Essex Electrical & Construction, Inc.

Be your own boss. Own your own business. Control your own destiny. Many people have grown up believing in that American dream, which is undoubtedly part of why there were about 650,000 new small businesses launched in America in 2007, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Additionally, the SBA defines a small business as having less than $6.5 million in annual revenues for most service industries. But how does that apply to the electrical construction industry? According to the 2008 Profile of the Electrical Contractor, 69 percent of electrical contracting firms are small firms, which each carry less than 10 employees.

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR spoke with three small business owners, each with about 10 employees or less. None see the small business phase as something to simply pass through on their way to becoming bigger. All three own multidecade-old firms that are smaller by choice because the owners prefer the benefits of being that size.

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At Perfect Circuit, your Bridgewater electrician, our electrical contractors treat your New Jersey home as if it were their home. While in your Somerset County home you can rest assured that our electrical contractors will respect your home and belongings. Perfect Circuit offers 24 hour emergency service. They know if your electrical system goes down, you want it back up – FAST! You will receive quality work and safe working environment while we completing your electrical project.

They are your local Somerset County, family-owned electrical contractor that has made a name for our self by providing a level of customer service above and beyond our competition.

All of our electrical technicians undergo rigorous customer service training, and we go out of our way to ensure your experience with our company is a pleasant one.

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In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, many out-of-state electrical contractors are traveling into Texas to assist in the disaster recovery efforts. In order to operate in accordance with the law, it is necessary to become familiar with the both the State’s laws and the local ordinances of the municipality that you plan on performing work in.

Electrical Contractors, who have an equivalent license in their own state, are able to quickly obtain an Emergency License issued by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). The specific application for this license is available on their website and must be submitted with a copy of your current license and the application fee. An Emergency License can be issued for the following classifications: Master Electrician, Master Sign Electrician, Journeyman Electrician, Journeyman Sign Electrician, Residential Wireman, and Maintenance Electrician. With this license, you must work under another contractor licensed in Texas. The Emergency License is valid for 90 days and will only allow you to perform within the designated disaster area and during the time of a declared disaster and its recovery period.

Another quick way to get licensed is to apply for a temporary apprenticeship license. This temporary license would be valid for 21 days – h opefully giving you enough time to obtain your permanent license. Again, you must work under another contractor licensed in Texas.

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Choosing an electrical contractor to do work on your home may not seem as if it should be a big deal, but choosing the right one can really make a difference. The process of hiring an electrical contractor involves more than just finding one that is the most economical.

Finding an electrical contracting professional that is qualified to perform and undertake your project is a must. Making sure that a contractor you are considering using is a member of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), with a renowned reputation, is something that can really make a difference in the outcome of your venture. The NECA is the institute that a good portion of electrical contractors are represented by. It can also be a good idea to ask around to family and friends to see if they advocate anyone to perform your service.

When hiring an electrical contractor you should make sure to check their accreditation. In beginning a relationship with an electrical contracting firm there are many questions that should be asked and guidelines that should be established. You should make sure that your contractor is able to supply you, the customer, with professional counsel in regards to your electrical systems needs. You should also make sure that if something were to go wrong with the project that the supplier would be able to be reached and willing to return to fix anything that was unsatisfactory.

It is necessary to find an electrical contractor who works hard, who conducts business with conviction, in a professional manner, and who is qualified to be performing the job at hand.

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Software Advice today announced that they have assisted over 500 electrical contractors during their evaluation of new electrical estimating software, accounting and project management systems for their businesses. Moreover, Software Advice has now developed partnerships with the majority of software vendors serving the electrical division. This network of software partners allows Software Advice to recommend the ideal systems for a wide range of electrical firms with a variety of technology needs.

“It is gratifying to have helped so many electrical contractors as they take on the challenge of assessing software systems. In partnership with the leaders in software for electrical contractors, we have helped everyone from the smallest of independent electricians to large electrical engineering firms with a global presence,” said Don Fornes, founder and CEO of Software Advice.

The Software Advice website provides a wealth of information for software selection including detailed software product profiles, white papers, articles and evaluation tools. Furthermore, the experts at Software Advice provide free phone consultations and needs assessments to help contractors narrow down a short list of software systems based on their trade (e.g. low voltage, solar, teledata), company size and specific functional requirements. Contractors can then focus their research efforts on evaluating the short list, rather than dedicating weeks to sifting through hundreds of software products for the construction industry.

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South Philadelphia electrical contractor Donald “Gus” Dougherty Jr. was sentenced to two years in prison today after pleading guilty to 99 criminal counts, including embezzlement, fraud, theft and tax evasion.

Prosecutors accused Dougherty of doing $115,600 in free work at the Moyamensing Avenue home of labor leader John J. Dougherty (who is no relation). Under federal labor law, it is a violation for an employer who uses union labor to give things of value to union leaders.

Gus Dougherty, 42, also pleaded guilty last May to embezzling $869,599 from the health and welfare fund managed for members by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98.  Prosecutors were seeking a prison term equal to at least 41 months.

In a court filing, Gus Dougherty’s attorney said the contractor was “truly remorseful, ashamed of his misconduct, but blaming no one but himself.”  Eric Sitarchuk, Dougherty’s attorney, wrote that his behavior was affected by out-of-control drinking and excessive spending.

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Independent, Full Service, and well Established Electrical Contractor provides service to Commercial customers primarily in San Antonio area. Some residential service for upgrades and service calls through the major home warranty companies. Has an outstanding reputation for the quality of work performed. Income for services are based on 50% time & material and 50% quoted contracts.

In addition to the owner, there is one Master Electrician on staff now with another to obtain Masters License soon. Centrally located providing easy access to most of San Antonio especially in the fast growing northern area of town. Business can be purchased separately or in place with the building and real estate for a smooth transition. Current Location is 25,000 SF including: Warehouse 1,800 SF, Office 1,110 SF and includes a yard of about 20,000 SF. This is a Merit Shop (Open Shop) and IEC Member. Business is a C-Corp.

Real Estate is available for $225K or $1,800 per month lease plus Insurance and Taxes.  Owner willing to stay on for training and transition period to help with ongoing and future bids. Owner is selling due for retirement reasons.

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While firmly an option in the luxury home market, residential lighting controls are expanding into a broader home-owner landscape. With lighting packages designed to fit small and large installations, and technologies streamlined to assist owner and installer, now is the time for electrical contractors to tackle this market.

“Lighting control has seen significant growth due to growing interest,” said Gary Meshberg, chair of the Home Lighting Control Alliance. The Dallas-based group formed two years ago and includes manufacturers, retailers, industry organizations and installers, including electrical contractors.

A centralized lighting control system programs and manages lighting for an entire house or select rooms. Lighting can be automated based on homeowner need and/or desire.

“Consumers can explore this technology by applying lighting controls to one room, and then expanding as needs change,” Meshberg said. “Also, system components are fewer, and cost has come down. A complete system was once $10,000. Today, systems have dropped to $6,000–8,000, depending on the types of features selected.”

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McCormick Systems offers a unique new opportunity to electrical contractors: No matter how a set of electronic drawings ends up in your computer, you can do all your takeoffs on screen – and move the results (automatically) to your McCormick estimating system.

Up until now, most contractors worked with drawings on paper. A significant exception – for those using McCormick’s CAD Estimating software – pertained only to those who could obtain CAD drawings electronically from architects and engineers.

Now, thanks to McCormick’s interface with On Center Software Inc.’s On-Screen Takeoff product, estimates can be done on screen. Quantities can then be automatically moved to the McCormick estimating system (via a special link and database).

Additionally, McCormick is now a re-seller of On-Screen Takeoff. “Our contractors prefer to have a one-stop shop when they can get it, and as a re-seller for On Center, we now offer that,” said Todd McCormick, the company’s president. “We can get contractors the software and our exclusive interface, in one bundle.”

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An electrical contractor has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive for failing to supply its employees with adequate information and training on asbestos.

Scriven Electrical Contractors from West Bromwich was fined £3,000 today under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The firm was also ordered to pay £2,757 in costs for breaching the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.

The court heard that an electrician employed by Scriven installed three heat detectors and associated cabling in a commercial-sized kitchen and boiler room on premises in Smethwick.

The ceiling tiles contained 5-50% brown asbestos but no asbestos awareness training was given by his employer prior to commencement of the work, despite a legal requirement.

Speaking after the case, HSE inspector John Healy said the firm: “should have known of the dangers and the legal requirement to give sufficient training to protect employees from exposure to asbestos because 98% of their work involves the risk of encountering asbestos.”

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Electrical contractors and refurbishment specialists must improve their training of workers over the dangers posed by asbestos.

The warning from the Health and Safety Executive follows the prosecution of Scriven Electrical Contractors of West Bromwich for failing to ensure that adequate information, instruction and training was given to its employees.

An electrician employed by Scriven removed ceiling tiles containing up to 50% brown asbestos during cabling work on a site in Smethwick. He had received no training on how to deal with the deadly material.

Scriven was fined £3,000 by West Bromwich Magistrates following the incident.

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We need electricians throughout our life in various situations. They provide the necessary connections to connect every electrical part of our house. When we build a new house, there will be an electrician work at the end, fixing the wires, installation work etc. for all that we need the best electricians for our best house. I have found an ideal site for satisfying all the above needs. Just visit http://www.walsh-electric.com to get all the information. Their VA electrical contractors provide the best residential and commercial electrical system service, repair and installation. They do new and old work, restoration and emergency work, small and large service or repair calls. They provide some of the residential services like Recessed and track Lighting, New dedicated circuits, Fixture replacement and repair, New lighting fixtures and sconces, Remodeling and restoration, Home inspections and repairs, Home standby emergency generators, Telephone wiring and repair, Computer cabling and home networks and lot more. Apart from the residential services, they also provide commercial services like Preventive maintenance, Diesel and natural gas generators up to 125KW, Infra red scanning (heat detection), Tenant build-out and design build, Fire alarm, Computer network cabling, Fiber optic systems, Underground utility locating, Fluorescent lighting ballast replacement and many more. Walsh Electric enjoys a reputation as the most trusted electrical contractor and if you want the best then go for electrician in fairfax virginia. This company is licensed, insured and has clean sheet record with business bureau.

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If you skim the Yellow Pages, you’ll find lots of listings for electrical contractors, but that’s not the best way to choose one for your job. You probably didn’t find your physician, dentist, or auto mechanic this way, so why choose an electrician blindly? Do what you did with all the other professionals in your life—get some referrals.

Start with other homeowners. They will be your most obvious resource, particularly if they’ve done any remodeling. Ask your friends, family, co-workers, even your dentist! There is no guarantee that a contractor will give you the same results in your home, but there’s a good chance you’ll be satisfied with the results of a referral. Most small contractors survive on referrals and will want yours as well.

A contractor’s time is valuable, so don’t call a dozen of them to give you a price for adding one circuit to your house. A larger job (such as a service change or a total rewire) is another matter, and three or four bids would not be inappropriate. First, however, there are a few legalities to consider.

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For all that you desire to receive from the electrical contractors you are searching for to provide you with professional electrical services, Electrical Maintenance is the only way to go about it. Offering electrical services which are sure to satisfy any clients requirements, contact Electrical Maintenance for the following:

• Domestic, industrial, commercial
• Fault finding
• Specialized installations
• Stoves
• Geysers
• Rewiring/shutdowns
• Lighting installations
• Compliance certificates

Get top notch electrical contractors when you contact Electrical Maintenance.

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Above and Beyond Electric Company today announced the launch of aboveandbeyondelectric.com as an information portal for Memphis area home owners to find information about electrical safety, and home improvement tips. With articles being added almost every day and an online monthly newsletter of home improvement tips the website is anticipated to quickly become Memphis area’s primary resource web site for electrical safety and home improvement information.

Future plans include educational guides on selecting an electrical contractor, professional advice from local experts, and a question and answer forum for Memphis area homeowners.

The web site will be an invaluable resource for homeowners in finding accessible information to address their home electrical needs. Information will be efficiently categorized for easy navigation.

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Software Advice today announced that they have assisted over 500 electrical contractors during their evaluation of new electrical estimating software, accounting and project management systems for their businesses. Moreover, Software Advice has now developed partnerships with the majority of software vendors serving the electrical division. This network of software partners allows Software Advice to recommend the ideal systems for a wide range of electrical firms with a variety of technology needs.

“It is gratifying to have helped so many electrical contractors as they take on the challenge of assessing software systems. In partnership with the leaders in software for electrical contractors, we have helped everyone from the smallest of independent electricians to large electrical engineering firms with a global presence,” said Don Fornes, founder and CEO of Software Advice.

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