A Guest in the Customer’s Business
Integrity, steadfast service and controlled growth power Accurate Electrical Connection, Inc.
In 2005, with minimal notice, the large corporation that Stanley Courtney Jr. was working for announced that it was closing. Stan declared, “I’m starting my own company,” and asked co-workers David Gencarella and Alex Kirkpatrick to go with him. That is how Stan describes the beginning of Orlando-based Accurate Electrical Connection, Inc. (AEC).
They united to pursue a dream of creating a professional business with a family-first atmosphere. “We had both worked with Stan previously and felt comfortable with him,” David says. “We wanted to build something new.”
“I look back now and think of the risk we took,” says Stan, President of AEC. At first, Stan ran the business from their office, doing anything and everything that needed to be done, while David, senior estimator and master electrician, and Alex, project coordinator, worked in the field. The company grew, added field staff and in a few years, all three were in the office.
“I think of our initial management team as a symbolic three-legged stool. David, Alex and I all contributed to the core development of AEC’s growth and development. AEC has never been a business based on titles. We have all done whatever it takes to exceed our customers’ needs,” says Stan. Together, they built a company they’re proud of.
Today, AEC is a 25-person (and growing) shop. The original three-legged stool is now a bench—a solid team that includes Joe Lotz, service manager and master electrician, and Andy Olson, project manager and journeyman electrician. Stan’s wife, Carrie Courtney, is the creative force, technical writer and “detail person” behind the scenes at AEC. “She has driven the professionalism of our business as we’ve grown. She strives for every element to exceed industry standards. She also keeps me grounded,” says Stan. “We pray together every morning for whatever challenges AEC field employees and their families may encounter. This is something we have done since day one.”
Operating Debt-free
Since its start, AEC has controlled its growth and steadily reinvested in the company. “This is by design and through careful management,” Stan says. “As a result, we’re able to partner with our customers to ensure we can meet their needs. We provide quality service to our customers. We sometimes say no to other opportunities to ensure we can fulfill our current obligations.”
Careful management includes responsible management of resources. “Stan has always made very smart purchase decisions—ensuring we’re investing in the best value for the company and not wasting money. Because of that, the company is debt- free,” Alex says.
AEC’s financial stability provides unexpected rewards. “I just believe that if you do the right thing, you’ll be rewarded,” Stan says. “Being debt free is huge; it gives us the freedom to say no when we should, and the ability to be proactive, not just reactive.”
For example, the company was in a position to help residents in a senior living community, one of AEC’s commercial customers, when an error made by the municipality meant power was not restored following AEC’s completion of its contractual obligations. “We received calls from understandably upset residents,” Alex says. “We made the decision to put affected residents in hotel rooms that night, at our expense; we provided them with gift cards for food. It was just the right thing to do.”
With this kind of service ethic, customer retention is high. Some AEC customers have been with the company since its start. “Being good stewards of our financials, we’re able to go above and beyond. We build customers, not jobs,” Stan says.
Team Members, Not Numbers
AEC takes care of customers, in part, by retaining and hiring exceptional employees. Controlled growth ensures that the team can provide outstanding customer support.
“Our employees feel comfortable here,” Stan says. “I’m quite certain they get calls from our competitors. I sometimes ask them, ‘Why are you still working here, when it’s an employee’s market?’ They tell me, ‘I feel like a person here, a team member, not just a number.’ We allow people to grow while maintaining a family atmosphere. We have a lot of long-term employees in an industry with a high turnover rate.”
Stan is known for building relationships with and investing trust in AEC employees, Alex says. “Stan is not your normal boss; he’s extremely caring. He has always treated each of his employees as people, something I’ve always admired. He’s also very giving. Christmas comes early at AEC; we have an amazing party for employees and spouses,” Alex adds.
Staff members, in turn, are invested in the success of the company. “Stan believes in his employees and trusts everyone to do their jobs,” Alex says. “If he has to step out a few days, he knows things are handled. That trust helps make the company a better place. It’s a group effort for sure.”
For a company to grow, it has to have leaders. For those who want to move into leadership roles at AEC, there are opportunities. “If an employee wants to lead, we’ll give them the opportunity,” Stan says. “Our goal is to set up an individual for success, to give them jobs they’ll succeed at. To be paid as a leader, they must demonstrate they have the skills to lead. By achieving over time, they’ll become a key employee.”
Strong communication is an essential value for all AEC team members. “No single person knows everything there is to know in the field,” Stan says. “Our employees feel comfortable calling into the office and asking questions. They know they’ll get answers and guidance, not criticism. We want that open communication. That’s certainly the best approach for our customers and our team.”
Investing in the Next Generation
Stan spends time encouraging young adults to consider a career in the trades. He draws on his own experience to relate to apprentices who are ready to embrace a new field. When Stan was growing up on a tobacco farm in Central Kentucky, he didn’t really know his purpose in life or what he wanted to do. He contemplated going to law school. He tried working in several jobs but was soon bored. Then he met Carrie and was introduced to the electrical trade by his brother-in-law, an electrician. Stan had found his niche and quickly excelled.
After the young couple moved to Florida to be near Carrie’s family, Stan completed his training at Florida Electrical Apprenticeship & Training (FEAT) in Orlando and earned his journeyman license in 2000.
Stan believes in giving back. He’s enjoyed being an instructor at FEAT. AEC sponsors apprentices through FEAT, which requires on-the-job training hours as well as classroom hours. AEC apprentices participate in quick-turnaround service jobs, gaining broad field experience. “Our apprentices are exposed to the big picture of how everything works, from start to finish. As a result, we’ve turned out some new superintendents who are very well rounded,” Stan says.
AEC’s Next Move: Starting a Residential Division
AEC started as a commercial service contractor, then began working small construction jobs and eventually expanded to large commercial projects. In addition to its growing construction department, the company is now diversifying, starting a residential division and bringing the same courteous, professional service to homeowners.
“We’re committed to astounding residential customers with the level of service that is second nature to us,” Stan says. “For example, setting an appointment time and keeping it. Who wants to wait around for a technician to show up within a four-hour window? That is not customer service.”
The timing is right to expand into the residential market. “Commercial market conditions are strong; there’s a high demand for and a shortage of skilled labor in all trades. We simply can’t find the people we’d like to hire for large commercial jobs that require five, 10 or more electricians. I turned down two projects just this week because all of our techs are committed to current projects.” By contrast, a residential service call requires one technician to perform the work, including installation of increasingly popular low-voltage security camera systems. “This means we can create a profit center with a single tech and a van.”
Customers for Life
“We understand that we are a guest in our customer’s place of business. They can ask us to leave at any time. I learned this from one of my mentors, and that is the motto of our company. We live by it,” Stan says.
Accurate Electrical maintains an emergency electrician on staff in Orlando. It’s not unusual to see this service advertised by electrical service companies. However, “it is unusual to get an actual person on the phone when you call an emergency number,” says Stan.
The Florida building code is constantly changing, plus lighting fixture technology and power consumption are continually evolving. “AEC’s customer service reputation is grounded in our regulatory and technology knowledge,” David says. “It’s critical to stay on top of changes to ensure our performance and installations are done according to current code specifications. Not doing so is a recipe for a failed building inspection.”
“Our customer retention rate is high,” Stan says. “We maintain a lot of continuing contracts for some of our larger clients. We’re definitely not the cheapest. We’ve won many bids even when there are lower bidders because customers know the value we provide. The job will be done right.”
Doing the right thing has remained constant over the last 14 years. “When we started, we just did service calls and some small renovations,” David says. “Now we’re doing large construction projects up to $1 million. We’ve grown to a point we’d never have imagined. We continue to grow. We have a great team and want to continue to grow with them.”