Celebrating 25 years of significant growth in the Florida and Georgia markets in 2024, Sonepar subsidiary World Electric made a slew of leadership appointments following a busy stretch of activity. In the past three years, the electrical supplies distributor has acquired Electric Supply (Florida) and Advance Electric (Georgia), opened two new branches — with two more on the way — and built a 260,000-square-foot distribution center in Hialeah Gardens, FL.

The company said the following leadership appointments will help drive Tampa, FL-based World Electric’s continued growth:

• Brandon Cox, in his 24th year at World Electric, has been named Vice President of Sales-Central and West Florida. Cox and his team will be responsible for accelerating sales growth including new markets such as Solar and EV, new customer acquisition and expanding growth with current customers.   
• Ben Austin, who joined Sonepar 12 year ago, has been promoted to VP of Supply Chain, responsible for supply chain and operations for Georgia and Florida. Austin manages all logistics including the Regional Distribution Centers, branch warehouse operations, transportation and safety. 
• Jim Paolucci, who came to World from the Siemens sales organization, has been hired as Director of Gear Sales for World Electric. In his newly-created role, Paolucci will be responsible for growing all sales in the gear category; developing services and solutions that deliver a differentiated value proposition to our customers; and developing internal gear specialists to increase our technical capabilities. The company said Paolucci’s expertise in gear will position World Electric in services and solutions, new industrial markets and project management.   
• Kevin Massey is now Director of Lighting Sales. Also in a newly-created role, he will be responsible for growth and expertise in the lighting category as well as project management and software solutions. 
• Gabino Martinez, has been promoted to Director of Operations, South Florida. In this expanded role, he will focus on all South Florida warehouse and regional operations.