O’Mahony & Sons Inc.

A growing number of commercial clients in the Boston region are coming to rely upon the services of O’Mahony & Sons Electrical Inc. (OME) for their electrical contracting needs. The full-service electrical contractor is run by the husband-and-wife team of John and Stephanie O’Mahony, and is headquartered in Middleton, Mass. The company continues to grow because of the high quality of its work and the expansive services it provides for its clients.

Stephanie, president and CEO, outlines how the company has developed in the industry as follows: “We started in 2001 out of the basement in our home. John is the general foreman, directing the electricians in the field, and I handle the finances. We’ve developed a loyal roster of clients who regularly invite us to bid on their projects. Our aggressive pricing helps us to win many construction projects. Many jobs result in the tenant retaining us for service and maintenance after completion.”

Today the company employs 45 field personnel split between OME, the construction division that concentrates on new construction and tenant fit-ups, and O’Mahony Electrical Services Inc. (OMES), which launched as a dedicated maintenance and emergency service company.

“We’ve always believed in going the extra mile for our customers; we will even change light bulbs for them if they need it,” explains Stephanie. “With service and maintenance expanding so rapidly, we found that we were pulling electricians off construction projects for service and maintenance work. This was affecting the large jobs. So I made the decision to create two separate companies with dedicated employees for each. It has been working out great since.”

OME focuses on electrical construction services for commercial, institutional and industrial clients. The company also provides the expertise to install fire alarms, security systems and information technology systems.

With its continuing success OME has been able to purchase a new office facility with a large warehouse and garage for its service vehicles. The large warehouse provides the company the opportunity to purchase and store materials early on during projects to take advantage of lower costs and stopping lead-time issues with large contract purchases. This has been beneficial in meeting today’s aggressive and sometimes short construction schedules.

OME is constantly working with its vendors and suppliers to ensure that the company is offering the cutting edge of new technology, such as energy-efficient LED lighting and alternative power systems. Basic electrical supplies are constantly changing and upgrading their products, which helps cut construction time significantly.

Growth in Spite of Turndown

OMES, meanwhile, has set itself apart from competition with the full range of services that it provides. Though OMES only launched in 2009, Stephanie says it has sustained growth since its inception in spite of the economic downturn. This is a reflection of the caliber of professional electricians and technicians the company employs.

Stephanie explains, “I have a service manager who runs the electrical service company and he makes sure that our customers are always happy. This results in many loyal clients who recommend us to their contacts. It has been a big success. We have an excellent team of people working in both companies. I have really great project managers and about 75 percent of our staff has been with us since we started in 2001.”

Following up on work done by OME, OMES has retained the service contracts for several high-profile clients, including Bulfinch Companies, Jones Lang LaSalle and Broadway Realty. “We have worked on several projects with them since 2002 and have continued to work with them on many of their major service projects,” reveals Stephanie.

Reinforcing this dedication to customer satisfaction is the fact that OME and OMES are both union shops. Stephanie emphasizes that being a union shop was never a question for her and her husband, explaining, “We believe in fair living wages and loyalty to our employees. We didn’t set this company up so that we could get rich while our employees scraped by. Our highly trained electricians and technicians are the reason we are successful.

“We are proud members of Local 103, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers [IBEW],” she continues. “They provide us with the highest quality electricians and technicians in the industry. They offer our employees continuing education, code updates and OSHA safety training so that we are always aware of new technologies, regulations, and safety certifications. Our membership has also allowed us to gain access to clients that we may not have reached on our own. Many opportunities have been realized thanks to the networking and skills-building found through the IBEW.”

From Construction to Service and Maintenance

“We focus on building relationships with our clients as that will translate into more business for us,” confirms Stephanie. OME has worked on a large number of projects with Bulfinch Construction, Commodore Builders, John Moriarty & Associates, Jones Lang LaSalle, Lee Kennedy Company, Shawmut Design and Construction, as well as Garland Building, just to name a few. “Bullfinch builds a lot of post offices and Jones Lang LaSalle utilizes us for a lot of their tenant fit-up projects,” reveals Stephanie.

Through many years of dedication working closely with Robert Schlager of the Bulfinch Companies Inc., OME has had opportunities to provide electrical services at many Bulfinch properties. Over the years the company also has helped construct many of the Bulfinch Companies’ commercial office and retail buildings, including the current projects underway at Cambridge Discovery Park in Cambridge, Mass.

During the ongoing projects at Cambridge Discovery Park, which is a ground-up 276,000-square foot facility for Forrester Research, OME has had the opportunity to work with John Moriarty & Associates. “It was a $5 million project and our guys did an amazing job working and building out their office space,” says Stephanie. “We are going to pick up the service end of the contract as well.” Stephanie adds that the construction to service transition is typical of how OMES gains new clients.

OME also specializes in design-build projects that sometimes require a delicate interaction with clients to balance what they want with what electrical engineers know would be more beneficial to the project. Stephanie explains, “We had one customer that wanted on a particular lighting package that cost approximately $500,000. We advised them, before construction began, that what they selected would not work, but the client insisted, so we proceeded with the installation. They were extremely disappointed with their lighting decision and asked us to install the system that we had suggested originally. They were delighted with our installation and have been a loyal customer since.”

Stephanie is excited that the OME/OMES legacy will continue to gain momentum with the addition of a second generation of family leadership. Stephanie and John’s son, Christopher, currently in college, plans on finishing his business degree and then becoming a licensed electrician and reinforcing the company’s field management skills. Their other two children are actively involved in helping when the warehouse needs clean up or a small project must be completed in the office.

“They find it fun, and we are very proud of our company and its family atmosphere,” says Stephanie. “We have a great team of people working for us. Each of our estimators and project mangers has over 25 years of experience in the electrical industry. Their expertise and experience provide us with competitive project bids and superior project management. Their excellence results in repeat business and many new clients.”

Developers in the Boston region have a large number of electrical contracting companies from which to choose. With its focus on delivering outstanding customer service and high-quality results, O’Mahony & Sons Electrical Inc. and O’Mahony Electrical Services Inc. have established themselves as the superior choice that Boston developers and property owners can make.