Sports facility lighting is a specialty of AMEC Electric LLC. The company recently worked on the lighting, including this dome, for Iron Peak Sports & Events, an indoor sports center in Hillsborough, NJ.

Andy Mayernick is President of AMEC Electric LLC, which he founded in 1999.

For AMEC Electric LLC, making connections is not just the core task of its electrical work, but in a wider sense, it is the way the company has built its business. In many cases, partnering with another electrical contractor has led to bigger and better projects, explains Andy Mayernick, President. AMEC Electric provides a wide array of electrical services for Central and Northern New Jersey. From its shop in Metuchen, the company operates 24/7, providing emergency service whenever needed.

“Our general niche is providing electrical contracting services to server manufacturers, refrigerated warehouses, car dealerships and food processing plants,” Mayernick says. While the firm is staffed to handle major projects, it also assists many smaller customers. “It makes for a really good balance for the company,” he says.

Mayernick, with more than 30 years in the business, founded AMEC Electric in 1999. At first it was just him and his pickup truck, working two days a week. It was a struggle, he admits, but he credits his philosophies of “giving more than you take” and doing “whatever it takes” that propelled the company into a multimillion-dollar business with 40 employees. That first year, AMEC Electric made $200,000 in sales income; in 2020, the total was over $12 million, the best year ever.

Mayernick understands that building connections with both customers and employees is crucial to business success. Some of his customers have been served by AMEC Electric for more than 20 years; he also has employees who have been with him for 20 years. More about those employees later.

The company focuses on commercial and industrial electrical system design and construction; electrical testing and metering; industrial and commercial automation and control wiring; generators and UPS (uninterruptible power supplies); site and sports lighting and maintenance; and telecommunications cabling installation.

Growing in Tandem with Customers

AMEC Electric has grown along with some of its customers. A major example is Driscoll Foods, which hired the contractor to do all the electrical work for its Clifton, New Jersey, headquarters in 2008. The project encompassed a 200,000-square-foot manufacturing plant and refrigerated warehouse. “Originally we were brought in to help another contractor,” Mayernick explains. “But we ended up landing the job.”

AMEC Electric provided maintenance and service for the facility for the next 10 years; and when Driscoll moved to a new 550,000-square-foot plant in Wayne, New Jersey, AMEC performed the foundational electrical work and is now completing phases 2 and 3 of that project. Both Driscoll Foods projects were, at the time, the largest the contractor had ever undertaken.

Another fortuitous project was Rent the Runway’s storage and laundry facility in Secaucus, New Jersey. There, AMEC Electric served as a sub to a general contractor , handling LED lighting, controls and the connection of new process equipment. That GC continues to refer AMEC for other projects, including a large server company that has now become a major client. Building a highly skilled team of electricians has been key in securing the large projects, Mayernick explains. “You have to have the right people to do the larger projects.”

Keeping the Power On

Especially in the food industry, maintaining a power supply is critical. AMEC Electric installs emergency generators and also provides temporary generators for its customers. “Everything runs on computers. You have to have it,” Mayernick says.

Sports facility lighting is another focus for the company. AMEC Electric recently installed the lighting for Iron Peak Sports & Events, a center for indoor sports in Hillsborough, New Jersey. “It required a lot of different lighting, and it has to be guarded against damage by balls,” Mayernick explains. Included was lighting for basketball courts, indoor grass fields, a sports dome, an obstacle course and a ninja course.

Automotive dealerships are another specialty for AMEC Electric, but projects from movie theaters to churches are also in its repertoire. The firm installed new interior lighting and site lighting at Bridgewater (New Jersey) Chevrolet. When the 14-screen Xscape Theatres was under construction in Howell, New Jersey, AMEC Electric partnered with the primary contractor on installation of lighting and wiring.

“Partnering with another electrical contractor works,” Mayernick explains. “They knew we could handle the work.” Another source of growth for AMEC Electric has come from its inclusion in The Blue Book Network®, he says.

In 2015, the company completed a three-year-long project, an addition of worship space at Holy Cross Church in Rumson, New Jersey. The complex project took a long time because the existing 200-year-old church became the front of the new church, and in the process an underground oil tank was discovered that had to be tested and remediated. AMEC Electric’s work included a Lutron light dimming system that helps highlight architectural details, generator backup and exterior lighting.

The firm has evolved to serve large customers, but it is still nimble enough to do the smaller jobs. “We take care of everything—a light here, a data line or outlet there,” Mayernick says.

“We’re never afraid to tackle a project, no matter the size. The server company put all their trust in us, and we met all their deadlines. If I don’t know the answer, I hire the right people to help us.”

Key Employees Help Workflow

Mayernick’s employees include several whom he worked with even before AMEC Electric was founded. He believes in giving employees the chance to grow with the company and take on more responsibility. Brian Schnaak, a licensed electrical contractor, was hired in 2002, working in the field before being promoted to Estimator in 2009, then General Manager of Operations in 2018.

In addition to creating the position of General Manager, two others, Danny Bayak and Mike Piazza, were recently promoted from Journeyman to Field Supervisor. Changing the game for the company are the Office Manager Maryann Budzin, hired in 2015, and the first full-time Estimator, John Hartnett, a licensed electrical contractor, hired in 2018. Being able to delegate responsibility has been a huge help, Mayernick says.

Budzin designed a computerized work ticket, and time sheets are also filed digitally. Now employees communicate via iPad, computer or company iPhone in the field.

All employees are OSHA-trained for safety practices. “Electrical work can be hard and challenging with many inherent dangers,” Mayernick says. “Our employees are encouraged to report and, if possible, remediate and remove safety hazards.”

AMEC Electric offers medical benefits, a 401(k) and liberal vacation and sick time, Mayernick says. “I treat people like I want to be treated.” Employees take the company vans home so that they can drive directly to the job at the beginning of the eight-hour workday. They rotate on-call duty to provide 24/7 service.

The company’s general service region is within a 45-minute radius of the office in Metuchen. Most of its customers are north of the company’s location. As the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up, AMEC Electric closed its offices, but the field teams remained busy between March and July 2020. Some employees worked from home, returning to the office after the Fourth of July.

Improvements in Materials, Energy Efficiency

Electrical contracting work has not changed much over the more than 30 years he has been working, Mayernick says. The principles are the same, but materials have been improved and more attention is given to saving energy. Fluorescent and incandescent lighting has been replaced by LED.

Mayernick and three of his employees hold electrical contracting licenses from the state of New Jersey. Every three years they take continuing education credits including 10 hours of code updates. Other employees work under Mayernick’s license.

In the community, AMEC Electric donates to charities such as the Center House in Asbury Park, which provides housing for people living with HIV/AIDS; Bethany Christian Services in Eastern Pennsylvania; and the Borough of Metuchen Police and Fire departments.

As the company expands, Mayernick envisions growth in the information technology, pharmaceutical and storage/warehousing business segments. Regardless of growth and diversity impacts, Mayernick pledges that AMEC Electric will do whatever is needed to meet tough deadlines on complicated projects for customers large and small.