BIC June 2014 JAS Electrical profile

JAS Electrical Contractors: Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence

By Mary Savage

J

ohn Schmidt’s first job was delivering newspapers; he was 12 years old and as he walked from house to house, the idea of having pocket change motivated him. But Schmidt never thought he’d own a business one day – he never considered himself to be an entrepreneur.

After high school, he pursued his electrical ticket, graduated from SAIT in 1984 and three years later, he became a master electrician. While he pursued his education, Schmidt was laid off three times within a five-year period – given union seniority rules and Alberta’s volatile economic climate. He was always hired back, but the third time Schmidt was handed a pink slip, he decided it would be the last.

As the old saying goes, ‘Necessity is the mother of invention,’ and in Schmidt’s case, he needed a stable job – he and his wife, Cindy, were newly married and wanted to start a family. During the late

Back row, left to right: Greg Young, Greg Hertz, Patrick McKenzie, John Schmidt, David Duport.

Front row, left to right: Nicole Gaboury, Trish Hayne, Cindy Schmidt, Miranda Hayne, Janelle Schmidt, Colin Sampson.

Photo by Mary Savage.

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1980s, Schmidt started JAS Electrical Contractors and he never looked back.

Early on, the majority of work was residential until one day when Schmidt booked a service call that proved to steer the company in a different direction.

“I got a call to service a fire bell that wasn’t working and the client asked me to contact the fire marshal to determine which bell needed to be repaired, and that conversation ultimately took JAS Electrical in a different direction,” recalls Schmidt.

The fire marshal asked Schmidt if he was certified to which he replied, “I’m a master electrician…” But the marshal pressed on, “Are you a certified fire alarm technician?”

As Schmidt learned, you had to be certified by the province to work on fire alarm systems.

Shortly thereafter he earned his certification and focused on working in the commercial sector – specifically with fire protection systems.

“When the company shifted direction, there were only a handful of businesses that specialized in fire alarm systems. Today there are about 40, but many of them don’t offer all of the in-house services that we do,” explains Schmidt. “Once we forayed into fire alarm systems, we expanded our business to include fire extinguishers – servicing the equipment – as well as sprinkler systems.”

Above and below photos: John Schmidt (above left) working along side his team in their shop, located in Calgary.

Photos, these two pages, by Melissa Arthur.

Ask one simple question…

When it comes to apartment and condo dwellers, there is one question that every person should know the answer to: Is the fire alarm system active and current?

“Many people who live in apartment or condo buildings are not aware of their rights. With a fire panel, there’s always a green light on. If you’re a tenant, ask the landlord or owner if the fire protection system has had it’s annual certification and is completely operational – you have the right to ask the question,” asserts Schmidt.

“People are afraid to ask that question… but don’t you want to know you’re safe?” he asks. “If the landlord denies the tenant that information, they can call the fire department.” This applies to office buildings as well.

Here’s an example: let’s say one of the tenants is making toast and they burn it – causing the alarm to sound. The owner/maintenance man goes to the utility room and turns off the breaker – killing the signal to the fire alarm system.

Now you have a building with people living in it and no fire protection. “Don’t kid yourself, we have found this to be the case too many times, especially with the older 3-wire systems which are still out there…a fire panel does have battery back up, but if left un-serviced without power too long you will lose your protection,” says Schmidt. ‘We have worked hard to educate our customers (the building owners) and we call them annually to remind them to get their fire alarm system(s) serviced.”

According to Schmidt, there are three major common components to the fire protection system: (1) the fire alarm system includes the panel, the smoke detectors, heat detectors and pull stations, (2) the fire extinguishers and (3) the sprinkler system which all have to be tested annually by qualified personal. Additionally there are also kitchen systems, computer suppression systems, etc. “The fire department doesn’t test the different components of the

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Equipment which pressurizes hoses to the required test pressure for safety measures.

Hose realer, used after testing procedures to properly store hoses.

Corroded sprinkler pipes removed from clients’ buildings.

Extinguishers to be serviced for clients.

system, that’s our job,” states Schmidt.

As Schmidt notes, the requirements of a fire protection system are not applicable to every building – it depends on usage and occupancy. “If you have four or more common doors to a single exit from the building, you have to have a fire alarm system, so if you have a four-plex (as mentioned) you need a system. If each unit has their own entryway, a fire alarm system is not needed.”

“When you change the occupancy or usage, you need to check the regulations. The fire department checks the buildings to ensure they are in compliance with the rules,” he says.

For more information on testing and maintenance of fire protection systems, please visit our website JASELECTRIC.COM and click on the City of Calgary link…if you are a building owner, manager or maintenance man, this link is important.

“If this information helps to save one life, we’ve done our job,” says Schmidt.

Hoses that have been tested and reeled up for storage.

Initially Schmidt subcontracted the fire extinguisher and sprinkler business, but within a few months he had brought it in-house to monitor quality control. Schmidt has always operated the business with very high standards and the only way to ensure his customers were taken care of was to offer these services in-house.

“Our motto is ‘One call does it all’ and our customers appreciate the level of expertise we supply,” asserts Schmidt.

For almost two decades, JAS Electrical has provided specialized service for customers that have fire protection systems – making up about 70 per cent of their business.

JAS Electrical continues to service the residential sector and a small percentage of their work comes from the industrial field.

“You go with your strengths and what you’re good at – and servicing fire protection systems is our forte,” says Schmidt.

When Schmidt established the company, his wife Cindy played an integral role in helping with the administration and accounting side of the business. During the early years and by day, she maintained a full-time day job. In the evenings, she managed much of the paperwork, administration and accounting.

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“Initially I used our three-car garage plus I rented two additional garages to stock parts and I ran the business like that for about 10 years. In 2004, we bought the building of our current location and incorporated the business,” he adds.

Today, JAS Electrical employs 11 people including Cindy, who is still involved but purely from a management position where she oversees the administration and accounting. “We work in an industry that requires a lengthy paper trail and as an example, with every fire alarm report there is a stack of paperwork that has to be completed,” notes Schmidt.

Looking back over two decades and like most industries, technology has had the biggest impact when it comes to change. When Schmidt started the company, all the invoices were written by hand and fire alarm systems were seemingly simple by today’s standards.

“The old or conventional systems only read from a zone, so when there was a fire or trouble, those systems identified the floor or zone, but that was all,” says Schmidt. “Today, most new systems are addressable and computerized, and they will tell you exactly which detection device went off and its precise location.”

As Schmidt has observed, you can’t modernize the end users’ electricity voltage, but you can modernize what runs off of electricity. “The codes have changed to create safer environments, but nothing else has changed.”

In 25 years, Schmidt still enjoys running the business and meeting new people – that hasn’t changed either. “We’ve made a lot of friends and we’re still servicing many of the same customers from when we started the business,” he says.

And every morning, you will find John in the shop – greeting every employee as they come through the front door. He continues to work along side of his electrical crew in the shop and there are times you’ll still find John in the field – lending a hand on larger or more complicated jobs.

This year also marks the 30th wedding anniversary for Schmidt and his wife, and while they were busy growing the business, they were also raising a family. They have three children plus three grandchildren.

As JAS Electrical Contractors celebrates their 25th anniversary, they pause for a moment to extend a sincere note of gratitude to all the people who have helped them achieve this milestone. From employees and customers to business partners and colleagues – thank you to everyone. •

Providing full electrical services in commercial, residential

and industrial buildings, from new installs to renovations. We also provide full fire safety services. This includes fire alarm system maintenance, inspections, and installations. Complete inspection and servicing fire extinguishers, fire hoses, hydrants, sprinkler systems and backflow testing.

www.jaselectric.com

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403.278.0738

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