Ecmweb 18897 Oldest Contractors Guarantee Pr
Ecmweb 18897 Oldest Contractors Guarantee Pr
Ecmweb 18897 Oldest Contractors Guarantee Pr
Ecmweb 18897 Oldest Contractors Guarantee Pr
Ecmweb 18897 Oldest Contractors Guarantee Pr

100+ Years of Service: Guarantee Electrical

April 19, 2018
Guarantee Electrical | Oldest Electrical Contractors

Guarantee Electrical
St. Louis
Founded 1902

In 1902, four small electrical contractors teamed up to power the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, sparking the creation of a new electrical contracting company. The founders called the joint venture “Guarantee Electrical,” based on the promise to complete their work on time and have it last throughout the World’s Fair.

In 1928, William Koenemann, the longest surviving founder, hired 22-year-old Frederick Oertli, Sr. as a laborer. Oertli attended night school in electrical engineering at Washington University while working his way up in the organization. By 1940, he obtained an equity interest. Eight years later, he acquired the remainder of the company from the Koenemann family for $15,000.

Oertli, his two sons, and other team members grew the company with the same focus on long-term client relationships as Koenemann. Through the first 40-plus years of the company, Guarantee grew through long-term client relationships like Anheuser-Busch, Standard Oil, Emerson Electric, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Throughout its 116-year history, Guarantee Electrical has always served as an inventive and progressive engineering- and design-based contractor.

“One of the greatest sparks of innovation came in 1950 when Fred Oertli, Sr. hired Arthur Kaspar to start a free-standing engineering division,” says Rick Oertli, chairman and CEO. “Mr. Kaspar was a Columbia University engineering grad and presented my grandfather with the revolutionary idea of bidding projects from design through build at a fixed price.”

Kaspar’s first big design-build job was a new kiln for Portland Cement in 1951, which established the groundwork for Guarantee as a leader in electrical design-build delivery. Over the next several decades, Guarantee Electrical adopted an automated estimating system, created an instrument control division, and experimented with an interior construction division. In addition, it became one of the first in the Midwest to purchase an AutoCAD computer (1972) and to adopt structured cabling solutions in 1984.

Today, the company is employee owned with revenues averaging $150 million to $180 million and employing more than 600 electricians, engineers, and office personnel across offices in Missouri, Illinois, and Colorado.

“On behalf of the three generations of our family that owned the company for over 60 years, I am extremely grateful for all the efforts and contributions that so many have made over that time to build and grow Guarantee,” says Oertli, a grandson of Fred Oertli, Sr., who along with his cousin, Roger, and the support of their fathers, Fred and Chuck, engineered the ownership transfer that began in 2005 and concluded in 2016. “And I’m very enthused about the opportunity for the company going forward under 100% employee ownership and control.”

About the Author

Amy Florence Fischbach

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EC&M, create an account today!

Sponsored Recommendations

Electrical Conduit Comparison Chart

CHAMPION FIBERGLASS electrical conduit is a lightweight, durable option that provides lasting savings when compared to other materials. Compare electrical conduit types including...

Don't Let Burn-Through Threaten Another Data Center or Utility Project

Get the No Burn-Through Elbow eGuide to learn many reasons why Champion Fiberglass elbows will enhance your data center and utility projects today.

Considerations for Direct Burial Conduit

Installation type plays a key role in the type of conduit selected for electrical systems in industrial construction projects. Above ground, below ground, direct buried, encased...

How to Calculate Labor Costs

Most important to accurately estimating labor costs is knowing the approximate hours required for project completion. Learn how to calculate electrical labor cost.