Welcome to the Minneapolis Chapter, NECA website
The Minneapolis Chapter, NECA is dedicated to serving management interests in the organized electrical and low-voltage industries. The Chapter’s jurisdiction parallels that of IBEW Locals 292 and 343, generally extending from Minneapolis and St. Cloud west to the Minnesota/Dakotas border and South to the Iowa border.
Please browse the site, and feel free to contact Chapter Staff with your questions or comments. It is the Chapter’s goal to ensure that the site is a user-friendly, up-to-date resource for all participants in and interested parties to the organized electrical industry in the area.
Minneapolis NECA member Preferred Electric, Inc. recognized as the “2018 VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR!”
(Press release via: https://www.necanet.org/about-us/news/news-release-archive/news/2018/05/02/neca-member-in-minnesota-gets-prestigious-honor-from-small-business-administration)
NECA MEMBER IN MINNESOTA GETS PRESTIGIOUS HONOR FROM SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Talking with a friend over lunch about 10 years ago, Clint Kruger penned his very first business plan. What was written on a restaurant napkin turned into a true success story.
Kruger started Preferred Electric, Inc., a Minneapolis-based commercial and industrial electrical contractor, in his basement, when many competitors were scaling back because of the economy. But since that meeting, the company has grown significantly and Kruger now employs 38 people.
That hasn’t gone unnoticed. As part of National Small Business Week (April 29-May 5) , the U.S. Small Business Administration recently named Preferred Electric the Minnesota 2018 Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year. A certified Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Company and a member of the National Electrical Contractors Association, it serves a range of governments and private entities, including the printing and food industries.
Kruger, who served in United States Marine Corps during the 1990s, said everyone he interacts with at Preferred Electric deserves credit the recognition.
“From the corner office to the warehouse guy, I really am trying to stress that this is about us, not me,” he said. “It shows what we’ve been able to accomplish in such a short time frame.”
The SBA’s district office in Minnesota, along with the SCORE Association, will recognize this year’s honorees at the Minnesota Small Business Week Awards Luncheon on May 11 in Minneapolis. Kruger took part in the agency’s Emerging Leaders program in 2016. He built a three-year plan for continued growth and benefitted from an SBA loan guarantee, which allowed for the purchase of their current – and much bigger – building in Minneapolis.
“It really helped me step back and take a different approach,” he said, noting, for instance, the experience changed his approach when it comes to debt.
A major aspect of Kruger’s business strategy has involved reinvesting profits into the company, allowing him to expand through the purchases of Commercial Electric of the Twin Cities in 2010 and Metro Electric in 2015. Who he hires matters, too. He brings in people who are aligned with the company’s core values such as dedication, integrity and hard work, fellow vets included. And he’s not done yet. Kruger expects to make an acquisition later this summer – one that deals with another niche area – that will have a considerable impact on Preferred Electric’s future.
“It opens up another door for us,” he said.
Preferred Electric is a member of both NECA chapters in the Twin Cities, the Minneapolis Chapter and the St. Paul Chapter. Kruger said regularly bouncing questions off others has aided his development as a contractor.
“It’s great to lean on NECA’s resources,” he said.
Through it all, Kruger still makes time to be active in the community. Preferred Electric has donated labor and material to a kitchen remodel for Ace Hoops House. It also participated in supporting families through the Adopt A Family Angels program and works with local churches.
“I have been so blessed with the opportunities given to me,” he said. “It feels good to give back.”
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Our member contractor Hunt Electric has job openings for the positions of Electrical BIM Designer (Bloomington), Electrical Estimator-PNB, Electrical Estimator – National Division, Electrical Industrial Designer, Purchasing-Materials Manager, Project Manager NEB, Sr. Electrical Estimator, Site Safety Admin – NE, Traveling Project Manager. Please see the links below for full job descriptions as well as information on how to apply.
Electrical BIM Designer (Bloomington)
Electrical Estimator-National Division
Electrical Industrial Designer
Purchasing-Materials Manager-NE
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