The St. Louis Business Journal is saluting NECA contractor Kaemmerlen Electric on its 100^th anniversary with a “Family Business Award.” Kaemmerlen was founded in 1924 and would become the largest small appliance repair shop in St. Louis – fixing 50,000 plug-in clocks, toasters and radios annually by the 1960s. It also served downtown offices, repairing lighting and building fans, hinting at its future as an electrical contractor. The long-time IBEW Local 1-signatory contractor would eventually devote it efforts solely to electrical contracting and become one of the region’s largest electrical contractors. A full story on Kaemmerlen’s 100 years of success will appear in the Oct. 18^th St. Louis Business Journal.

The Kaemmerlen Family

The well-known Lou Fusz Athletic Complex is being brightened by NECA contractor PayneCrest Electric and its IBEW Local 1 workforce. Located at 2155 Creve Coeur Mill Road, the complex will have new lighting for its fall sports facilities.  PayneCrest is installing 134 high power LED fixtures on 14, 70-foot poles. The system is wireless controlled. 

At the end of August, NECA contractor Guarantee Electrical celebrated the one-year anniversary of the firm becoming an employee-owned company with an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).  St. Louis Construction News and Review (CNR) recently spotlighted Guarantee’s transition to employee ownership. “This substantial change in ownership not only underscores the company’s commitment to its team, but also positions Guarantee as a beacon of progressive and evergreen business practices within the construction industry,” noted CNR. “There is no electrical contractor in any of our markets that has the ownership structure we do,” says Rich Ledbetter, CEO at Guarantee Electrical. “Being employee-owned is the answer. It answers every question and solves every challenge. It’s ours. We own it. Being 100 percent ESOP will allow our entire team to build wealth on a scale we couldn’t have imagined. And the cultural impact is even more significant. We are one team of owners. We have each other’s backs.” Learn more.