It's fair to say that most electricians that spend time on the internet, which is almost all of us, have heard of and been educated by Dustin Stelzer. Dustin is a Master Electrician and founder of Electrician U, an online electrical education platform that helps any electrician hoping to grow and learn become better at their craft. The past few years have been a whirlwind for Dustin but he still found time to sit down with yer boys for a little interview. We've been fans of Dustin's for some tim...
Dec 18, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 86
Welcome back to the show everyone! We know its been a few months since we've launched an episode and we want to thank you all for your patience. We're back with a new season and with the new season comes new segments. And what better way to come back than to make fun of all of us collectively! Today, we roll our a new segment called "Talking Out Loud." In these short clips, we take a second to share some thoughts, make some jokes and connect with those of us out there thinking about similar thin...
Dec 15, 2023•9 min•Ep. 85
In today's episode of "Talking Out Loud," Doug shares his thoughts on the importance of craftsmanship in our work. Whether we're taking on a small project or installing large equipment, it's out responsibility as tradespeople to care about the final product. We're the one's who set the tone for how blue collar people are viewed by society, at large and it starts with quality work. We show ourselves respect, the industry respect and those who came before us respect when we approach our trade with...
Dec 15, 2023•11 min•Ep. 84
Welcome back everyone! In today's episode of "Talking Out Loud" we discuss coincidences. Now, I don't normally believe in coincidences... until they happen! Tell me if this sounds familiar to you: You're in someone's house completing a project and while you're there, something in their home stops working. This item is seemingly unrelated to the work you've done but it's very challenging to describe that to the client. It makes sense to them that, since this was working before you got here and no...
Dec 11, 2023•13 min•Ep. 83
Welcome back Modern Electricians, We've got a new episode of "Drive Time Live" for you today. These segments are designed to give your boys a chance to catch up and share notes and thoughts on our way to and from projects. This helps us make the most of our drive time while we get ourselves on the same page as a company. In today's episode, we discuss all sorts of topics but the one that stands out the most to us is the idea of needing to love your work. We question whether it's necessary to lov...
Dec 04, 2023•54 min•Ep. 82
Welcome back everyone, In today's episode of "Coffee & Code" we discuss two past projects that may have been outside of our scope of work. We've all been there, you do some work for a client, develop a trusting relationship and then they ask you to help them with a project that is larger than you or your company can probably handle. What's the right thing to do in this situation? Do you send them to someone else and risk losing a client that you've worked hard to develop or do you take on th...
Dec 03, 2023•58 min•Ep. 81
Welcome back! In today's episode of "Coffee & Code" we discuss historic wiring. We live and work in an historic town and we are hired to repair and replace historic wiring of all sorts. Much of this type of work is not taught in detail in school and needs to be learned overtime in the field. Today, we share our thoughts, processes and techniques for identifying, repairing and replacing really old wiring systems. We also discuss why historic wiring can cause problems, not only in terms of ove...
Dec 03, 2023•53 min•Ep. 80
Change is inevitable. Whether we like it or not, everything we experience in our day to day life will change. Our jobs will change. We'll develop new friendships and shed old ones. Our taste for food, art and entertainment will change. So it's not crazy to imagine that the way we've always done something within our industry will eventually change too. Today's conversation is with Cameron Vogelsang, better known as Tennessee Electrician. Cameron is part of the next generation of electricians and ...
Nov 20, 2023•59 min•Ep. 79
Sometimes we get to exactly where we were going only to realize that this place isn't for us. I actually think that this is more of a phenomena than we might understand. But it makes sense when you consider that many of us are pressured to go to college and choose careers that we might not care about but we do it because the pay is good or because our family expects us to. When you find yourself in this situation, you're typically in your late 20s, 30s or early 40s. By now, you've more-than-like...
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 78
In today's episode, we sit down with our friend Marty Humerickhouse to check in and hear how things have been in his world since he passed his California Journeyman's exam last year. Marty works alongside our good friend Sean Dee at Sean's company Unity Electric. Since becoming a Journeyman Electrician, Marty has been assigned an apprentice and has been taking on much more responsibility within the organization. So, sit back, relax and hear what it's like to go from an apprentice to a journeyman...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 77
Welcome back everyone! In today's episode, Josh and I sit down with the 360 Electrician himself, Jeff Guldalian. Jeff is an electrical contractor, business-owner and business coach. His website: www.the360electrician.com is a space where he offers courses and workshops as well as individual coaching for electrical contractors. Jeff is also the host of the 360 Electrician Podcast, a show that focusses on educating electricians that "want to become electrical contractors and electrical contractors...
Mar 20, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 76
Welcome back everyone! In today's episode, Josh and I sit down to Debrief from a recent service upgrade project that was a real butt kicker. Anytime we get beat up on a project, we like to take the time to go over the project and discuss what worked and what didn't. This is all part of our learning process. We say it all the time, but just because you have a Masters license doesn't mean you're going to know exactly how to handle every situation. You will always be confronted by scenarios that yo...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 75
Welcome to our first "Drive Time Live" Episode. Today's episode is a behind the scenes look into a day in the life of Lumen Brother Electric Company. Josh and I recently purchased some WiFi mics and are using them to capture our conversations to and from the projects we work on together. During our drives, we discuss upcoming projects, plans for today's project and cover everything related to running a small electric company. Hopefully you can glean some information and / or techniques from thes...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 74
Chad German is a Master Electrician from Utah who has found his calling as an educator and more recently, as an administrator, helping his organization become the largest trade education program in the state. Chad has worked in the electrical field for almost 2 decades and has found his purpose as a teacher. Chad is a code expert with a knack for breaking down code articles in a way that we can all understand. He has created quite the platform on Instagram; with nearly 30K followers, Chad is sho...
Feb 27, 2023•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 73
What's up everyone! On this episode of the MEP, Josh and I travel from our beautiful, historic hometown of Frederick, Maryland to nearby Williamsport to hang with one of our favorite local electricians, Josh Burch. Josh is a Master Electrician and owner / operator of J. Burch Electric, a boutique, family-owned electric company based in Falling Waters, WV. We met at Cushwa Brewing, a Williamsport staple, to enjoy some local beer and the amazing pizzas from Rad Pies Md. The owners and staff at Cus...
Feb 20, 2023•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 72
A long time ago, rites of passage were commonplace throughout societies across the world. Whether religious or cultural in nature, rites of passage set out to accomplish one thing: The death of "the boy" and the rebirth of "the man." In our current society, these rites of passage are few and far between. Some of us, who are part of a religious culture, may still have these traditional rites of passage in place, but for many of us, the line between adolescence and adulthood is blurry and seems to...
Feb 06, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 71
Today I sit down to talk shop with Josh Bauserman, Master Electrician and owner/operator of Haven Electrical out of Ashland, Va. Josh has been working with his hands since he was 14 years old and has been an electrician for over 20 years. In this conversation we talk about everything from coming up in the trades, to vehicle organization and the importance of organization in general. Josh is a great guy who's passionate about the work that he does, even after all this time. He's got a lot to teac...
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 70
Billy Drowne is a licensed electrician in Massachusetts. He's also a lifelong skateboarder, a fisherman, a dog owner and a boyfriend. What I enjoy most about him is his laid back approach to life. This conversation with Billy reminded me of the simple pleasures inherent in electrical work. The chop wood / carry water lifestyle suits him well and is a great reminder for all of us that life can be simple and as easy as waking up and giving it our best every day. I've always believed that there was...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 69
Hey everyone! We've got a great conversation for you this week! We sit down with Bob Pereira-Tome (aka @bob_electricien on IG) to discuss the life of a journeyman electrician in Montreal, Quebec. We discuss Bob's electrical background and get his take on electrical trade culture, in particular, the relationship between apprentice and journeyman. Bob is a big proponent of leadership offering apprentices a space in which to discuss their struggles while growing in the trade. In this conversation, ...
Jan 09, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 68
Happy New Year everyone! Hope you holidays were filled with love and laughter! We're back for 2023 with fresh interviews with tradespeople, business-owners and go-getters just like you! In today's episode, we sit down with Tim Moreland, Master Electrician / Owner-Operator of Power To The People Electric out of Fraser Colorado to discuss all things "small trade business." Tim has been an electrician for over 30 years and has owned a company for almost as long so we were honored that he was willin...
Jan 02, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 67
For most of us in the trades who've taken that step into business ownership, we do so with very little actual business knowledge. Most of us do not have a business degree and the majority didn't even attend college. Those of us who go from technician to entrepreneur tend to be eager, driven tradespeople who have a vision and want to see it through; as opposed to business-savvy executives who see an opportunity in the trades. Some of us figure the "business side of things" out before going under;...
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 66
In this week’s episode, Josh and I sit down with one of our favorite electricians! His name is Cory Blair, he’s co-owner-operator of Lighthouse Electric out of Louisville, Kentucky, he’s a father of 4 (with a newborn), a husband and he’s one hell of a good guy! We’ve been friends online for a few years and Josh and I have always been drawn to his down-to-earth approach to leadership and his ability to communicate. Cory runs a small electrical service company with his business partner Jake. Josh ...
Dec 05, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 65
Today's conversation is our second talk with Michael Stellmann, owner-operator of Stellmann Electrical Corp. We've long-been drawn to Michael due to his wisdom and talent, but what we love most about mike is that he says what he means. Michael is a Bronx native with a killer sense of humor and the NYC accent to tie it all together. He doesn't pull punches in his critiques of the electrical work that he finds working in and around New York City and in most cases, has us cracking up laughing with ...
Nov 28, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 64
The trades have a long, long history of information and skills being passed down, person to person, from Master to Apprentice for millennia. The same method for transmitting lessons and knowledge from person to person hasn't changed for thousands of years. It's how we learn! We are herd animals who learn from those around us. That's one of the things that specifically drew Josh and I to the trades in the first place. We absorb information best when it's being taught directly to us in a setting w...
Nov 21, 2022•56 min•Ep. 63
In today's episode, Josh and I sit down with Jason Hogan, owner / operator of Amphitrite Electric out of Uculet, BC. We talk surfing in Canada, work culture, the Milwaukee M12 series, staying small as a company and a few other things. We picked up a lot during this talk with Jason but our biggest takeaway was his go-with-the-flow approach to life and the trades. You can follow Jason and his work at Amphitrite Electric on IG at: https://www.instagram.com/amphitriteelectric/ Check out our Live Vid...
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 62
In today's conversation, we sit down with Bryan Duffy, owner-operator of Transition Electric Co. out of Greenville, SC. to discuss leadership in the modern era. We talk philosophy, education and the necessity of positive mentors in our lives and in our trade. We all learn differently and a good leader takes that into consideration in order to get the most from their team. You can find Bryan and Transition Electric Co online IG at: https://www.instagram.com/transitionelectric_co/ Enjoy the show!...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 61
We talk a lot about our careers on this podcast. We've discussed how to get started in the trades, how to find a mentor, techniques for improving yourself, starting a company from the ground up, the list goes on. In this episode, we sit down with our friend Jarrod Bolyer from Quick Connect Electrical Services to discuss how we can leverage our growth and success in our careers to benefit those less fortunate than us. Jarrod is a huge proponent of community outreach and wanted to sit down with us...
Oct 31, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 60
Welcome back to the show! In this week's episode, we sit down with our friend Maggie, aka @electric.mags on social, to recap the 2022 NECA Conference in Austin Texas. NECA is a really special event where you can chat all day with people who, just like yourself, are obsessed with tools, tech and everything else encompassing the electrical trade. Josh and I flew down on behalf of Lumen Brothers Electric and the MEP to test new tools, talk new tech and to meet all of the awesome people we've come t...
Oct 24, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 59
It is incredibly common in this day and age to be rewarded for continuously putting out effort. There are countless social media influencers suggesting that what we should be doing is nonstop effort at all times. In fact, many would suggest that, by not constantly putting out content or effort, we are running the risk of losing our audience, or our focus and will to succeed. In this episode I challenge that notion by suggesting that sometimes, as humans, the best thing that we can do for ourselv...
Oct 04, 2022•28 min•Ep. 58
In this week's show, we sit down with Pete Grable from Knipex North America to discuss the new, innovative tools that Knipex is releasing. Knipex was kind enough to send our team a handful of high-quality hand tools to review and experience. Knipex is famous for creating top-of-the-line, german-engineered, high-quality hand tools. You can find out what other new tools they offer as well as learn about their long history of quality in the tool industry by visiting their website at www.knipex-tool...
Aug 29, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 57
