found out how big they were, my first instinct was to check out their stock and research analysis of them.  Well to my amazement, they are not a publicly traded company.  Yes, they are a family run business which blows me away and I think is awesome.

I am not going to get into everything they do because I really don’t feel like writing an essay about them.  My main focus is on their tools.  I do think it’s important to tell you a little bit about them so you understand the company behind these tools.  This isn’t a small little company that is trying to pump out a couple of tools and make a buck.  They are making tools to assist people who use their wire and their other products.  They believe in creating tools to help professionals get the job done right and make their life easier.  So let’s jump into their tools.

The Products

Southwire has a ton of tools and a ton of different products.  You can check out their tools at southwiretools.com.  As you guessed, they have electrical tools.  They offer products such as accessories, cable pulling, cable cutting, bending accessories, levels, pliers, test & measurement, tool bags, hole making tools and a ton more.  Check out their site and you can see everything they offer.  When they jumped into the tool business, it wasn’t just about earning a buck or two.  They really wanted to make tools that helped the professional.  So they have created a wide range of tools for the pros.

I am not going to get into all the tools and get into depth on them because we will be showing off more of their tools on YouTube in the coming months.

The People

During the STAFDA event, we had the opportunity to meet a bunch of people who keep the wheels greased at Southwire.  I have to say I was taken back and impressed how everyone was so down to earth and so cool.  Now I am not sure if it’s that southern hospitality or the Southwire culture, but I have to tell you these people are great.  Personally, it’s probably a mixture of the Southwire culture and southern hospitality.  While we met a ton of people at the event, we had the opportunity to meet and also listen to Brandon Moss.  Brandon is President of the Tool & Assembled Product Division, so he is high up on the totem pole.  Talking with him one on one was pretty cool.  He is so laid back and I was so impressed by him.  He’s that guy you could kick back and watch the Florida Georgia game with and just hang out with.  When he talked about Southwire, you could see the passion he has for the company, as you could see with the other employees.  To me, this always says a lot about a company.  I always try to find out if employees view their position as a job or a career.

Another thing I kept hearing from Southwire was about the community and how important that is to the employees and the company.

The Community

Southwire volunteers a ton of time in their community and other communities.  Besides people volunteering around their areas, one thing that stood out was a program called “12 for Life”.  This is a very cool program.  I am not going to get into all the nitty-gritty because you can just click on the link and check it out for yourself, which I  would advise you to do.  What I like about this program is that they aren’t just giving money, they are actually taking it one step further.  12 for life is designed for high school kids.  Everyone knows that most kids who drop out of high school will have a tougher future.  Well, 12 for life is designed to help prevent this by letting kids put a little sweat and equity into their future.  So they designed and created a stand-alone manufacturing facility that is only run by high school kids.  The facility has their own teachers, classrooms, and labs.  So these kids not only get a wage and education but for this program, the kids will still be going to their high school and earn their diploma.  Here is the kicker to this program.  This facility contributes to Southwire and operates profitably.  Even better, this program targets kids who are at risk of dropping out.

Seriously, how cool is this program?  This is capitalism at it’s finest and I love it.  Here is a company who has targeted potential high school dropouts and helps give them a chance for the future.  These kids still get a diploma, but earn an income and learn valuable skills.  A company has found a way to create a facility to make a profit and keep this program open for the kids.  That is a win, win situation. What I like about this program is that they aren’t just giving money, they are actually taking it one step further.

Take some time and learn more about this program, it’s very cool – 12 for Life

The Bottom Line

Southwire is an incredible company and one that I was happy to learn about.  This is a company that produces a variety of different products and gives back to their community.  They are a US based company with a ton of manufacturing right here in the states.  I am not trying to sell you on their tools, but trust me when I tell you these are tools you want to take a serious look at.  My goal here was just to tell you about a company that I recently learned about.  The next time you pick up a tool, understand it more than just a tool, it’s what goes into the tool.  Each company has a different story and one you should know and understand who you are giving your hard earned money to.  I know when I pick up a Southwire tool, it’s more than just plastic or metal, it’s a company that shares my values also.  I love the dedication of Southwire, the passion from the employees and the idea of helping the trades and local communities.