NAED

What NAED does

NAED (National Association of Electrical Distributors), legally operating as NAED Education & Research Foundation, Inc., is a U.S. non-profit trade association founded in 1908 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The organization serves electrical distributors and their employees by delivering education and certification programs (EPEC with 42,000+ graduates over 40 years, CEP with 140+ courses, a 12-month Leadership Development Program, and Green to Great Onboarding), proprietary industry benchmarking research (the annual PAR Report with 35+ years of history, the Cross-Industry Compensation & Benefits Report, and the quarterly Economic & Industry Sector Outlook covering 102 MSAs and 8 industry sectors), and digital tools (the X-Check cross-reference database with 400,000+ items from 700+ manufacturers, and the Connected Business Assessment).

The underlying technology stack includes an association management platform with an integrated learning management system (NAED Learning Center), a member-facing e-commerce storefront (NAED Shop), a member community hub, and digital assessment tools. Most recently, NAED co-invested with IDEA and Pull Logic to develop 'ProjectNexus' (Where's My Stuff?), an industry-owned middleware solution for supply-chain visibility across manufacturers, distributors, and contractors.

NAED's business model is diversified across seven primary revenue streams: recurring membership dues, annual benchmarking report subscriptions, quarterly economic outlook subscriptions, education program enrollments, conference and event registration fees, X-Check database licensing via the DATAgility partnership, and corporate partner sponsorships (notably from Hubbell and Schneider Electric). The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on industry presence, member referrals, conference engagement, and published thought leadership via the tED magazine and NAED Blog. Members receive substantial pricing discounts on most products, reinforcing the membership as the central commercial relationship.

Name

NAED

Legal name

NAED Education & Research Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://naed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NAED is a 115-year-old U.S. non-profit trade association serving electrical distributors through education and certification programs (EPEC, CEP, Leadership Development), proprietary benchmarking research (PAR Report, Economic Outlook), digital tools (X-Check cross-reference database), and supply-chain infrastructure initiatives like ProjectNexus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (4251)

SIC

Wholesale-Electronic Parts & Equipment, Nec (5065)

akta.pro primary industry

Network Access Control (NAC) (HDADABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) & On-Demand Connectivity (HDABALAE)

Keywords

• Electrical distribution association
• Industry benchmarking reports
• Trade association membership
• Electrical industry education
• Wholesale distribution data

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for electrical distributors providing access to benefits including education programs, research reports, networking events, benchmarking data, and member resources.
2. PAR Report Sales: Annual financial benchmarking report sold to members and non-members. The 2026 PAR Report is priced at $879 for members and $2,699 for non-members. Provides benchmarks for key financial categories including financial ratios, employee productivity, inventory turns, and invoice lines.
3. Economic & Industry Sector Outlook: Quarterly economic forecasting subscription covering overall economy, 8 industry sectors, and Construction Index across 102 Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Sponsored free to members for 2026; annual subscription $850 for members, individual reports available.
4. Education Programs: Revenue from EPEC (Electrical Products Education Course), CEP (Certified Electrical Professional), Leadership Development Program, and other training programs. Includes program enrollments, digital badges, and course materials.
5. Events and Conferences: Registration fees for national meetings, regional conferences (Western, Eastern), Marketing Summit, Lead Conference, Women In Industry Forum, and other industry events.
6. X-Check Program Licensing: Licensing of cross-reference and product relationship database to distributors integrated into their ERP and e-commerce systems through DATAgility partnership.
7. Corporate Partner Sponsorships: Sponsorship revenue from corporate partners who support conferences, educational training programs, and initiatives. Partners include Hubbell and Schneider Electric who sponsor the Economic Outlook.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NAED is a non-profit trade association serving U.S. electrical distributors, providing industry-specific education programs (EPEC, CEP, Leadership Development), financial benchmarking reports (PAR Report, Economic & Industry Sector Outlook), a cross-reference product database (X-Check), digital transformation assessments, conferences, and advocacy. Revenue is generated through membership dues, report subscriptions, event registrations, corporate partner sponsorships, and licensing of proprietary data assets.

Product overview

NAED (National Association of Electrical Distributors) is a trade association offering a portfolio of products and services including data & intelligence reports (PAR Report, Economic & Industry Sector Outlook, Compensation Reports), education and certification programs (EPEC, CEP, Leadership Development, Green to Great Onboarding), digital tools (X-Check cross-reference database, Connected Business Assessment), and industry initiatives (Digital Center of Excellence, Futures Group, ProjectNexus supply chain visibility). The core offerings center on industry benchmarking, workforce development, and digital transformation support for electrical distributors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EPEC (Electrical Products Education Course): Cornerstone sales and product training program for the electrical distribution industry, celebrating 40 years of operation.
• CEP (Certified Electrical Professional)
• PAR Report
• Digital Center of Excellence (DCoE)
• Futures Group
• Leadership Development Program
• X-Check
• Economic & Industry Sector Outlook

Products and services

• X-Check Cross-Reference Database A cross-reference database with over 400,000 items from 700+ manufacturers, integrating with distributor ERP and e-commerce systems to surface substitute, accessory, and related products for electrical distributors.
• NAED PAR Report Annual financial benchmarking report providing industry comparative data on financial ratios, employee productivity, inventory turns, and invoice lines across distributor segments; over 35 years of publication history.
• Economic & Industry Sector Outlook Quarterly economic forecasting subscription covering the overall economy, 8 industry sectors, and a Construction Index across 102 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, targeted at electrical distributors.
• EPEC (Electrical Products Education Course) Industry-specific sales and product training program with Bronze, Silver, Gold, Automation, Datacom & Video, and Lighting levels; now available in modernized EPEC 2.0 online format, celebrating 40 years of operation.
• CEP (Certified Electrical Professional) Sales certification program with over 140 courses across 13 competency areas, building customer relationship, prospecting, negotiation, and closing skills for electrical distribution professionals.
• Leadership Development Program A 12-month curriculum designed for developing leaders in the electrical distribution industry with educational content, case studies, coaching, assessments, and personalized capstone projects.
• Connected Business Assessment Digital readiness assessment tool with Change Readiness and System Readiness components (100 questions each) plus executive summaries and strategic recommendations to help distributors evaluate their digital maturity.
• Building a Connected Business Digital transformation roadmap and framework helping companies prioritize, plan, and implement digital strategies, with 21 opportunity profiles for optimizing processes and powering growth.
• NAED 2026 Cross-Industry Compensation & Benefits Report Comprehensive benchmarking report across the wholesale distribution industry with Excel data tables, expanded geographic compensation benchmarking, metro-area reporting, and Branch Manager compensation reporting.
• NAED Conferences and Events National Meeting, Western/Eastern Region Conferences, Marketing Summit, Lead Conference, and Women In Industry Forum offering registration-based networking and education for electrical distribution professionals.
• Green to Great Onboarding Employee onboarding program designed to inspire confidence in new employees and improve their ability to succeed through a high-quality professional experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• 42,000+ EPEC graduates trained in electrical distribution sales and product knowledge over 40 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IDEA and Pull Logic Joint VenturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026NAED Board authorized co-investment with IDEA and Pull Logic to develop 'ProjectNexus' ('Where's My Stuff?'), an industry-owned middleware solution for supply-chain visibility. The joint venture aims to replace manual tracking with system-to-system information sharing from manufacturers through distributors to contractor job sites. Collaboration involves NEMA, NECA, and NEMRA as 'The Alliance to Electrify America.'
• DATAgilitycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExclusive implementation partner for X-Check cross-reference database program. DATAgility delivers quality data sourcing, enrichment services, analytics, data normalization, score-carding, and synchronization services. Works with common ERP and e-commerce platforms used in the industry to implement X-Check solutions in days.
• Corporate PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate Partners play integral role in NAED success supporting conferences, educational training programs, and initiatives. Partners receive visibility and access to NAED member network. Sponsorships from Hubbell and Schneider Electric make Economic Outlook free to members for 2026.
• HubbellcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of Economic & Industry Sector Outlook making the quarterly report free to all NAED distributor members for 2026.
• Schneider ElectriccoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of Economic & Industry Sector Outlook making the quarterly report free to all NAED distributor members for 2026.
• EnableminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNAED Corporate Partner hosting webinars on rebate automation for electrical distributors. Enable provides rebate management automation solutions and partners with NAED for industry education.
• IDEA (Industry Data Exchange Association)coreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standards and industry data exchange. IDEA provides whitepaper on eBusiness strategy for EDI operations and supports weatherproofing supply chains through EDI transactions.
• NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of 'Alliance to Electrify America' collaborating on ProjectNexus supply chain visibility initiative alongside NECA and NEMRA.
• NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of 'Alliance to Electrify America' collaborating on ProjectNexus supply chain visibility initiative alongside NEMA and NEMRA.
• NEMRA (National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of 'Alliance to Electrify America' collaborating on ProjectNexus supply chain visibility initiative alongside NEMA and NECA.
• RepFilesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNAED partnership providing rep firm resources and representation services to member distributors.
• Association Education Alliance (AEA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAEA presents webinars including cybersecurity training for NAED members such as 'Stop Today's Hackers' session by IT specialist Michael Foster.
• Frost & SullivanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch firm that conducted the 2019 'Building a Connected Business' study that inspired NAED's digital transformation resources and Connected Business assessment program.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association): NEMA represents electrical equipment manufacturers and partners with NAED on ProjectNexus and industry initiatives; structurally similar trade association on the upstream manufacturing side of NAED's channel.
• NEMRA (National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association): NEMRA represents independent manufacturers' reps in the electrical channel and is a strategic partner of NAED within the 'Alliance to Electrify America'; comparable member-based industry association model.
• HARDI (Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International): HARDI is the analogous trade association for HVACR wholesalers, offering benchmarking, education, advocacy, and networking — structurally identical to NAED but focused on HVACR distribution.
• American Supply Association (ASA): ASA is the national trade association for plumbing, heating, cooling, and industrial PVF distributors; a near-clone of NAED's mission applied to the PHCP-PVF distribution channel.
• National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW): NAW is a trade association representing the broader wholesale distribution industry in the U.S., providing advocacy, education, and networking for member distributors — the closest analog to NAED at a broader industry scope.
• NAED-affiliated: Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA): PTDA is an association for power transmission/motion control distributors, applying the same trade-association model (membership, education, benchmarking, networking) to an adjacent industrial distribution segment.
• IDEA (Industry Data Exchange Association): IDEA sets EDI and data standards for the electrical and industrial distribution channel and co-owns ProjectNexus with NAED; it is a direct peer in industry data, standards, and supply-chain enablement.

Emerging players

• Affiliated Distributors (AD): AD is a member-owned marketing group for independent distributors across multiple trades including electrical; competes indirectly with NAED for distributor mindshare and serves a similar constituency with shared services and benchmarking.
• IMARK Group: IMARK is a member-owned marketing and services group for independent electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and industrial distributors; overlaps with NAED's distributor constituency by offering its own benchmarking, training, and peer networking.

Others

• NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association): NECA represents electrical contractors and is part of the 'Alliance to Electrify America' with NAED; adjacent rather than competing — together they span the distributor/contractor interface that ProjectNexus is built to serve.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@naed
• Xx.com/naed_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 NAED