Ecmweb 24665 Electrical All Stars 2019 Fox Pr
Ecmweb 24665 Electrical All Stars 2019 Fox Pr
Ecmweb 24665 Electrical All Stars 2019 Fox Pr
Ecmweb 24665 Electrical All Stars 2019 Fox Pr
Ecmweb 24665 Electrical All Stars 2019 Fox Pr

2019’s Under 30 EC&M Electrical All Stars: Andy Fox

May 15, 2019
Andy Fox of ASG Electric holds an Infrared Thermography Level 1 certification, which is very useful for arc flash studies.

ANDY FOX
Job Title: Master electrician, electrical system testing tech lead and arc flash service provider
Company: ASG Electric
Location: Madison, Wis.
Age: 29
Years on the Job: Seven
Outside Interests: Enjoys hiking with his wife and son, spending time with family, playing hockey, fishing, and enjoying the outdoors

From the start, Andy Fox was interested in working with his hands rather than sitting in a cubicle or an office.

“I have never been someone to sit still,” Fox says. “I wanted a career that would allow me to travel, see new things, and work in all kinds of environments.”

After he graduated from high school, he enrolled in a local technical college program with plans to transfer to the University of Madison-Wisconsin and major in business. Later, however, he decided to take a different path.

Andy Fox drives the software of electrical system analysis. 

Instead, he enrolled into the fire protection technician program, where he gained experience and earned his associate’s degree in applied science. He then worked two jobs as a volunteer fireman and an associate for Best Buy while searching for a full-time career as a fireman.

“It was very competitive to find a job in that field,” he says. “I had many interviews but did not land a full-time job. However, that never stopped me. I still interviewed whenever there was an opportunity.”

Next, he opted to help his parents, who started their own business in 2008. In the early years, they only had a few employees, and they asked him for assistance on a project.

“I probably wouldn’t have said, ‘yes’ had I known I would be digging a 2-ft-deep, 60-ft-long trench by hand, but I’m glad I did,” he says. “Long story short, that day (along with other hard-working days) got me to where I’m at now.”

That day, the foreman told him that if he could “bring it” like he did that day, he would make a great electrician. After helping with a few other jobs, he then asked if he wanted to start an apprenticeship program.

Fox performs industrial site de-energized maintenance on a breaker for secondary injection testing.

“At the time, this was a big deal for our small company since we had never had an apprentice,” he says.

During the fourth year of the apprenticeship program, he passed his journeyman’s exam, completed the apprenticeship, and passed his master’s exam.

After progressing through his own apprenticeship program, he also serves as a mentor to other up-and-coming apprentices.

“I like showing or explaining new concepts to other employees,” Fox says. “It gives you a sense of gratitude to train and see someone progress. You can never know everything in this field, and sometimes apprentices or coworkers may have a great new way of doing something or learn about a Code update from school that you may be unaware of.”

While working for ASG, he has had numerous opportunities to learn and grow. For example, along with construction projects, the company performs arc flash studies. As such, he has an Infrared Thermography Level 1 certification, which allows him to use an infrared camera to document and fix problems in electrical systems before they become bigger issues, such as unexpected shutdowns.

During a typical work day, which ranges from about 7:30 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m., the master electrician could be working in the office or the field. He works in an interesting role, where he says he is well rounded or cross trained.

“One day I may be jumping in my work van to head out to a job site to run conduit or install panels, or I may be heading out with an infrared camera and testing tools to perform an arc flash study and infrared scan,” he says. “Also, some days I may report to our office and help support our engineering side of the business where we develop one-line diagrams, various reports, arc flash labels, etc., for customers.”

In the future, he may take over the company when his parents retire, and he and his family are currently working on a succession plan. For now, however, he is continuing to work hard and improve all aspects of his professional development.

About the Author

Amy Fischbach | Amy Fischbach, EUO Contributing Editor

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