What A Star Electric does

A Star Electric Co. is a manufacturers' representative firm that sells and supports electrical power-system equipment on behalf of a portfolio of third-party principals across the U.S. Midwest. Founded circa 1984 and headquartered in the Chicago metropolitan area (847 area code), the company operates exclusively as a sales agency and does not manufacture products of its own. It represents ten brands covering protection relays and automation (Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Omicron Energy, Synaptec), transformers and capacitor banks (Delta Star CC, Elgin Power Solutions), cables (Hellenic Cables, HICO America), testing and monitoring (CO7 Technologies, EDM Link), and moisture control (Drykeep). Its territorial coverage spans Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and eastern Iowa.

The company runs a sales-led go-to-market built on a field sales engineering team. Eight sales engineers are assigned to discrete geographic zones tied to specific investor-owned utility accounts, including Erik Hanssen (President, Exelon Com Ed coverage), Jeff Carlin (Vice President, NIPSCO), Thaddeus Hatt and Kyle Dorman (Michigan including DTE and ITC), Tom Gleason and David Golon (Wisconsin and Iowa), Larry Frazier and Dave Patterson (Indiana), Derek Engeln (Illinois south of I-80), and German Ibarra (Chicagoland). Inside-sales support (Lucy Lenardi, Thea Lenardi, Trish Bialas) handles quoting and PO processing. The firm is a member of the Equipment Representatives Association (ERA), and the apparent ownership structure is family-influenced, with multiple Lenardi family members in operational roles.

Revenue is generated entirely through sales commissions paid by the represented principals, in the structure typical of U.S. electrical-equipment reps; the company does not publicly disclose pricing or revenue. There are no disclosed investors, subsidiaries, M&A activity, funding events, patents, AI capabilities, or regulatory actions in the available record.

Name

A Star Electric

Legal name

A Star Electric Co.

Website

https://astareg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A Star Electric Co. is a manufacturers' representative firm that sells electrical power-system equipment from ten represented principals to electric utilities across Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and eastern Iowa, earning commissions through a field sales engineering team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Illinois City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Sales Commission / Manufacturer Representation: As a manufacturers' representative firm, A Star Electric earns commissions from the product manufacturers (principals) they represent. They do not manufacture products themselves but act as the sales and support arm for their principals in their assigned territory.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

A Star Electric is a manufacturers' representative firm that serves as the regional sales and support arm for ten third-party electrical equipment manufacturers in the Midwest. The firm provides field-based sales engineering, quoting, purchase order coordination, and ongoing technical support for utility customers across Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and eastern Iowa. Its revenue is earned through commissions on the equipment lines it represents rather than from products it manufactures itself.

Product overview

A Star Electric is a manufacturers' representative (sales agency) with over 40 years of experience serving the electric power industry. Rather than a single unified software product or platform, the company acts as a regional sales and support arm for a portfolio of third-party power equipment brands. Its product portfolio spans 10 represented brands covering power system protection (SEL, Omicron, Synaptec), cables (Hellenic Cables, HICO America), power conversion and conditioning (Elgin Power Solutions, Delta Star CC), testing and monitoring (CO7 Technologies, EDM Link), and moisture control (Drykeep). The team — spanning sales engineers, inside sales, and territory-based coverage across Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and eastern Iowa — provides technical sales support, quotes, and PO coordination rather than a proprietary product itself.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CO7 Technologies

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA Star Electric represents SEL products in their territory. SEL is a major manufacturer of protection relays, automation controllers, meters, and other electrical power system equipment.
• OmicroncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA Star Electric represents Omicron products in their territory. Omicron provides testing and diagnosis solutions for electrical energy systems.
• Delta StarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA Star Electric represents Delta Star products in their territory. Delta Star manufactures transformers and other power system equipment.
• HICO AmericacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA Star Electric represents HICO America products in their territory. HICO America provides power equipment solutions.
• CO7 TechnologiesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA Star Electric represents CO7 Technologies products in their territory.
• Elgin Power SolutionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA Star Electric represents Elgin Power Solutions products in their territory.
• Hellenic CablesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA Star Electric represents Hellenic Cables products in their territory.
• EDMIminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA Star Electric represents EDMI products in their territory.
• DrykeepminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA Star Electric represents Drykeep products in their territory.
• SynaptecminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA Star Electric represents Synaptec products in their territory.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• WESCO International: WESCO International is a Fortune 500 electrical, communications, and utility distribution company with a major utility-focused segment (WESCO Utility). It is comparable to A Star Electric because it sells electrical power system equipment to the same investor-owned utility customers in the Midwest, but at vastly greater scale and via a distribution model rather than a sales-rep model.
• Graybar Electric Company: Graybar is one of North America's largest employee-owned electrical, communications, and data networking distributors with a substantial utility customer base. It is comparable to A Star Electric because it supplies electrical power system products to the same utility customer segment across overlapping Midwest geographies, but as a national distributor with warehouses and inventory rather than a commission-based rep firm.
• Rexel USA: Rexel USA is the US arm of the global Rexel Group, one of the world's largest electrical distributors, with strong exposure to industrial, commercial, and utility markets. It is comparable to A Star Electric because it sells electrical power system equipment into the same utility customer base, though at national scale and through a distributor business model rather than a rep firm.
• Sonepar USA: Sonepar USA is the North American subsidiary of the global Sonepar Group and one of the largest electrical distributors in the US, serving utility, industrial, and commercial customers. It is comparable to A Star Electric because it supplies electrical power system products to overlapping utility customers, though as a national distributor with branch networks rather than a regional rep firm.

Regional players

• Border States Electric: Border States Electric is a 100% employee-owned regional electrical distributor serving electric utilities, contractors, and industrial customers across the Upper Midwest, Plains, and Western US. It is comparable to A Star Electric because it targets the same investor-owned utility customers (including in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan) with electrical power system products, though it operates a distribution rather than rep model.
• Van Meter Inc. Van Meter is a fourth-generation, family-owned electrical distributor serving industrial, commercial, and utility customers across Iowa and the broader Midwest. It is comparable to A Star Electric because of its overlapping Midwest territory (including eastern Iowa), shared utility customer base, and family-owned ownership structure, even though it operates a full-service distribution model rather than a pure rep model.
• Crescent Electric Supply: Crescent Electric Supply is a Midwest-rooted electrical distributor (founded 1919) serving industrial, commercial, and utility customers across the US. It is comparable to A Star Electric because of its Midwest heritage, utility customer focus, and broad electrical product portfolio, though it operates a branch-based distribution model rather than a rep model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about A Star Electric