The Alliance Partner Recognition Award is presented annually to an individual who is involved in and supports NETA and the electrical testing industry. The chosen individuals serve the industry through the development and use of consensus standards in the electrical power industry and are focused on providing the highest level of safety and reliability. Recipients include people from all aspects of the electrical testing industry.
“One of the things the Alliance Committee gets to do every year is pick a person who has gone above and beyond in serving and supporting NETA and the industry,” NETA Board Member and Alliance Program Committee Chair Jim Cialdea, CEO of Sigma C Power Services, said as he prepared to reveal the winner. “We usually have a difficult time doing that because we fortunately have a lot of great people who are helping us out, and we are excited to recognize them.”
“This year,” Cialdea continued, “NETA is proud to recognize Ashley Ledbetter as this year’s winner of the Alliance Partner Recognition Award. She is the first second-generation recipient of the Award; her father, Finley, is a prior award winner. Under Finley and Ashley’s leadership, GroupCBS has always been an important contributor to NETA, NETA events, and the electrical testing industry. Their leadership in innovation, equipment supply, and services has advanced the industry, and we appreciate and thank them for all they have done and shared.”
NETA PARTNER
The award recognizes Ashley’sclose partnership with NETA in advancing the electrical power industry and advocating for safety, service quality, and industry relationship building. Under Ashley’s leadership, GroupCBS has long been committed to supporting the Association and its mission to provide education, standards development, accreditation of organizations, and certification of technicians. At GroupCBS, Ashley is responsible for the strategic guidance, growth, and performance of the Dallas/Fort Worth-based organization, which includes CBS ArcSafe Inc., Vacuum Interrupters, Inc., and Instrument Products Group. As the company’s top executive and fiduciary, Ashley works daily with a tremendous team of employees she has carefully assembled to achieve operational excellence and deliver outstanding financial performance.
“GroupCBS was one of the first Corporate Alliance Partners, and NETA supported that from the very beginning,” Cialdea recalls. “Ashley participates personally on the Conference Planning Committee. She has followed in Finley’s footsteps of being a stalwart supporter of NETA. She is in lockstep with that legacy and continues to build her own.”
In accepting the award, Ashley Ledbetter explains, “As many of you know, my family and many of our employees at GroupCBS have been a big part of NETA for decades, almost as long as NETA has been a force for good in the electrical industry since 1972. NETA-certified field service has been a part of GroupCBS for many, many years, with the group of NETA Accredited Companies (NAC) representing a significant portion of our business. Western Electrical Services (WES), which is now CBS Field Services, was our first NAC, and last year, we were excited to add Premier Power Maintenance to our NETA Accredited portfolio. Today, GroupCBS is proud to be a NETA Corporate Alliance Partner, and many of our certified employees hold key positions on NETA committees, supporting NETA’s efforts to maintain the highest standards for electrical testing and maintenance. So I’ve been a NETA supporter for most of my life and look forward to continuing to build on that relationship for many years to come.”
Finley Ledbetter, GroupCBS Founder and Ashley’s father, adds, “GroupCBS is now a NETA electrical solutions provider, just like Shermco and all the NETA companies in this meeting. We were founded out of that because I come from the NETA testing world, but I wanted to get more into the equipment business. We’re about 500 people now, and we’re the people you go to if you need a piece of hardware in a hurry. We also have a testing arm, so we do understand this business. That makes us a good supplier, makes us a good partner to the testing business because we not only can test, but we come at it from an angle where we understand that being in the field is the hardest job in the world. We’re the shop guys who support that.”
Ron Widup, Vice Chairman, Board of Directors, and Senior Advisor, Technical Services, for Shermco Industries, offers, “I’ve known Ashley for many years, and I can say without hesitation that she knows how to get stuff done. Whether it’s running her company, which I admire from afar, or diving headfirst into NETA activities, where I’ve seen her in action, Ashley always brings her A-game. She’s sharp, driven, and incredibly effective — but more than that, she’s one of a kind. Her commitment, energy, and support have had a real impact on NETA. It is people like Ashley who help shape this organization into what it is today. The Alliance Recognition Award is a perfect way to honor her. She’s earned it — and then some. We’re all better for having her in our corner.”
BECOMING BOSS LADY
Finley recalls, “People carried their kids, their dogs, and their friends with them everywhere they went, so when I had a family, I carried my kids and my dog with me everywhere I went. Consequently, Ashley, Finley, Riley, and Thomas spent a lot of time on the road with me at a repair shop or a breaker shop at GroupCBS facilities — and got into a lot of mischief. That’s the way you raise your kids: Keep them involved, keep them part of the family and the business.”
“Ashley started as a very bossy young female and attempted to run our family, so it was obvious that she was destined for a leadership role. I spent 30 years trying to teach all my kids to have some value, to have someplace in life. It was clear early on that her place in life was going to be managing or directing or ordering. She was always interested, always had a notebook, always wanted to sit at a desk with pens and pencils, trying to act like she was working.”
Lee Heine, Regional Operations Manager at GroupCBS, laughs, “I first met Ashley when she was a small child hanging around the office while the boys were out in the warehouse wrecking golf carts. She would follow me around saying, ‘What can I do, how can I help you, do you need me to file this?’ When I first met Ashley, I knew she had leadership skills. She started CBS ArcSafe and built it into one of the top companies in the GroupCBS Family. Through her dedication and leadership and hard work, ArcSafe has become a fixture in the chemical and refinery business. Ashley is very involved and supportive. She wants to help you be successful. She’s not only a good boss, she’s also a good teammate and partner. She’s a good person. When you deal with Ashley, you realize you’re all in it together. You’re a team. From three years old to now, she’s the President of GroupCBS. I knew she had it in her.”
“Knowingly or not, Finley imparted an enormous amount of his genius to Ashley,” says Ray Kinney, retired CFO of Circuit Breaker Sales. “And whether she knows it or not, she absorbed it, because she has emulated his success and personal achievements. She was born less than a year after I wrote the first invoice for Circuit Breaker Sales, so she’s grown up as part of the company. It’s almost impossible for me to think back and see how the company has grown.”
Steve Camber, Vice President of Business Development at GroupCBS, agrees. “I’ve been in this business for over 35 years and have worked for multiple employers, so I know what good leadership looks like. It’s such a pleasure to work for somebody who can drive the business like Ashley does, who not only pays attention to the customer experience, but also cares deeply about the employee experience.”
“Ashley has a lot of titles, but I think the one she loves the most is that she’s a mom,” explains Ben Walterscheid, National Operations Manager at CBS ArcSafe. She has three kids and a wide variety of interests. In addition to raising and fostering horses, jiujitsu is a big part of her life – and she’s really good at it. As a leader, Ashley takes great pride in her employees and their progression in their careers. She’s mentored many people in GroupCBS, and she’s always looking to see how you can do better professionally as well as personally.”
Ashley’s mother, Joni, remembers, “Every day, I would tell her, ‘Ashley, you’re not the boss, your mother’s right here, go on about your business,’ but she wanted to be in charge of them. She was very competitive with her brothers, so she bossed them until they finally rebelled, and she went off to other areas — and now she is the boss lady. She started at ArcSafe where there was a partner in place. He hired her, and within a month, he was gone, and she was on her way. It started with 5 people, and it’s about 50 now, and it’s an important part of GroupCBS.”
INVESTING IN PEOPLE
Finley points out, “Ashley’s just a tad bit possessive about her people. She’s absolutely in line with what our values have always been: our people first, our customers second, and our company third. We’ve been able to remain true to that through the transition we’ve gone through over the past six years, mostly due to her strength, my involvement, and the fact that we’re just not willing to do it any other way. Ashley has been a staunch supporter of that, even stronger than I was for the 40 years I ran the company.”
Matt Wallace, President of CBS Field Services, says, “Ashley has stepped into a leadership role that very few could ever truly prepare for — and she’s done it with strength, clarity, and a steady sense of purpose. Following in the footsteps of our founder, Finley Ledbetter, is no small thing, but Ashley has honored his legacy while building her own. She leads with authenticity and calm, keeping our teams focused on what matters while never losing sight of who we are as a company. Her ability to navigate challenges, bring people together, and keep driving us forward has made a real and lasting impact across the GroupCBS family. Ashley has also been a true champion of our field services efforts, supporting our growth, investing in our people, and helping pave the way for CBS Field Services to become a NETA Accredited Company. It’s clear in every conversation and every decision she makes — Ashley cares deeply about this company and the people in it. We’re lucky to have her at the helm, and I’m genuinely excited about the future under her leadership.”
NETA Board President and President of CBS Field Services Dan Hook, recalls, “I’ve known Ashley for all 20 years I’ve been with GroupCBS and worked closely with her when she arrived at ArcSafe to help Finley launch that company. We’ve always had a great working relationship. I think one of Ashley’s standout characteristics is that she puts her money where her mouth is. GroupCBS believes that if you put your people first and customers second, the business will take care of itself, and Ashley lives that every day. It’s truly inspiring.”
Mose Ramieh fully supports the choice. “Congratulations, Ashley! Your deep engagement, whether leading our team or contributing to the industry through NETA, reflects a rare blend of dedication, care, and thoughtful leadership. This award is a well-deserved recognition of the impact you’ve already made on the people around you and our industry.”
“Ashley is absolutely in line now with what our values have always been,” Finley insists. “She absolutely is a girl, she absolutely is fragile, but she’s fragile like a bottle of nitroglycerin. I don’t think this came naturally to her, but she came home to help take care of Joni when she had an accident, got involved on the periphery of the business, and just stayed. And now, we can’t get rid of her.”
GOING FORWARD
“Being part of the NETA community is important to us,” Ashley says. “Understanding how you use and maintain your equipment in the field makes us a stronger manufacturing company for power distribution services. Our affiliation with NETA helps keep our field service operations at the highest professional standards, helps us train new employees, and helps us understand the many trends that drive the safe and efficient generation, delivery, and operation of electrical power systems. That knowledge helps GroupCBS to stay on top in our fast-moving electrical industry.”
She explains, “Our 30-plus-year association with NETA has always been a conscious decision at GroupCBS, mainly because of the opportunities it provides for collaboration and partnerships. In our energy markets, competitors today are just as likely to be customers tomorrow. Combining the expertise of NETA members and affiliates makes for a stronger electrical industry that benefits us all. It’s the proverbial rising tide that lifts all boats.”
”Supply chain issues have been a top global concern for the last several years. But that’s nothing new when you look back on America’s history. The availability and price of certain components may pose a challenge in the near term, but U.S. markets always manage to return to the median and growth. The only constant in this world is change.”
Asked about the challenge of being a female in a male-dominated business, Ashley explains, “Being a leader in any organization is a challenge, especially in today’s fast-moving energy markets. In my case, I grew up working in this male-dominated electrical industry. Combine that with being the only daughter in a family of Type-A males, and you end up with life experience that helps you to understand the technology, fundamentals, and personalities that are the cornerstone of every industry. The smartest strategy is to develop as many professional relationships as possible so you can learn as much as possible. You need a network that includes everyone, from every walk of life.”
Ashley has advice for those interested in the industry. “If you are a young professional thinking about entering the industry, listen first. Keep a high moral standard. Never stop asking questions. The world keeps offering new challenges and opportunities. That’s what makes work not just a paycheck but personally fulfilling for young professionals and their families. If you’re already part of our growing industry, volunteer for good causes so you can remember that not everyone is as lucky as we are.”
She also believes it’s important to take care of yourself. “Exercise because the mind needs the body. You MUST make time for yourself and those closest to you. Unfortunately, I haven’t done a great job of maintaining balance, but I am starting to get better at it with Brazilian jiu-jitsu with my husband, learning about blacksmithing and the difference between fission and fusion from my son, and horseback riding with my girls.”