History
     Advance Electrical Supply Company, Inc. began its operations in 1945 by providing hard to find post-war products to electrical contractors and industrial facilities. Advance also became a Square D distributor in 1945. The partnership with the Square D Company was one of the key foundation factors that have enabled Advance to achieve tremendous growth and prosperity for over 60 years. In 1989, when Steven Anixter purchased the company, Advance had one location on the near-west side of Chicago, with 12 employees. .

Markets Served
     Today, Advance is a full line electrical and communications distributor with three locations and services the contractor, industrial and commercial markets of Chicagoland with over 75 employees. Advance's close proximity to the downtown office market has enabled the company to become closely associated with providing excellent service to electrical contractors and commercial office building accounts. In the past two years, the company has expanded into the industrial market, focused primarily on Original Equipment Manufacturers. Recently, Advance has begun to service the structured wiring network market in an effort to support the requirements of its contractor customers.