Our Roots

I grew up in the midwest (Peoria, IL) farming and factories of Pabst Brewing, Hiram Walker Distillery, and Caterpillar Corporation. My contemporaries were driven to manufacturing jobs, engineering degrees, and then, of course, the support systems of those industries. I had no desire, as in no idea what I wanted from life.

Through life's circumstances, I had the unique opportunity to take a battery of psychological and aptitude tests, and I was provided a list of job titles with the skills I would be good at. I studied the list, and out of all career opportunities, I chose to be an electrician, thinking that I would always be employed!

I was given a grant from the state of Minnesota and applied to attend Minneapolis Technical College. I loved that course, education, and other life teachings acquired in the late 80s and early 90s.

I personally have been a nomad in nature since I was young, from pushing my skateboard to graduating to a BMX bike to ride all over town.

While living in Minnesota one summer, I decided to save up for a mountain bike and ride from St Paul, MN, to Peoria, IL, which is about 400 miles. Soon after, I bought a motorcycle and ventured off to live. Needless to say, I’m no stranger to traveling, exploring new cities, and navigating unfamiliar places.

This nomadic background has helped grow my current business by being nimble and having the desire to explore other cities while working. I take on work in new cities without hesitation. I have been awarded and successfully completed million-dollar contracts without employees in that state or city.

Traveling in my converted Sprinter Van has made my days and weeks much more productive on the road. Having a mobile roaming office has afforded me to be efficient with time by not flying, not renting cars, and being able to pull over literally anywhere and work for several hours or several days!

I got my first job in Phoenix, AZ, in 1991 with Lafferty Electric, cleaning out trenches and setting pull boxes on the Superstition freeway from Riggs Road to Power Road as the new Superstition Mall was being built. All for $6.25 an hour, with a motorcycle as my only transportation.

I worked as an electrician for another five years, transitioning from construction electricity to being a maintenance electrician. I truly believe the time I spent as a maintenance electrician accelerated my knowledge of being an electrician, not just a "roper" or "pipe bender.”

I worked from a maintenance electrician at a resort to supervisor, assistant chief engineer, and then chief engineer by my late 20s. I developed management skills in hiring, mentoring, and the unpleasant task of letting go those who do not work out. I simultaneously developed an electrical contracting business that I started from scratch in 1996.

My first big job was for the Ultimate Warrior, Jim Helwig, at his gym in Scottsdale, Arizona, where I was working out at the time. From there, I started working in restaurants and other tenant improvements. All the while developing a decent residential remodeling business following interior designers around the Valley. At points, I was active in some 45 remodels at a time in one phase or another.

In 2010, I got a call from an industry-specific expert, and he talked me into performing work on two projects simultaneously; reluctantly, I did, and at this time in 2024, I have never looked back.

I have built a solid business model with a mix of multi-family housing and hospitality remodeling that typically affords employment for some 40 people.

I have lived all over the country, adapting to the different work environments, Starting in Arizona and continuing through Tennessee, Alabama, Atlanta, New Hampshire, Washington, Oregon, and now California. I have tested and been licensed in Washington State, Florida, Arizona, and California. My future beholds Nevada and Texas next.

I love my work, and I especially love to teach and mentor young electricians. As someone who came from a family who were not skilled trades people, I see the value in teaching younger generations the skills needed to provide power to businesses and residential housing alike.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my 2 cattle dogs, Bear and Jax. I love to hike and explore in my adventure van (you can see where we’ve been by following @Pebbles_TheVan on Instagram) around the western United States.