Electrical Contractors' Future is Bright

Santa Fe Springs, CA. - Steve Watts is an unassuming, yet privately confident gentleman, a family man who single-handedly built a thriving business in an industry where competitiveness sometimes outshines even the best.

Watts, 50, is at the helm of CSI Electrical Contractors, Inc., an outfit that has capitalized on traditional electrical contracting services, but is now leading the drive for energy efficiency with the addition of its Green Energy Solutions group, serving as a model for companies who are taking an interest in the growing "green" trends.

"We've got competition at every level of our business," said Watts, who employs nearly 300 seasoned electricians insure projects go off without a hitch, "and we have to be ahead of the pack in terms of technology and implementation, including adding innovative additions to complement our wide range of services"

"But there are very few that do all of what we do in-house," Watts added.

All of which is fairly impressive for a guy who started in the trenches, working his way up the ladder, mastering all of the finer points of the electrical industry, and whose foray into California's leading cause of energy self-reliance is at the forefront of both political and social minds.

"Not too long ago, energy-efficient services were a hard sell," Watts said. "But then utilities began offering incentives for energy conservation and we saw a growing market for a company like ours."

The State of California has made several changes to standards administered by the California Energy Commission and CSI has initiated programs to assist companies to comply with the constantly changing requirements. The upshot: Today the energy-efficient lighting business -- dubbed Lighting Retrofit -- is generating 55 percent of the industry's revenue and gives CSI a project list that includes such industry giants as Chevron, Universal Studios, the Boeing Company and Northrop Grumman among many others.

In addition, Watts and his Green Energy Solutions group is on the forefront of new and innovative causes to help keep California "green."

"Energy audits are one example," Watts said. "You have to determine existing costs, identify the most efficient upgrade to provide both savings and lighting quality." Beyond that, figuring a client's return on investment involves calculating rebates and incentives that differ from utility to utility and savings that vary from technology to technology, he said.

While Watts has many reasons to help grow the "green" side of his business, he also recognizes that above all, "we owe it to our children and grandchildren to have the place where we live be as nice and the generations before."