We Pursue a Simple Mission:

Innovate.
Collaborate.
Grow.

We invest for the long-term in innovative companies alongside the owners and managers who cultivate creative, value-oriented cultures. We nurture relationships between the leaders of these independent companies to encourage the patient and profitable development of the modern electric grid.

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Who We Are

In 2018, Southern States Investment Holdings (SSIH) was restructured with a new mission of making strategic investments that accelerate the build-out of a modern electric grid in North America and around the world.

Leveraging the unique positioning of Southern States, LLC (SSL) – a leading provider of essential grid components and services for more than a century – we have built a group of seven complementary companies that have proven the value of our mission.

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Philosophy

"A business is a perpetual entity and it is up to us to be good stewards during our time so that it can live on long after we are gone."
Raj Anand
Southern States CEO 1996-present

In 1996, Raj Anand began his tenure as CEO of Southern States during a time when the company was struggling to survive. Within 12 months, Southern States stabilized and was well on its way towards the most prosperous period in its history. A forward-looking vision combined with a customer-oriented mindset are two key principles that have laid the foundation for our long-term success.

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Strategy

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Invest for the Long Term

We do not invest to resell. We invest for long-term growth and value creation within each company and the Southern States Group, as a whole. We look for companies that we would be comfortable holding permanently alongside other owners and managers who align with our values. Rather than pursue large one-time liquidity events for our companies, we prefer to patiently accrue returns over time.

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Independent Companies

We keep each company’s operations independent from each other so that the management of each company remains focused entirely on executing their strategy. We foster collaboration between companies only when it makes sense for both sides. This approach allows the greatest flexibility in investment structures, market strategies, and execution.

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Competitively Differentiated

We are attracted to businesses with products, services, technologies, or strategies that don’t follow mainstream market trends. We invest in companies which are often niche suppliers or focused on narrow market segments with unmet customer needs.

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Strong Management

We prefer to partner with existing management teams and avoid companies in need of a substantial turnaround, restructuring, or new management. We want to accelerate existing growth strategies through our unique base of capital, expertise, and market access.

Group Companies

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Coelme | Egic

Northern Transformer

Systems With Intelligence

Southern States

Vanguard Electric

Diram

MG Power

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Group Benefits

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  • Ad hoc introductions based on need and identified strategies.
  • Annual “Leadership Summit” to build relationships and synergies between Group companies.
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  • Cross-Group Board membership
  • Cross-sourcing and outsourcing
  • Cost and resource sharing coordination
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  • Proven methods for growth and profitability
  • Long term vision for future and cross-group visibility of innovations and investments
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  • Technology Advisory Council insights
  • Joint product development opportunities
  • Active engagement between Group engineering leadership
  • Facilitate access to patents and licensing
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  • Potential access to lower cost Insurance coverage
  • Potential extension of coverage beyond current coverage
  • Potential access to “captive” insurance
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  • Flexible financing structures tailored to each company’s unique needs
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  • Top tier Manufacturers Reps access and contracts
  • Coordination for large projects and long-term sales strategies
  • Access to and sharing international sales channels and relationships

What We Look For

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Who

Electrical Utility Suppliers l Industrial Sector

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Where

Americas l Europe l Australia l India

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How

Common or Preferred Stock or Convertible Debt l Acquisitions, Recapitalization, Growth l Majority or Minority Interests | Access to line of credit or investment cash

Our Team

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Raj

Advisor

Raj Anand is Advisor to the Southern States Investment Holdings, LLC whose mission since 2018 is to extend Southern States’ growth through outside investments and collaborations.

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Jeffrey Howe

President & CEO

Jeff has more than 35 years of experience in the electric utility and industrial sectors across sales, marketing, strategy, management, and M&A roles.

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Eric Erzinger

Business Development Manager

Eric has over 8 years of experience at Southern States, where he served in a variety of roles including field service, technical development, sales and marketing, strategy, and M&A.

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Say Hello

Contact Us

Let’s connect to discover how we can grow together. 

Send us a Message

Location

30 Georgia Avenue, Hampton, GA 30228

Email

info@sostatesih.com

Phone

770-946-4562

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Our Philosophy

"A business is a perpetual entity and it is up to us to be good stewards during our time so that it can live on long after we are gone."
Raj Anand
Southern States CEO 1996-present
Raj Anand, came to Southern States in the company’s 80th year during a time it was struggling to survive. He immediately turned the company around and then over the next 25 years increased its value many fold.What got us here was a long-term outlook, a focus on controlling costs, value-based product pricing, and ongoing investment to solve unmet customer needs. These fundamentals have been implemented many times since 1996, adding new products and businesses that have helped the company navigate the ups and downs of the market. We have a very conservative approach to financials with emphasis on a strong balance sheet, conservative reserves, and profitable product lines. Today the company is rock solid and expanding its successful formulas to outside investments.
"First determine if something is needed, then go ahead."
Thomas Edison

We are always asking our customers what they need today and what they will need in the future, and then we set out to find or build a solution for them. It is impossible for us to address our industry’s needs by ourselves, so we are constantly adding talent to our team and always keeping our customers’ needs at the forefront.

"We are just a bunch of engineers having fun."
Joe Rostron
Southern States Chief Technical Officer

We like technology and how it solves customer needs. Designing and producing electrical power equipment and helping to build the modern grid involves many of the most challenging technical and environmental problems on earth. We love working together with engineers across companies and around the world, coming up with and developing new and innovative solutions.

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Raj Anand

Chairman & Advisor

Raj Anand is the advisor to Southern States Investment Holdings, LLC whose mission since 2018 is to extend Southern States’ growth through outside investments and collaborations. Raj joined Southern States as President and CEO in March, 1996. He successfully transformed the company into the much larger, thriving and profitable company it is today. For 75 years, Southern States was a small but well known transmission switch company. Under Raj’s leadership, the company expanded into circuit switchers, load and line switchers, mobile substations, automation and sensors and distribution switch apparatus. He is a visionary with the ability to find and develop talent and create new businesses.

Prior to joining Southern States, Raj was with the Siemens organization for 17 years. During his Siemens tenure, he held various technical and managerial positions ranging from Applications Engineer to Manager of Business Development. In that latter position, his responsibilities included new business start-ups, developing joint ventures, technology licensing, and business acquisitions. Raj graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi in 1974 with a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering. In addition, he received his Business Administration Degree from Portland State University, Portland, Oregon in 1977.

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Jeffrey Howe

President & CEO

Jeff has more than 35 years of experience in sales, marketing, strategy, and management. He is an experienced businessman and leader now working in M&A, enabling and supporting companies’ growth and coordinating shared resources to unlock potential.

Serving as VP and General Manager of Southern States’ Power Switching Division for 10 years, he led all aspects of the business including R&D, sales, manufacturing, engineering and aftersales support. During his tenure the business doubled its revenues and tripled its earnings. Before Southern States, Jeff was a growing leader at Siemens over 15 years in many roles in the US and Germany. He started in Strategy and M&A and later took on more and more leadership responsibilities in marketing, product management, and business unit management. Jeff started his career in IBM’s world class sales organization selling to and supporting large manufacturing companies in the south east.  

He received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech and an MBA in Finance and Strategy from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Jeff currently serves on the Board of Directors of several operating companies including Southern States LLC, Coelme-Egic, Northern Transformer, Systems with Intelligence, Vanguard Electric and Evolution Insurance. He is a board observer and official advisor to Diram and ACT. 

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Eric Erzinger

Business Development Manager

Eric has over 8 years of experience at Southern States, where he served in a variety of roles including field service, technical development, sales and marketing, strategy, and M&A. Eric also worked for 2 years at 10Talents Investors, a boutique private-equity fund investment firm, where he helped underwrite fund investments across private equity, venture capital, and real estate asset classes, as well as developed tools for analyzing and reporting investment performance.

Eric received a Bachelor of Systems Engineering from Olin College of Engineering and an MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Finance from the Scheller College of Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Eric currently serves on the Board of Directors of Southern States Investment Holdings, LLC; Southern States, LLC, Northern Transformer and Coelme-Egic.