Member Spotlight: Republic Electric West, Inc.

Recently, WECA sat down with Eric Stafford, President and Founder of Republic Electric West, in Sacramento to learn how this enthusiastic electrician-contractor and entrepreneur got his start in the electrical field, and where it's taken him.

Eric first got his start in the electrical field when he was just 13 years old. Every summer, he worked with his electrical-contractor father Jerry Stafford on new home builds in the Tucson, AZ area, where he learned the fundamentals of a trade that would later take him further west.

In his early 20's, Eric and his dad set out to start a new business in Las Vegas where they established a successful electrical contracting business that ultimately employed 200 people. They worked hard growing the business during the late 80's and throughout the 90's. Eric knew in his heart that California is where he wanted to be, so he set out west again to pursue new opportunities in the electrical field.

In 1999, with just himself and his rottweiler, Koani, Eric established himself in Sacramento where he began specializing in electrical contracting work on new residential tract homes. He then ventured into electrical for custom and high-end homes as well as expanding Republic's abilities to include underground utilities and street lighting.

In addition, Eric worked to create a low voltage-focused business called Republic Elite Integration, specializing in structured wiring, home automation, surveillance, security and home theater. He is also pursuing other opportunities to expand his business to better meet regional needs.

In the big picture, Eric says he couldn't be successful, nor create the opportunities for growth, without having a great team. That's what Republic is about, "it's not my sole success, it's the team's success," he points out.

"We're proud to have very low turnover because we really focus on being a team, like a family that works hard where no one is better than the other. And we try to make things fun while we strive to stay cutting edge with our business systems and processes, so we can set ourselves up for success and in turn have more fun!"

"I like the business side and the field side as well," said Eric. "If needed, I'll step up and put on my tool belt and help get the job done--I'm proud to be an electrical contractor, I work hard, and I take pride being in a trade."

At Republic Electric West, Eric Stafford says in summary, "we have more ups than downs and that's because of a great team."