Encore Electrical might be a new local business but the owners bring more than six decades of electrical experience to their customers.
Encore Electrical was opened just about a year ago by five local electricians: Jimmy Schrimsher, Todd Schrimsher, Federico Garcia, Kenny Winters and Josh Borden.
The company is licensed in the states of Alabama and Tennessee to handle all residential, commercial and industrial type work.
“We just felt like there wasn’t enough qualified electricians. Not to say there wasn’t qualified electricians, but there just wasn’t enough in this area to carry the work load. We kind of ventured out slowly and found there was really a need for licensed electricians and a company that was able to do a wide variety of projects from commercial/industrial to residential,” Schrimsher said.
He added, “Obviously, Limestone County is No. 1 in the state as far as growth. North Alabama as a whole is growing as well, and probably in the Top 10 in the country. There’s jobs here, people are coming and there has to be housing. One just feeds the other.”
Hiring a local, licensed electrician has many advantages for the customer.
“You get someone local who is familiar with the area, familiar with the municipalities, understands what is legally required as far as licenses and insurance, and is familiar with the inspection process because it varies from Athens to Limestone to Madison to Huntsville to Madison. They all vary a little bit,” Schrimsher said. “When you bring someone in from out of town, they have to basically start from scratch and get familiar with everything that is required of them and how to handle it.”
Choosing a local licensed electrician can also help in the future if a problem were to arise.
“Service is a big part of this industry and having someone available when something goes wrong, because it does go wrong. One thing we look at is the ability to service your product. We need to make sure people are held accountable for what they’ve done and what they’ve been paid to do. Being local is a big plus,” Schrimsher said.
Encore Electrical also has their eyes set on the future generation of electricians and doing their part to encourage students in Limestone County interested in pursuing a trade.
“You see all these articles about there is going to be a shortage. Well, that’s true and we are seeing the shortage now. There’s not very many people that have the trade that is needed to maintain the need or demand in this area from carpenters, HVAC technicians, installers, electricians and others. We have been involved with a program at the Limestone County Tech School. We go out and talk to the students and we don’t try to talk students out of going to college but college isn’t for everybody. There are other options,” he said. “When I got out of school, I wanted to go to work. I didn’t want to college. I could have gone to college but I wanted to learn a trade. For the last 42 years, I have been involved in the construction industry in some shape or form.”
Last summer, Encore Electrical offered three students a paid apprenticeship which gave the students valuable on-the-job experience which Schrimsher believes is the best type of experience one can gain.
Encore Electrical is currently looking for more people to join their team. Schrimsher said, “We are looking for laborers, beginners, and basically electricians who can add value to the company is some way.”