About Us

About CMS Utility Services, Inc.

CMS Utility Services, Inc. is a utility infrastructure company headquartered in Kentucky, witha second office in Florida. Founded in 1980, the company has served electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, investor-owned utilities, and government agencies across the United States for over four decades, providing the infrastructure those organizations need to store, handle, and deploy utility poles safely and efficiently. CMS is a specialist firm. Every service the company offers is directly related to utility pole storage and yard infrastructure. That focus is not incidental – it is the basis on which CMS has built its design experience, its product line, and its understanding of how utility pole yards actually operate under real-world conditions.

What CMS Does

CMS provides six core services to utility companies and public agencies throughout the United States.

Pole Yard Design and Construction

CMS designs customized pole yard layouts for wood, steel, concrete, and fiberglass poles and builds complete facilities from the ground up, including site preparation, excavation, concrete placement, and retaining structures. Every design is provided at no cost to theclient. Designs are specific to the site – CMS does not apply a standard template across different facilities with different ground conditions, inventory volumes, and access
requirements.

Pole Rack Installation

CMS installs portable, modular pole storage rack systems that require no concrete anchoring. Because the racks are not cemented in place, they can be relocated as yard layouts change, expanded as inventory grows, or redeployed to new facilities entirely. This
portability is a practical operational advantage over fixed, cemented systems.

Pole Rack Refurbishment

CMS inspects, repairs, reinforces, and applies protective coatings to existing pole racks to extend their service life and keep storage systems in compliance with applicable safety standards. For racks that are structurally sound but showing the effects of outdoor exposure and operational use, refurbishment is consistently more cost effective than replacement and adds years of reliable service life to existing inventory.

Emergency Pole Rack Deployment

CMS provides pre-configured pole rack systems that deploy rapidly in response to storm damage, power outages, and emergency infrastructure requirements. The systems are delivered fully pre-configured – there is no on-site assembly required. Utility crews position the rack at the staging location and begin loading replacement poles immediately. CMS can also handle transport and on-site positioning directly for utilities that prefer a fully managed deployment.

EPA Containment and Filtration

Utility pole yards storing chemically treated wood poles are subject to EPA regulations governing groundwater contamination risk. Pentachlorophenol, creosote, and chromated copper arsenate leach from treated poles stored on unprotected soil and migrate toward the water table over time. CMS designs and installs EPA-compliant containment and filtration systems for pole storage areas, including impermeable liner systems, perimeter berms, graded drainage, and stormwater treatment infrastructure sized to actual site conditions.

Utility Pole Design Process

CMS provides customized pole and rack layout designs for wood, steel, and concrete pole systems, including wire reel storage and steel pipe storage configurations, as part of its broader pole yard design service.

Who CMS Serves

CMS works with utility organizations of every scale across the United States and Canada. Clients include electric cooperatives, municipal electric utilities, investor-owned utilities, government agencies and public works departments, and facilities managers at industrial and commercial properties with utility pole storage requirements. Client operations range from single-yard rural electric cooperatives to large utilities managing pole storage across multiple states.

How CMS Approaches Each Project

Every engagement begins with a site assessment. CMS reviews site dimensions, pole inventory type and volume, equipment access requirements, safety clearances, EPA compliance obligations, and the client’s long-term operational plans before making any recommendation. The resulting design is specific to that site and that operation. It is provided at no cost to the client. The portable, modular design of CMS rack systems means that when a yard layout changes, expands, or moves to a new location, the infrastructure moves with it. Clients who have previously operated fixed, cemented systems consistently report that the flexibility of CMS’s approach changes how they plan and manage their yard operations. CMS works with utility companies that have immediate needs and with those planning infrastructure investments months or years in advance. In both cases, the design phase receives the same level of attention and site specificity.

Office Locations

Both offices serve clients across the United States. Contact either office to discuss pole yard infrastructure needs or to request a free site assessment.

Kentucky Office

Florida Office

Get a Free Pole Yard Assessment

If you are evaluating your current pole storage setup, planning a new facility, managing EPA compliance requirements, or responding to an emergency infrastructure need, contact CMS Utility Services. The company will review your site requirements and provide a customized
design and assessment at no cost.