History
The roots of the Whitehead organization can be traced back to 1929, when Bob Whitehead accepted a job as an equipment specialist with Georgia Power Company. Bob's career would span more than 30 years, until he retired in 1968 as Senior Vice President over Operations. Though Bob did not have direct ties to Whitehead & Associates, his long career and experience in the electrical industry influenced his son, Pat Whitehead.
After graduating from Georgia Tech, Pat went to work for Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, PA, and soon realized that a career in plant operations was not for him. So he interviewed for a sales job within the Westinghouse organization and began a 42-year career that would include Westinghouse and Kearney sales and management positions.
With 11 years of industry experience behind him, Pat opened the doors of Whitehead & Associates on July 1, 1968. What began with one principal and one employee covering one state soon flourished, eventually growing to cover three states and six employees. The momentum led to many years of successful growth and additional employees, including Scott Whitehead, who joined the company in 1991. Scott came on board to open the company's second office, located in Birmingham, Alabama. After successfully launching that office, the company hired a new Alabama territory manager, and Scott joined Pat in Atlanta to begin a transition plan for the company in 1994.
Under Scott's direction, the company added two additional employees and a new, energy-efficient lighting division in 2001. Starting with the sale of a three-way, tableside fluorescent lamp that reduced a hotel customer's energy costs by 50%, the energy-efficient lighting products division grew from a one-principal, one-state operation into a four-state, seven-person sales force with national account responsibility and a sales presence as far away as California.
Today, the energy-efficient lighting division forms the basis for Whitehead Energy Solutions, which provides turnkey energy-saving solutions and energy-efficient lighting products and controls for distributors, commercial contractors, and end-users in industries that include commercial, industrial, utility, hospitality, retail, residential, and more.
With more than 41 years’ experience, Whitehead & Associates has created a legacy as a trusted leader in the Electric Utility, Commercial & Industrial, and Energy-Efficient Lighting industries. We’re proud to continue that legacy today, providing tailored solutions for our customers and professional, dedicated, and knowledgeable product representation for our manufacturers. We look forward to many more decades of continued success, through our continual investment in our people, our infrastructure, and our clients.