About Dominion

With just one employee, one truck, and a small storefront at 4754 Lee Highway, Meyer H. Sharlin started selling electrical supplies to contractors and homeowners in the Washington, D.C. area. Rumor has it Mr. Sharlin started the company with $500.

The US was in the midst of World War II and times were tough. Dominion's saving grace may have been a large project awarded by the Pentagon. Dominion supplied Walkerduct® raceway, a brand now owned by Legrand. Dominion also provided a lighting upgrade for the Pentagon in 2003, and a replacement switchgear package for the building following the attack on The Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

Also in 1943, Dominion moved to a new, larger location at 4801 Lee Highway in Arlington, VA.

In 1947, Dominion Electric moved to 5053 Lee Highway, Arlington, its current headquarters, which at that time was about one-third the size of the current building.

The company grew and in 1953 the building was expanded, effectively doubling the space.

The company grew and in 1953 the building was remodeled and expanded, effectively doubling the space.

The year 1957 was one of growth for Dominion. A new location was opened at 3rd and Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington, DC, and the main location in Arlington underwent its second remodel. 

In 1964, the DC location moved to 22 K Street NE where it remains today as an independent Limited Liability Corporation, separately owned by members of the Sharlin family and managed by President Gerald Jackson.

Dominion went digital! A new mainframe central computer system was installed to manage inventory, handle invoicing, and automate many functions of the business.

By the mid-1980s, business was in full swing. Warehouse staff was working through the night to get orders packed for the next day's delivery. It was time to expand. Meyer and Richard Sharlin found a tract of land near Dulles airport and built a new distribution center and showroom.

The original building was 25,000 square feet. Mr. Sharlin, while putting up shelves with then-Operations Manager Jim Pishner said, "Jimmy, what did we do? We'll never use all this space."

Suddenly, the area exploded and Dominion's Chantilly office was perfectly situated to benefit from that growth. They were out of space within 18 months.

By the early 1990s, the Arlington and Chantilly locations were at capacity in terms of space and manpower. To handle the growing business and better address the needs of Maryland customers, Dominion opened a second distribution center and showroom in 1991 at 8610 Cherry Lane in Laurel.

In 1993, Dominion purchased the assets of US Electric Supply and moved into their building at 16608 Oakmont Avenue in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Just four years after Dominion opened the Gaithersburg branch, another opportunity presented itself and Dominion once again purchased the assets and moved into the location of Leesburg Lighting at 33 Fairfax Street SE in Leesburg, Virginia.

To address the needs of the Baltimore customer base, Dominion opened a branch at 717 N. Hammonds Ferry Road, Suite M in Linthicum, an unincorporated community in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, located directly north of Baltimore–Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).

By the early 2000s, Dominion's Chantilly location was bursting at the seams. The Sharlins purchased land adjacent to the existing location and built a 78,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art distribution center, counter and offices. The new facility opened in 2003 at 4080 Westfax Drive to accommodate the need for expanded inventory, with a separate area for wire, cable, and pipe. 

Throughout the early 2000s, the Manassass area continued to grow in terms of commercial business and residential homes. Several manufacturing plants located in the area and a regional airport provided a further attraction for commerce.

Dominion executives, recognizing the opportunity, opened a branch at 7471 Mason King Court in Manassass.

In 2010, the 717 N. Hammonds Ferry Road, Linthicum location moved to 1740 Twin Springs Road, inside the city limits.

In 2012, Dominion purchased the assets and moved into the location of YES Electric. Pictured is the ribbon cutting ceremony at Dominion's new location in Alexandria, Virginia.

In 2012, Richard Sharlin's son-in-law Stephen Krooth joined the company as executive vice president. Within a year, Stephen was promoted to president and in August 2017 assumed the role of CEO, taking responsibility for the strategic direction and future of the company.

In 2017, Dominion acquired 5015 Lee Highway, adjacent to its headquarters at 5053 Lee Highway. The building was completely renovated and currently houses the company's accounting, purchasing, billing, credit, and human resources departments, as well as two small conference rooms and a larger, fully digital training/conference room.

In 2017, Dominion opened its second Baltimore location at 6 Nashua Court to better serve the needs of Baltimore customers.

In 2019, the corporate office at 5053 Lee Highway got an exterior facelift and a few fresh coats of paint.

On January 20, 2020, Dominion opened its 10th branch in Ashburn, Virgina at 21005 Ashburn Crossing Drive.

"I truly believe this is going to be an iconic location for Dominion. It’s directly in the middle of a tremendous growth area from all sectors, particularly data centers which drive so much of our business,” shared CEO Stephen Krooth.

Ashburn Crossing rests on 80 acres in the heart of Virginia’s hi-tech business corridor at the intersection of Gloucester Parkway and Loudoun County Parkway, just 30 miles east of DC.

In 2021, a major renovation of the Arlington showroom was completed to coincide with the launch of the new Dominion Lighting brand. The executive offices were also remodeled and a conference room added. Also in 2020, the re-envisioned showroom was named a "Five-Star Showroom" by Lutron and "Best Lighting Store" in the Best of Washington, DC 2021 awards by Modern Luxury DC magazine. It also won two national awards at the 2021 Lightovation Dallas International Lighting Show.

Despite three years of global supply chain, socioeconomic, and financial challenges related to the COVID 19 virus, Dominion achieved record sales in 2022. Also in 2022, the Twin Springs/Baltimore South location moved to a new 125,000-square-foot distribution center and supply counter in Curtis Bay, MD. 

Currently, Dominion operates 10 counter locations, three lighting showrooms, three distribution centers, and manages more than 350,000 square feet of sales and warehouse space in the DC-Maryland-Virginia area. The Sharlin family also owns a sister company, Dominion Electric Supply Company of Washington, LLC which operates in the DC market. 

But our greatest strength is and always has been our people who have adapted and evolved with the marketplace, the needs of our customers, and the trends shaping our industry.

Dominion employs about 300 people, some of whom are second- and even third-generation employees. Some of our staff have been here for as long as for 50 years.

Their dedication, knowledge, experience, and commitment to learning and growing  is why Dominion has been around for 80 years, and will be around for 80 more.

Most importantly, Dominion Electric Supply is still a family-owned, independent, and locally operated company. This gives leadership the freedom and flexibility to make decisions quickly and continue to build and nurture close, lifelong relationships.