Annapolis Lighting

Annapolis Lighting is a division of Colonial Electric Supply Company, Inc. Colonial commenced operations in the early 1900's at 10th and Vine St. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies had just won the National League Pennant (1915) and with over one million residents, Philadelphia was the country's largest city. As the city's electrical demands increased through the middle of the century, Colonial responded and flourished. In 1976, Colonial moved its operations 15 miles west of the city to King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. With suburban sprawl taking over farmland and the King of Prussia mall quickly becoming a regional attraction, Colonial was poised for the construction boom of the 70's and 80's. The next generation of the Bellwoar family arrived at Colonial in the early 1980's. By the end of that decade, the company had grown to $20 million in sales and had about 50 employees. The company leapt into the computer-age, well ahead of other distributors, making inventory control, order entry, and purchasing virtually paperless. The 1990's were huge years for Colonial as Jay, David, Steve and Peter Bellwoar took over running the company and sales grew from $20 million to nearly $70 million. The company also became the first electrical supplier in Pennsylvania to achieve ISO certification. Colonial opened its first branch location in 1991 in Downingtown, Pennsylvania with five more regional branches opening before the end of the 90's.