GENERATIONS OF EXCELLENCE

Idlewood Electric is a third-generation, woman-owned lighting business that has been serving the Chicago area since 1958. Led by CEO and President BARBARA LANSING and her daughter, Vice President JESSICA LANSING COHEN, this premier lighting showroom and electrical supply distributor is synonymous with superior customer service and premium quality products. Barbara is the second generation to take the helm and she is thrilled to be working alongside daughters Jessica and Rachel Lansing Sotoloff who entered the business a decade ago together. Jessica oversees the day-to-day operations of the lighting division, while Rachel leads the marketing team and focuses on designer relations.

Definition of success?
Jessica: Success is based on the personal relationships we develop and foster with our customers on a daily basis.
Barbara: Idlewood’s growing legacy is a direct result of those relationships as we’re on the horizon of 70 years in business. My father, who served in the Air Force during WWII, had a dream to one day open his own electrical supply store, marry, and have a family—the American Dream. Almost seven decades later, his dream is alive more than ever as a flourishing third-generation company with three Chicago area locations and over 100 employees.

Most rewarding part of what you do?
Barbara: I have the privilege of working closely with employees, customers, and manufacturers, many of whom I’ve worked with for many years. They’ve become my extended family. Idlewood has always been a family business and I like to keep that sentiment. We aren’t a large corporation, but rather a large family that takes care of one another.
Jessica: It’s carrying on the legacy my grandparents began all those years ago. When you say your lighting is from Idlewood, the name recognition spans generations.

For more information, visit idlewoodelectric.com and follow @idlewoodelectric on Instagram.