EP #25 Behind the Wires: Meet Andrew Montgomery of Upstate Electric

Andrew Montgomery's journey into electrical work began with a newspaper classified ad in 2013. Though his first position was short-lived, it sparked a passion that would eventually lead him to establish Upstate Electric, a residential electrical contracting business serving the Fredericksburg area. "I'm very fortunate right now to be doing something that I'm so passionate about," Andrew shares, reflecting on the rewarding nature of his chosen trade.

Behind Andrew's dedication to electrical safety lies a deeply personal motivation. As a child, his family home was destroyed by an electrical fire, a traumatic experience that taught him resilience and shaped his professional ethic. This firsthand understanding of the devastating consequences of faulty electrical work drives his commitment to proper installation and safety standards. When Andrew discovers loose connections that have begun generating heat in clients' homes, he's acutely aware of how quickly such situations can escalate, making his timely interventions all the more meaningful.

A common misconception Andrew addresses is the belief that anyone can handle electrical work. While he encourages homeowners to learn basic tasks like changing switches and outlets (with proper safety precautions), he emphasizes that many electrical jobs absolutely require professional expertise. "There are a lot of things that a licensed, skilled electrician should be doing. Otherwise, you run the risk of causing a fire that will damage your home," he cautions. Andrew distinguishes himself through transparency and honest service, refusing to sell customers on unnecessary work. He even offers free phone consultations to help troubleshoot issues, potentially saving clients both time and money. For those seeking a trustworthy electrical contractor who prioritizes safety and customer needs, reach out to Andrew through Upstate Electric's Facebook page for residential installations, renovations, and upgrades.

Andrew Montgomery

Upstate Electric

[e-mail]

571-406-4741

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
, the place where localbusinesses and neighbors come
together.
Here's your host, Dori Stewart.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to another episode of the
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast.
Today we have a fantasticneighbor to introduce you to.
Andrew Montgomery is the ownerof Upstate Electric.
Andrew, welcome to the podcast.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, I appreciate you being my guest.
Let's start off by sharing withthe listeners a little bit
about your business.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
I am a small excuse me, small electrical contractor.
I do mostly residentialinstallations, renovations and
upgrades, but I also dabble incommercial when I can get the
work.
It's just myself right now, buthope to be growing quite a bit
in the next year.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Nice.
So tell us about yourbackground, your journey.
How did you get into this?

Speaker 3 (01:00):
I actually got into electrical work through a
newspaper ad back in 2013.
I was looking for a job and Ipicked up a newspaper and in the
classifieds there was a listingfor a helper and I ended up
getting that job working withBuell Electric, which is another

(01:21):
electrical contractor in thearea, and I worked with them for
about a year, but I was I wasyoung and ended up losing the
job.
But I realized in that yearthat I had a real passion for
the work, so that that alwaysbrought me back to the the
electrical work and I just kindof I'm very fortunate right now

(01:42):
to be doing something that I'mso passionate about.
I really enjoy doing the work.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Nice, nice.
That's so important to enjoywhat you're doing, make today go
by a lot better.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
I'm very fortunate to be able to do something that I
really do enjoy doing.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Nice, nice.
Do you find that there's anymyths or misconceptions about
the industry?

Speaker 3 (02:09):
you find that there's any myths or misconceptions
about the industry.
It's really tough to say whenyou start talking about the
residential side of things andspecifically service and what
I'm doing.
A lot of people think thatanybody can do their electrical
work and just about anybody canchange out devices and stuff
like that, and I recommendpeople to look up videos on
youtube to change out likeswitches and plugs, you know,
turn the power off.
But uh, I get a lot of peoplethat think that you know, I can

(02:33):
pay this person less.
They're not necessarily alicensed electrician and it'll
be just fine, but it's not fine.
They really.
There are a lot of things thata licensed, skilled electrician
should be doing.
Otherwise you run the risk of,in a lot of cases, not
necessarily burning your housedown, but causing a fire that
will cause damage to your home.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yeah, I mean, no one needs that.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
So your advice is to look for a licensed electrician
versus just yeah, yeah, it's,and it's an easy thing to do to
ask for your electrician'slicense number and you can look
up their license on uh dporgov.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
Okay, great advice, great advice.
So when you're not working,what are you doing for fun?

Speaker 3 (03:21):
I like to hang out with my wife and my cats.
I like to hang out with my wifeand my cats.
We like to play video games andwe spend a lot of time with my
nieces and my family.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Nice.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
Nice, awesome.
So can you describe a lifechallenge or a struggle that you
went through that now you feellike you're stronger because of
it?
When I was a kid, our houseburned down an electrical fire
actually.
Oh gosh and you know obviouslythat was a very difficult thing
to get through.
But I learned pretty quickly inthat process that you know
things don't stop.

(04:04):
It doesn't matter how badthings get for you or how bad
your situation is.
You got to just pull yourselfup by your bootstraps and keep
going, because otherwise you'regoing to get caught behind and
there's no and no coming backfrom a situation like that if
you don't keep doing what you'redoing, if you try to stop and
slow down.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yeah, so interesting that you went through that as a
child and now the industry thatyou are in, you truly understand
the importance of doing thingsthe right way.

Speaker 3 (04:43):
Yeah, yeah, it's something that I very uh uh hits
a little close to home when Igo into situations, um,
specifically where I, you know,I see very often I go in and a
loose connection has caused someheat to be generated and things
are starting to burn up, butthank goodness I'm able to get
there in time before it becomesmore of an issue, kind of thing.

Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you have a very, a very close tie
to wanting to make sure thingsare done right.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you have avery, a very close tie to
wanting to make sure things aredone right.

Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
Yeah, so what is one thing that you wish the
listeners knew about yourbusiness?

Speaker 3 (05:14):
Uh, that's a good one .
Um, a lot of people, especiallywhen an electrician or any
trades person comes into theirhome, they're very leery and
hesitant to take somebody atface value, because a lot of
these companies, a lot of people, send in sales people to try
and sell you on stuff that youdon't need.

(05:34):
And I pride myself on beingvery transparent about pricing
and the necessity ofinstallations and stuff like
that.
So I don't I don't try to sellpeople things that they don't
need and I try to be very openabout what your wants and needs
are and trying to figure outwhat the customer's wants and
needs are versus what isnecessarily going to work out

(05:57):
better for me monetarily.

Speaker 2 (05:59):
Yeah, that's great.
That's great, and I'm sure yourcustomers appreciate that,
because nobody likes to be soldthings that they don't really
need.
So thank you for that, yeahyeah.
Well, it has been lovelychatting with you.
If the listeners want to workwith you, get in touch with you.
How can they find you?

Speaker 3 (06:19):
Right now I don't have a web page, but my Facebook
page, Upstate Electric, is agood way to get my contact
information and my phonenumber's on there.
I'm available for calls ortexts any time of the day.
Emails, I tell people all thetime, phone call's free, so if
they've got any issues and theywant to try and talk it through
over the phone, or I can try andtalk you through any projects

(06:42):
over the phone.
Save myself a trip and save youa couple of bucks.

Speaker 2 (06:46):
Amazing.
Andrew.
Thank you so much for being myguest on the podcast today and
sharing Upstate Electric with us.

Speaker 3 (06:55):
Yeah, thanks again for having me.
I really appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (06:58):
Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg
Neighbors podcast.
Thank you for listening to theFredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tofxbgneighborspodcast.
com.
That's fxbgneighborspodcast.
com, or call 540-534-4618.