Schmidt Electric Co. Inc. (SEC) started as a small, family-owned business in Austin, Texas.
In 1984, Bobby Schmidt began the company in the back room of his house with one other employee, his home phone serving as the company number for many years. Bobby said he “planned on just having a few guys and working on small jobs together…but that didn’t last long.” After one year, Bobby acquired around 10 other employees and the business began to flourish.
SEC’s first large project was the All Saints Episcopal Church, located on 27th street in the heart of Austin. From that project on, the company morphed into something much larger than Bobby “ever could have dreamed of.” In 1986, Bobby built the 5,000 sq. ft. office building in South Austin, where the company continues to operate in today. After just a few short years, the company employed over 150 people and was beginning to take on large projects such as the Dell Computers headquarters.
In the years since its founding, Schmidt Electric has expanded its operations to a branch office in Houston as well as the headquarters in Austin. In the past five years, Schmidt Electric has averaged 600 weekly payroll employees, 50 full-time salaried employees, and revenues in excess of $80 million.
Ben Frank started with SEC in 1995. He joined the company as a journeyman electrician and worked his way up to through the ranks as a foreman, general foreman, general superintendent, and then Chief Operations Officer. Ben has driven SEC’s organizational decisions for the last 5 years. In 2017, Ben took over as Owner and President. Ben states, “My greatest goal is to carry on with the tradition and reputation built by the Schmidt family.”
That reputation is one formed and maintained through relationships built on trust. Schmidt Electric’s longevity and consistent success in the industry is driven by its highly-motivated and dedicated professionals. Bobby describes this in a way only he can: “It’s the people here…we do what we say.”