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  • Old team photo
  • Historic team photo
  • Historic photo
OUR HISTORY

A big part of who we are today is rooted in our past. Our history has shaped our values and traditions, and we owe a great debt to those who came before us. When you consider that Israel Abel was born shortly after the end of the Civil War, it becomes clear that today’s I.B. Abel has the benefit of almost 150 years of collective wisdom. This wisdom comes from an impressive group of people who have been associated with the company throughout its history. Now—as in the past—I.B. Abel is successful because of highly skilled, motivated, innovative, and loyal employees. All of these people have contributed to the “institutional knowledge base” and corporate culture we draw upon every day.

I.B. Abel was founded in a period of change. In the early part of the twentieth century, the electrification of the United States and other countries was gaining momentum with the build-out of generation and distribution facilities. Israel and Norm Abel had the vision to start I.B. Abel and Son to meet the resulting demand for electric appliances and electrical wiring. I.B. Abel continued to adapt and change as the world transitioned from the industrial age to the information age. The company and its employees have weathered social, political, and economic turmoil. As each new generation embraced the new and exciting, the previous generation provided stability. They provided counsel based on their experience and the knowledge that had been passed to them.

I.B. Abel is a family business that has survived four generations; two generations of the Abel family and two generations of the Kinsley family. Each generation’s desire to pass the business on to the next is one of the secrets of why the company has endured. The idea of passing your business along to your children is not a new idea isolated to the owners; many children have followed in their parent’s footsteps and taken up the electrical trade at I.B. Abel. This is a tribute to the health of a company and the confidence the employees have in it.