I don't have to tell you that there are many great electricians out there. This week, we got to recognize and reward one of the best.
Congratulations to Joey Hall – our 2015 Electrician of the Year!
Joey was revealed as our Electrician of the Year during a special Klein Tools event on October 5th. He was also rewarded with a 2015 Ford F-150 XLT Crew Cab truck customized by off-road specialists, Addictive Desert Designs.
It suits him well, don't you think?
As cool as this truck is, our search for the Electrician of the Year was about much more. We were on a mission (again!) to find an electrician who excelled in the areas of professional achievement, safety excellence, and community dedication.
Joey's nomination story was one that stood out right away. He was named the Region 3 "Great Lakes" winner, along with five other regional winners – all finalists for our Electrician of the Year. We flew the finalists to San Francisco where Joey was named Electrician of the Year.
So what made Joey's story stand out?
First, some background. Joey, who was nominated by his son, is from Somerset, Kentucky and has owned and operated Diamond Electric since 1993. He's been an electrician for 35 years working on commercial, industrial, and residential projects. Lately, his main passion has been working on the challenging jobs in the industrial sector, and according to his nomination, he's become the go-to guy when large companies have difficult projects.
There were numerous testimonials in his nomination that spoke of Joey's high level of workmanship and ability to resolve issues quickly and efficiently. But these two testimonials in particular really stood out to me:
(from his nomination) "Joey has been the most reliable and professional electrical contractor we have ever used. He is always there when he says and all of his jobs have been done right the first time. He is straightforward, honest, and I trust him to take care of all our electrical needs."
And
"Diamond Electric is the best sub-contractor I have ever worked with, regardless of discipline. Joey Hall is an outstanding electrician, but his integrity and the way he manages his employees are what make his company the best…In some instances, Joey has been responsible for the difficult job of telling me things that I did not want to hear, but needed to be said. That kind of honesty is what separates the amateurs from the professionals."
Diamond Electric's safety record speaks for itself. The company has only one workers comp claim in 22 years. Joey insists that his employees attend regular safety meetings and continuing education classes. He also provides them with all the safety equipment they need on the jobsite.
Off the jobsite, Joey is just as dedicated to his various volunteer work. He's a little league baseball coach, and recently donated supplies and helped build a brand new baseball facility. He also leads a team painting the local high school football field for every home game. The football team "is known around the state to have one of the best kept, most impressive fields," says Joey's nomination. Joey also participates in a community outreach program that provides food, clothing, and health screenings to needy individuals. He also volunteers his electrician skills to local churches and others in need.
So now you can see why we picked Joey as our Electrician of the Year!
Before I end this blog post, I want to point out one thing. Though Joey was named our winner, he was in very good company! We received so many great nomination stories and it was really hard to choose even our finalists. I've waxed poetic before in this blog about how great electricians are. But, especially in this setting, I think it bears repeating.
It is clear that hard work, integrity, safety importance, and giving back to those in need are the norm and not the exception amongst electricians and that is something to take a lot of pride in!