Electrical Construction Co history

Founded in 1910, White Electrical has grown into being one of the nation’s largest industrial electrical contractors.

Harry Witz starts Continental Lighting Fixture Company in 1912 by marching door to door, selling electrical fuse panels and lighting.

In January 1913, the Columbus, Georgia office was opened to serve the nine cotton mills along the Chattahoochee River.

In August of 1916 a second business was launched when Thomas Meade announced the opening of the Dempsey Ford Automobile Agency.

Meade and Dempsey dissolved their joint business interest in 1919, with Meade taking over the electrical business and Dempsey the automobile agency.

Edward R. Hansen, a general construction foreman at Commonwealth Edison, joined Meade Electric as head construction supervisor in 1920.

Each man borrowed $3,000 to purchase shares, and the company was incorporated as Meade Electric Company, Inc. on September 9, 1922.

Starting in 1929, White Electrical Construction Company worked at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company plant in Gadsden, Alabama.

1931 As part of the Public Works Administration program established by Roosevelt, Meade successfully bid on an electrical contract for the 17-story Cook County Nurses Home being built next to Cook County Hospital (now John H. Stroger Jr.

In 1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt closed all banks in the US. Banks where Meade had major funds were never reopened and working capital was virtually depleted.

Founded in 1935, the success of the company over the years is grounded in the purpose that originally started the company.

1940 Meade estimated its first job for United States Steel Corporation’s sheet and tin mill plant in Gary, Indiana.

The world was still at war in 1944 when Hansen and Joseph Lizzadro incorporated Meade Electric Company of Indiana, Inc.

Leo Witz becomes president in 1947.

In 1948, CECCo hits $1,000,000 annual sales mark.

Inland Steel Company opened the way to more heavy construction work for Meade in 1962, with a contract covering its 80-inch hot strip mill in East Chicago, Indiana.

Sharlen Electric Company’s roots can be traced back to 1963, when Bill Cullen Sr. started Cullen Electric, a Chicago electrical service.

1964 The M.E. Electrical Companies, Inc. was formed to handle a large construction project for the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company in Hennepin, Illinois.

Early in 1968 work at the Jones and Laughlin project in Hennepin was nearing completion when M.E. Electrical Companies purchased Norris Electric Company in Joliet, Illinois, to strengthen its position in the growing Joliet market.

1971 The thriving motor and magnet repair operation in Hammond added a new shop facility in Boardman, Ohio.Growth in the electronics field also provided expansion opportunities and Meade opened an electronics shop in Chicago at the Harrison Street facility.

Gene Witz becomes president in 1973.

Continental continues to expand as William Witz becomes president in 1975.

Major projects, including construction of blast furnace #13, the largest in the Western hemisphere, for the United States Steel plant in Gary, Indiana, and Inland Steel’s mammoth 42-foot-diameter furnace completed in 1980, had earned Meade a favorable reputation in the heavy industrial market.

By 1983, however, there seemed to be signs of recovery and the promise of economic growth as the stock market reached an all-time high with Dow Jones topping 1200 for the first time.

In 1985, Continental surpasses 50 millions square feet of project space.

In 1986, Watson’s president, W.E. Boyette, purchased the company and ushered in a new era of growth and prosperity.

Telecom Division, now Continental Technologies, formed in 1988.

Watson worked with East Carolina University to develop a Construction Management Training program in the 1990's.

Founded in 1993, JDL Electric is a Commercial Electrical Contractor specializing in new construction and renovations, catering to General Contractors, Design/Build Contractors, Property Management Firms and their tenants, in the Baltimore Metropolitan area.

Continental joins Encompass in 1998.

Meade’s revenue volume has tripled since 1999.

2000 Meade performed electrical, instrumentation and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) work on numerous types of transportation projects, including the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad Catenary Rebuild; and Dan Ryan Expressway Communications System Rebuild.

In 2003, our management team bought the company back and immediately revived our strong tradition of service and success, operating once again as Watson Electrical Construction Co.

During this decade, Meade celebrates its 100th Anniversary Year (2008) and greatly expands its capabilities and geographic scope of work.

In 2009, the Energy Solutions division is formed.

2011 Transportation projects are ongoing including O’Hare and Midway Airport Electrical and Civil Projects; Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Wilson and 95th St Stations and Loop Track Renewal Projects.

White Electrical joined the electrical construction peer group, Federated Electrical Contractors (FEC). With its fiftieth anniversary in 2012, FEC has become the oldest and largest construction peer group in the country.

2014 Major additions are made to vehicle and construction equipment fleet, including acquisition of large scale Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDDP machines) with up to 1 million pounds of pullback capacity for large diameter pipeline projects.