McKenzies Electrical 20 Years 2020

Wednesday, September 30, 2020 Wairarapa Midweek

CELEBRATING

20 YEARS

ALL ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS SALES • SERVICE • ADVICE

Phone 06 379 6433 • Email admin@mckenz2000.co.nz • Website www.mckenz2000.co.nz

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Lighting up Wairarapa: 20 years in business Carrollyn Keys still has the accounting logbook from when she and husband Russell ÿ rst bought their business, McKenzie’s Electrical 2000.

At the turn of the millenium, the business had no computer system - so Carrollyn kept track of client payments in a 2B5 hardcover notebook, meticulously printed in blue biro.

“Once we got to 2001, I’d had a enough of writing everything down - so we switched to the NZA Gold accounting software. Which was quite new back then,” Carrollyn says.

“But I had a ° ick through the book the other day, and it was amazing looking through all the names. I realised we still have a lot of the same clients we had 20 years ago.

“We’ve still got Holmes Construction, MB Browns. We’ve got a lot of our individual residential clients from the beginning.

NEW OFFICE The Keys bought the electrical side of the then McKenzie Flooring and Electrical, where Russell had been working as an electrician, in October 2000 - aspiring to “run the business and work the way they wanted to work”.

“Some have passed away, of course, and some of the businesses no longer exist. Things have deÿ nitely changed over 20 years - but a lot has stayed the same.”

Back then, it was a small operation, consisting of registered sparkies Russell and Chris Faithful, apprentice Jared McEwen, and Russell’s gold labrador Jazz accompanying him on jobs, with a slightly perplexed Carrollyn looking after the books.

This year, Carrollyn, Russell and the team at McKenzie’s Electrical 2000 are celebrating 20 Years in Business.

“That was a learning curve - I’d never done any kind of accounting or book-keeping in my life!

OLD OFFICE “I was chucked right in the deep end - but I soon ÿ gured it out.”

Nowadays, McKenzie’s is one of the region’s most sought after trade services - specialising in electrical solutions for residential, commercial and industrial premises.

The McKenzie’s team has grown to comprise four registered electricians; Russell, Blair, Laurence and Dillan, Matt a journeyman electrician and three apprentices; Matt, Shane and Takarangi – turning their hand to everything from wiring your hot points, to installing brand new security systems. Melissa is in the o ˛ .ec

Clients are many and varied: schools, medical centres, retirement homes, factories and supermarkets, to name a few.

For Carrollyn, it’s certainly been a “busy” 20 years. At times, McKenzie’s has had a waiting list of up to four weeks.

“We’ve been lucky - there’s been very few times we’ve not had any work.

“During lockdown, we actually got to have a bit of a break. Though we got busy as soon as Level 2 rolled around.”

McKenzie’s o˝ ers a wide range of services - which has certainly

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expanded over 20 years.

These include wiring of homes, sheds and outbuildings, installing power points, relocating meters, switchboard design, commercial lighting layouts, setting up CCTV cameras and automated gate systems.

Thermal imaging - identifying potential electrical problems using an infrared camera - has become an integral part of their services - with three team members working as trained thermographers.

Russell is a qualiÿ ed electrical inspector - so McKenzie’s can also complete electrical reports ahead of a property sale, or inspect other electricians’ work for competence and compliance.

Carrollyn says there have been plenty of changes over 20 years, to both the business and the electrical industry as a whole.

For example, workplace systems

have become much more e° cient in the new digital age - no need for the 2B5 notebook - and a website has replaced McKenzie’s adverts in the Yellow Pages.

Electrical technology has also come along in leaps and bounds. The McKenzie’s team is now well-versed in ÿ tting solar panels, installing LED lights, and explaining the beneÿ ts of residual current devices - which switch o˛ electrical automatically in the event of a fault.

Health and Safety laws are now much more rigorous after the Pike River tragedy of 2010.

Carrollyn says the extra “box ticking” was initially di° cult for the team though the electricians have since devised systems for identifying and reporting hazards on work sites, without getting sidetracked by extra paperwork.

One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the reliability of word-ofmouth advertising.

CONSTRUCTING SOME OF LOWER NORTH ISLAND’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS BUILDINGS • Industrial buildings • Commercial buildings • Office, restaurant and bar fit outs

“Just like 20 years ago, we still get a lot of our business from people recommending us to their friends,” Carrollyn says.

“Our reputation speaks for itself.

We get the job done properly.

We’re always trying to beat our own standards - go in there and, wherever possible, do a better job than what we did last time. People appreciate that.”

Carrollyn is understandably proud of everything McKenzie’s has achieved.

Particularly so of Russell - known throughout the region for his long hair, no-nonsense manner, and exceptional work ethic.

“Russell’s worked very hard - he’s always been motivated, dedicated and straight to the point. He’s humble - but he knows exactly what he’s talking about.”

When not at work, Russell continues to serve as a Carterton District councillor, and enjoys following Motorsport and working with Carrollyn on their life style block He has been a volunteer ÿ reÿ ghter for the past 20 years, and Carrollyn is treasurer for the Carterton Volunteer Fire Brigade.

“It’s been brilliant to watch his journey In the time I’ve known him, he’s gone from an apprentice sparkie, to running his own business, to serving on the Electrical Workers’ Registration Board.

“Which is awesome - he can bring his experience of working at the coalface into that bureaucratic setting.

Keeping an eye on things

Congratulates McKenzie’s Electrical for 20 years of servicing the Wairarapa region

Congratulations McKenzie’s Electrical on celebrating 20 years in business!

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Sparking o˜ each other: a positive workplace At McKenzie’s, a positive workplace culture is as important as an expertly wired home or fully functional switchboard.

“As owners and managers are not “higher up”. We just do di˜ erent jobs - no one is better or worse than anyone else.”

“You’ve got to be happy at work you spend eight or nine hours a day there after all,” Carrollyn says.

Familiar with the balancing act of career and family, ˛ exibility is also a key part of Carrollyn and Russell’s ethos.

Russell and Carrollyn take pride in creating a caring, supportive, and empathetic environment for their team - and taking a more equitable approach to employment. For example, when the business is hiring a sta˜ member, that person is interviewed by all the current sta˜ .

“Russell and I tried to do the ‘boss’ at ÿ rst, which didn’t really work for us,” she says.

“We wanted our workers to be in an environment where they were treated like people [like a family]. We talk about our ‘team’ as opposed to our ‘sta˜ ’.

“To make it more pleasant for the client, we make sure to book in at a time that works for the client, and the electrician gives them notice before they turn up. Our guys are polite and respectful, and they make sure they do a good job. “ For the whole McKenzie’s team, one of the most enjoyable parts of the job is building relationships with clients.

“We don’t want our team to be afraid to take time o˜ . If they need a couple of hours to go to their kids’ rugby games, that’s ÿ ne.

“We are part of the service industry, and people’s circuit boards can blow up at any time - so we expect people to show up to work. But we realise our team members have family, friends, and a life outside of the business.”

McKenzie’s philosophy of care and respect extends to clients. For residential customers in particular, the business puts an emphasis on

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“They become our friends,” Russell says.

ensuring a comfortable and hasslefree experience.

“The ÿ rst month we bought the business, I did quite a substantial job for one client, and we’ve stayed in touch ever since. I had co˜ ee with him just the other day.

“Our guys know it’s a privilege to be allowed inside a client’s home,” Carrollyn says.

“Some long-term clients even end up coming to our end-of-year Christmas parties.”

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Charging through the decades: new inventions Technology has changed drastically over the years - and the team at McKenzie’s has seen their fair share of new inventions over the past two decades. Russell, a registered electrician since 1991, says the range of electrical options available to homes and businesses has expanded a great deal since he entered the industry.

“There have been a lot of new innovations - which have deÿ nitely improved safety, and have helped clients save power in the long run.

We have helped businesses save time and money.” One particular innovation used regularly by the McKenzie’s team is thermal imaging - measuring the heat generated by an electrical connection using an infrared camera.

As an electrical component or installation deteriorates, it begins

to generate excess heat, which is emitted in the form of infrared radiation. Thermal imaging is a nonintrusive way of ÿ nding potential problems in the installation - and allowing these to be remedied before breakdown occurs.

“We do a lot of thermal imaging for business clients for insurance purposes,” Carrollyn says.

“It’s very costly for the client, and their insurer, if the switchboard catches ÿ re - so they like to have any problems sorted sooner rather than later. It’s great to be able to help businesses with that preventative maintenance.”

Three of the McKenzie’s team, including Russell, are qualiÿ ed thermographers - training with Eurotec. Another more recent innovation, installed regularly by the McKenzie’s electricians, is the

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residual current device, or RCD designed to automatically switch o° electrical currents if there is a fault.

power-saving options on the market for clients to choose from - such as solar panels and LED lighting.

An RCD constantly monitors the electric current ˛ owing through the circuits it is attached to. If it detects electricity ˛ owing down an unintended path, such as through a person who has touched a bare wire, the RCD will switch o° the circuit, reducing the risk of death or serious injury. Russell says there are more

“Solar is almost mainstream now, and much more a° ordable,” Russell says.

“LED lights are a great alternative to halogen lamps - they generate much less heat, don’t use as much power, and are easier to replace. It’s good that clients have the options that can reduce costs, and provide cleaner energy.”

Congratulations to McKenzie’s Electrical 2000 on 20 years in business.

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Congratulations to McKenzie’s Electrical 2000 for celebrating 20 years in business

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