Local businessman will receive national honor

On May 19, Bill Elliott, president of Elliott Electric Supply, will be presented with National Association of Electrical Distributors' highest honor - the Arthur W. Hooper Award. The award is presented "to an individual who has served the industry in an outstanding and unselfish way over the course of his or her career in the distribution of electrical goods." - "A Man of Honor" by Misty Byers, the Electrical Distributor, April 2009.

Elliott Electric is the 24th largest electrical distributor in the country with 98 branches, more than 800 employees and is approaching $400 million in sales.

The Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is proud that Bill Elliott chose Nacogdoches as home for his business and his family, and congratulates him for this most recent honor.

Elliott Electric was named Large Business of the Year by the Chamber in 2008. "Because of its impressive growth and importance to the community, Elliott is a role model for other businesses,” said Kim Luna Snyder, 2007-2008 Chamber chair.

Photo: Bill Elliott, left, and Billy Elliott, VP of Elliott Electric, accepting the Large Business of the Year Award at the 2008 Chamber Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet in Nacogdoches.
(Photo by Bruce R. Partain)

Why Nacogdoches?
Before he moved to Nacogdoches in 1972, Bill Elliott worked for his father’s company, Powerline Supply Co. in Bossier City, Louisiana, while studying music at Louisiana Technical College. He eventually worked full-time for his dad, and branched off in a separate venture with his brother. The urge to run his own company led him to Nacogdoches.

He had scouted the area and noticed there wasn’t an electrical supply house in town.

“I liked the area, and thought with my limited resources, it would be a good place to build a small organization and a great place to raise a family,” Elliott said.

With $20,000 of his own money and an $80,000 SBA-backed loan from Commercial Bank, Elliott and his wife Micky built a small facility on Shawnee Street. “We used chicken-house construction methods,” he chuckled.

Community contribution
After Micky’s death, Bill’s friend Wyndell Westmoreland encouraged him to honor Micky with a project at SFA. The bridge over Lanana Creek to the Azalea Garden is his tribute.

It is a fitting symbol for a company that has bridged from humble beginnings to an ever-expanding, successful corporation.