About Helsel-Jepperson Electrical
The Origin Story
In 1946, three veterans came home from World War II and went into business together out of a two-car garage behind the Helsel family home at 16th and Chicago Road in Chicago Heights. Donald Helsel, Richard Helsel, and Clarence "Jep" Jepperson started as a motor repair shop, and the business grew naturally into stocking electrical supplies for the contractors, steel mills, and factories of a booming industrial town.
From there, the company continued to grow resulting in its formal incorporation in 1957 and a move in 1960 to a bigger building at 103 N. Halsted Street in Chicago Heights, where we still operate today. Same family, same building, same phone-answering habits, for over 65 years and counting at the Halsted Street counter.
Why We Are Still Here
80 years in, the easiest thing this family could have done is sell. Most supply houses our age did, and their names now hang under somebody's national logo. We stayed independent because the way we work does not survive a merger. Decisions get made at this counter by the people who will answer for them the next morning, and the person quoting your job may be the third generation of the family that started the company. We exist to be the supply house that still answers its own phone, knows your name and your jobs, past, present, and future, just as well as you do, and treats getting you material as a personal obligation instead of a transaction. We are proud and honored to have been able to serve the Chicagoland area for 80 years and look forward to continuing for more generations to come.
Three Generations of the Helsel Family
Helsel-Jepperson has been family owned and operated since 1946, now in its third generation. Donald Helsel led the company he co-founded until his passing in 1989. His wife Delores Helsel led the business as President and CEO for nearly three decades after him, until her passing in 2018. The company they built is run today by the family they raised in it.
Today's leadership and family team:
- Joseph C. Helsel, President. 50 years in the trade, all of them here.
- David D. Helsel, Vice-President. 41 years, all of them here.
- Joseph D. Helsel, Outside Sales, OEM and Industrial Account Manager. 18 years, all of them here.
- Joshua Helsel, Outside Sales, Commercial Lighting and Controls Specialist. 16 years, all of them here.
- Anthony Helsel, Fulfillment Manager. Two years, all of them here.
- Charles D. Helsel, Sales Engineer. One year.
The Team
22 people work at Helsel-Jepperson: at the counter, on the quotes desk, in the warehouse, on three delivery trucks, and in the lighting showroom. Across the twelve people who sell, quote, and answer the phone, this team carries more than 300 years of experience in the electrical trade, and more than 275 of those years were spent right here at 103 N. Halsted Street. Several of our people have never worked anywhere else. One has been at this counter for 53 years.
Who We Serve, and Where
We serve electrical contractors, plant and facilities maintenance teams, OEM manufacturers, home builders, service departments of schools and municipalities, and homeowners who visit our lighting showroom. Our counter is open to the public.
Our free local delivery covers a 55-mile radius from Chicago Heights: the greater Chicago area, the south and west suburbs, and northwest Indiana. Three trucks run simultaneous daily routes, north through downtown Chicago and into Indiana, west along the I-80 corridor, and south through University Park, Beecher, and beyond, making about 100 deliveries every week.
The record
- Founded in 1946 by three World War II veterans.
- Family owned and operated for three generations.
- 22 employees, one location, 103 N. Halsted Street, Chicago Heights.
- 15,000+ unique items in stock on hand.
- Over 300,000 unique products quoted or supplied across our history.
- More than 300 years of combined electrical trade experience across our counter, quotes, and sales team.
- Service counter open Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 8 AM to 1 PM.
- Lighting showroom open Monday through Friday 9 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 9 AM to 1 PM.
- Free local delivery: about 100 deliveries a week on three daily truck routes.
- Member, AD (Affiliated Distributors), following the IMARK merger. IMARK member for decades before it.
- IMARK Platinum Member Eight Times: 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023.
- Member, NAED (National Association of Electrical Distributors).
- Siemens President's Business Council, 1990.
Customers who stayed
Some of our customer accounts predate our first computer system, installed June 30, 1978. When we migrated to it, decades-old relationships came along, and many of those customers still buy from us today.
We are proud to have served public institutions across the south suburbs for generations, including Country Club Hills School District 160, Rich Township School District 227, Bremen High School District 228, Midlothian School District 143, the Village of Steger, and the Village of Homewood.
