About Us
Gardner Bender got its start when entrepreneur Jim Gardner pioneered better ways of bending conduit. Today, the company designs, manufactures and markets thousands of electrical products for sale through retailers and distributors in the U.S. and Canada.
For nearly 50 years, the Gardner Bender brand of electrical tools, voltage testers and wire management products has been a mainstay in the electrical aisle of leading retailers such as Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Lowe‘s, Menards and True Value. In addition to professional electricians, these products are used by “do-it-yourselfers” working on projects around the house such as installing a ceiling fan or wiring for surround sound systems.
As an Actuant company, Gardner Bender holds several competitive advantages in the retail marketplace. First among them is global supply chain and logistics capability. The ability to source, assemble and distribute over 15,000 different products to more than 25,000 retail outlets, at greater than 98% fill rates, is critical to success at the retail level.
We share our expertise in category management with customers—offering retailers not only products but also valuable marketing information. We use their point of sale data, along with demographic data and consumer research to predict the best inventory mix. Providing this merchandising expertise stimulates sales for our customers by making decisions easier for end users.
Product innovation is an important differentiator in the electrical channel and a key ingredient to reinforcing the vitality of Gardner Bender brands. An example is our award-winning Circuit Alert™ product family which combines into individual tools the safety and performance of non-contact voltage detection integrated within the most popular and frequently used tools for DIY electrical applications. The sensor provides both audible and visual indicators to clearly hear and see that voltage is present.
