Education and Training Help Guide A.L. Pickens Projects

About A.L. Pickens Co., Inc.

A. L. Pickens Co., Inc. is an electrical manufacturer’s representative firm located in Louisville that serves the state of Kentucky and southern Indiana. It was founded in 1960 by Arthur L. Pickens. The agency focuses on innovation in products and solutions for the electrical construction and MRO industry. To do so, they utilize a team of sales professionals specialized in bringing value to the channel and ultimately the end user.

Fifteen Years Working Together for Success

A. L. Pickens and Champion Fiberglass have worked together for 15 years. A. L. Pickens is led by Principals Bill Thompson and Sam Booker. Bill Thompson calls Champion Fiberglass “a premier manufacturer” with great ownership and management.

The two companies enjoy a strong relationship. Says Sam Booker, “The Champion Fiberglass team is very responsive and proactive, especially in regard to lead times. National Sales Manager Scott Patchan and Regional Sales Manager Kent Brown always do what they say they are going to do. And we always appreciate Inside Sales & Marketing Analyst David Szyszka’s help following up on leads.”

Success in Distribution Centers, Airplane Hangars and Utilities

Champion Fiberglass and A. L. Pickens have partnered together on projects such as retail distribution centers, utilities, and an airplane hangar for a large delivery company.

One of the utility projects was the Edwardsport Power Plant in Indiana. For this project, fiberglass conduit enabled the contractor to install fewer duct banks, which saved material costs significantly.

Another included the TVA Powerhouse project. The conduit’s light weight enabled the contractor to preassemble duct banks in a warehouse and then install them in one piece. Preassembly saved time and saved the contractor from building outside at the project site. Champion Fiberglass also facilitated training conducted by Kent Brown.

For a delivery company’s 747 maintenance hangar, cables and conduit were installed underground. The contractor found the conduit’s weight to be extremely helpful in installing 8000 feet of 4” fiberglass conduit. Booker also cites the help of the Champion Fiberglass team for facilitating delivery of the product to meet deadlines.

For a retail distribution center, Champion Fiberglass conduit was used for EV charging stations for the delivery company’s vehicle fleet. Again, training led by Champion Fiberglass greatly helped guide installation of gasketed conduit for this project.

Overall, Bill Thompson explains, “Price points and lead times helped get fiberglass conduit in the door for consideration on these projects. Now six contractors use it and are pleased with its performance. They say they are not going back to previous materials such as heavy rigid 90s. Contractors love that the low coefficient of friction makes pulling easier.”

Education Fuels Success

What’s common in several of these projects is that installation required training for contractors unfamiliar with using it. Booker and Thompson say Champion Fiberglass is always willing to go the extra mile with product sampling and in depth training in these situations.

Says Regional Sales Manager Kent Brown, “The A.L. Pickens team has been eager and enthusiastic about Champion Fiberglass conduit since adding the product line fifteen years ago. Their continued education in the field has helped new customer projects reach successful conclusions and benefit from our valued engineering solution. It is always great to teach installers the ease of using our product.”