As the largest commercial electrical contractor in Omaha, Miller Electric is known for its large-scale projects. We’ve been fortunate to wire many of the large buildings and facilities across Omaha.
While many know us for the low voltage service and electrical contracting work we’ve done on data centers, healthcare facilities and large headquarters buildings, much of our daily work is also comprised of mid-size and smaller projects. This work means just as much to the talented men and women that make up Miller Electric.
Whether answering service calls to change lightbulbs or install custom lighting in art galleries, meeting customer needs requires collaboration, communication and coordination.
This month, we caught up with members of Miller Electric’s Service, TEGG, Low Voltage Service and Custom Commercial departments to discuss some of the recent projects they’ve worked on and how they work together to exceed customer expectations while finishing projects on time and within budget.
Change is Constant in the Electrical Service Department
When Justin Rozmus took over leadership of the Electrical Service Department after Steve Schneiderwind retired earlier this year, he knew he was picking up where a very talented and experienced manager left off.
“Steve started every morning with a detailed schedule, only to see it blow up 15 minutes into the day. Still, he never let that bother him. Instead, he taught us how to roll with the punches and keep things on track with a lot of backup plans,” says Rozmus.
Schneiderwind taught Rozmus and his crew to rely on each other and collaborate with other departments to succeed. That collaboration is essential to meet the wide variety of project needs that arise, often simultaneously.
“We handle a very wide range of customers dealing with small projects that range from something as simple as replacing a light bulb, to more complex needs like installing a new 2000A electrical service,” says Rozmus.
Some of the more recent work the Service Department has been involved in includes the FBI headquarters building, Village Pie facilities, and the Northrop Grumman campus.
Any given week brings a mixture of pressing and not-so-pressing needs. Last week, the Electrical Service Department ran a circuit for a new banding machine at Omaha Slings, while also dealing with emergency calls. Rozmus says customers appreciate the prompt response Miller Electric provides to their emergencies, which are usually handled in the same day.
“While that work can make it challenging to manage your daily schedule, customers really appreciate having us at their disposal 24 hours a day.”
Having 20 vans on the road, at the ready, is part of how Miller Electric successfully manages the daily mix of ongoing and emergency electrical service work. Beyond the vans, collaboration and communication between the Low Voltage Service, TEGG and Custom Commercial departments are essential elements to keeping customers happy.
Low Voltage & TEGG Departments Manage Maintenance and More
Complementing the work in the Electrical Service department is the work handled by the Low Voltage and TEGG departments.
Low Voltage Manager Tim Meade says his team handles a wide variety of services, from moves and changes to large installations across all aspects of the low voltage industry. Past projects the Low Voltage team has worked on include security and access needs for Midtown Crossing, security and cameras for the Omaha JCC and network cabling at the Conagra Food Plant.
“Last week, we worked on a fiber trunk installation in the Midlands data center, and we heard from the customer what we often do,” says Meade. “That they appreciate continued and consistent support with the same electricians and office staff to support their ongoing needs.”
Sometimes that support comes from the Service Department and sometimes it involves collaboration with the Custom Commercial team. At other times, it requires working with the TEGG department.
The TEGG team primarily performs testing of electrical systems, maintenance work and electrical studies on entire electrical systems for customers.
“Last week, we did an arc flash study for Midlands Hospital,” says TEGG and Proactive Service Manager Kurt Hamilton. “Like other customers who use our proactive maintenance and testing services, they appreciate the assurance of knowing they are not going to have a power failure due to inadequacies in their electrical systems.”
Currently, the TEGG department is performing ongoing maintenance work and small projects with Rotella’s Bakery, conducting arc flash studies for several CHI Health System hospitals and doing maintenance work for CHI Health Center Arena as well as TDA Ballpark.
The team was also able to help kids continue learning when an electrical surge knocked out power to Norris Elementary on the first day of school.
“We repaired the main electrical service after a surge hit it and had power back to the school the next day,” says Hamilton. “It was good to take care of that and have a direct, positive impact on our community.”
Rozmus felt positive as well, after the Service department worked with TEGG to restore power to the school.
“The call came in at 5:25 a.m. and we were onsite by 5:40 a.m.” says Rozmus. “The customer was extremely happy with the response time and that Miller Electric was able to get them back up and going before school started for the day.”
Custom Commercial Works Hand in Hand with Service Departments
Miller Electric’s Custom Commercial department was created to handle mid-size projects that fall between large projects and the Service department.
“Our projects are often customer-driven or negotiated work,” says Custom Commercial Manager Clayton Anderson. “Most of the work involves smaller projects that are fast-hitting, such as when a customer needs a quick turnaround on a project or has a lower budget than what would substantiate a larger electrical project.”
While there are many variables, there are a few constants with Custom Commercial work. For a project to come to the Custom Commercial team, it must require no more than eight electricians and a foreman should be able to handle it along with at least one other project simultaneously.
Custom Commercial projects also often involve the other three teams already mentioned.
“We share technicians, vans, tools and knowledge to assist each other in completing projects,” says Anderson.
All three departments have full access to all administrative departments including BIM and VDC, Estimating, Professional Engineers, Safety, HR and Accounting.
“Large or small, all of our project management capabilities are seamlessly integrated,” says Rozmus. “We share field electricians and low voltage technicians to ensure that projects big and small are properly staffed with qualified personnel, tools and equipment.”
That kind of collaboration leads to positive outcomes for customers, the community and the overall culture at Miller Electric.
“The fact that we work together so well is just another factor of the positive culture here at Miller Electric,” says Rozmus. “It’s another one of the things that makes you enjoy what you get to do each day and who you get to do it with.”
Do you have a project need? Large or small, our dedicated low voltage technicians and electricians are ready to serve. Contact us today your project request.