At any given time, JM Homick and his team at Total Electric have a steady stream of jobs going on, ranging from schools to grocery stores to super stores. However what’s unique about Electrical Alliance member, Total Electric, is that most of its jobs take place overnight.
“All work is about being competitive,” said JM Homick, president of Total Electric. “If you can come in and be more efficient than the competition, it’s always going to be better for the customer.”
Homick credits the company’s success to his team. Total Electric, a union electrical contracting firm, provides an array of different services including routine repairs and maintenance, tenant remodeling, computer cabling, security and fire alarm installation. Employees in the field range from 50 to 100 electricians, 24 hours a day.
“They [customers] come for the people that work here,” said Homick. “They want a strong electrical foreman who knows the business and can ensure that the electrical portion of the job will be taken care of.”
Doing the work at night draws many customers to Total Electric. It’s not only more productive for the customers, who can keep their doors open during the day, but it increases productivity levels for the electricians, who can more easily complete work uninterrupted. A perfect example of this is Total Electric’s ongoing work at a series of local Giant Food stores where all work occurs overnight. Total Electric has been installing cold beverage containers at multiple Giant Foods and other chains such as Food Lion, in the area.
In addition, we have Total Electric to thank for the new recliners popping up at AMC theaters in the D.C. metro area. They recently completed five AMC Theatre projects which required a detailed schedule over multiple weeks, and most impressively, the theaters remained open throughout the installation process.
Other projects dominating Total Electric’s job list are school renovations.
“Schools that were built in the 50s and 60s are getting to the end of their life cycle,” said Homick.
And lucky for Homick and his team, the school renovations are projects that they very much enjoy. They have the expertise to know how older buildings were constructed, and are able to be more proactive in the building process instead of just following designs.
Total Electric has worked on two KIPP schools in Washington, D.C., completed housing for SEED schools in Baltimore, MD, and renovated four DGS public schools. It is currently working on another KIPP high school to be completed this May.
”All this is problem solving,” said Homick. “If you can’t keep solving problems all day, the job can’t get done on time. We’re problem solving all day long.”
Learn more about Electrical Alliance contractors by catching up on some project showcases.