By Kathleen Swift • Photos by Amy Howe
For three generations, Bill’s Electric Incorporated, known as BEI, has been providing quality workmanship and excellent service to residents and businesses in the Four-State Region. Currently led by Brandon Wilson, president of BEI, the company philosophy of doing what it takes to get the job done continues to be the mantra they follow.
“One of the things that makes us a strong company,” said Wilson, “is the loyalty of our employees. Their drive and dedication are amazing, and we are blessed to have them. I believe if you have buy-in from your employees, then good things can happen. We are a large company with over 340 employees, but we operate like a small local company where no one feels like a number.
“Here at BEI, we have years of knowledge and diverse types of jobs. There is not much in the electrical field we have not seen. If you have an electrical problem, we have somebody who can help.”
BEI serves residents and businesses with locations in Webb City and Springfield, Missouri; Lowell, Arkansas; and Claremore, Oklahoma. Recently, BEI has expanded its services to the communities of Hollister, Missouri, and Fort Smith, Arkansas.
“We serve all kinds of electrical needs,” said Wilson. “From the renovation of Razorback stadium in Fayetteville to the lady who needs her light bulbs changed. Ninety percent of our business is commercial, such as hospitals, schools and businesses. Ten percent of our work is residential.
“We started in a building on Main Street in Webb City, and then in the 1980s we moved to a location on Broadway. In 2001, we moved to our current location at 1716 Falcon Street in Webb City across from the airport.”
For the last several years, Wilson and BEI have supported education in the electrical trades.
“A college education is not for everyone,” said Wilson. “I wanted us to encourage men and women to go into a trade. We work with Crowder College in an apprenticeship program. It is a selective, four-year program that BEI pays for. Every two years, we select 13 dedicated employees to participate. They work for BEI 40 hours a week. On Thursdays, they leave at noon and go to classes at Crowder. At the end of the four years, they are ready to take their electrical exam. This year, we graduated our first class. It’s exciting to see people of all ages enter the field.”
BEI is 100 percent employee owned. Wilson explained, “In 2013, my father wanted to step away from the business, but he wanted to keep it going. Becoming an ESOP (employee stock ownership program) was the way he did it. And things just keep getting better and better for BEI from our commercial and industrial services, our residential service and our design assist program. We’ll keep doing what it takes to get the job done right.”