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Baird Research: Distributors Expect Growth in 2026

William Attardi on November 30, 2025

In the exclusive tED magazine/Baird research for the 2025’s third-quarter, NAED distributors point to indications of “healthy mid-single digit” growth for next year. 18 distributor companies representing more than $7 billion in annual sales responded to the third quarter survey, which showed revenue growth in the third quarter and a rise in pricing trends. Respondents say they expect to see a 5.4% growth rate in electrical next year, along with a 4.5% growth rate in Datacomm. Those forecasts are generally in line with the broader distribution industry, which anticipates a 4.7% growth rate next year. Baird Research: Distributors Expect Growth In 2026

Scaling Intelligence: The Exponential Growth of AI’s Power Needs

William Attardi on August 12, 2025

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI)—particularly the training of large-scale “frontier models”—is driving renewed growth in electricity demand. This report analyzes the technical drivers of AI power consumption, projects future demand trajectories for individual training sites and broader AI needs, and highlights energy sector implications. Their analysis found not only that the power demands of AI have increased steadily, but also that they will keep increasing. While training large, advanced AI models currently requires between 100 and 150 megawatts each, they are projected to require more than four gigawatts apiece by 2030.This Product is publicly available at Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI): Scaling Intelligence: The Exponential Growth of AI’s Power Needs

Electrical Wholesaling’s 2025 Market Planning Guide

William Attardi on July 8, 2025

 Forecasting can be a tricky business. Your winning bet to succeed boils down to a rather simple, three-step approach:

  1. Work with your management team to gather all the facts you can find about your market of interest
  2. Develop forecasts for which way you think the market is headed
  3. Figure how to maximize the revenue potential

That’s a pretty basic strategy that works most of the time – until the basic facts in your forecast change and need be updated. That’s where we are at right now with the electrical wholesaling industry. It looked like 2025 might be year of moderate growth a point or two better than inflation for the electrical market – until tariffs came on the scene and scrambled some basic assumptions about material costs.  We don’t know when or if tariffs will dramatically impact electrical product pricing, but we do expect the electrical industry to get hit by some degree of tariff-induced prices increases, along with the rest of the U.S. economy. To manage your way through this uncertainty, it helps to have a consistent, tried-and-true planning tool to develop a realistic growth. Electrical Wholesaling’s 2025 Market Planning Guide | Electrical Wholesaling

Why Use AI – 5 Reasons besides making us smarter:

  1. Efficiency and Automation: AI can automate repetitive tasks… saves time and reduces human effort
  2. Data Processing: AI excels at analyzing large datasets quickly… uncovers patterns and insights that humans might miss
  3. Scalability: AI systems can handle growing workloads… without a proportional increase in costs or resources
  4. Accuracy: AI can perform tasks with high precision… reducing errors in areas like diagnostics or forecasting
  5. 24/7 Availability: AI tools can operate continuously… improving productivity and customer support