KYLE CUNNINGHAM
Job Title: Service electrician
Company: Swartz Electric
Location: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Age: 28
Years on the Job: Four and a half
Outside Interests: Snowboarding with his wife and taking their daughter to new places
Since he was 15 years old, Kyle Cunningham has worked in the construction industry full-time with his father. A few years later, he lost his family due to drug issues, leaving him homeless and on the streets.
When he was 21, Pikes Peak Workforce (PPWF) introduced him to Swartz Electric to help him find a career as an electrician. PPWF also paid for his first set of tools, boots, and gasoline for his car.
“I thought no one was going to help because of where I was coming from, but they truly helped to turn me around after being homeless,” he says. “Without them, I’m not sure where I would be.”
Once he was hired on at Swartz Electric, he had the opportunity to share his story with 80 other workforce centers nationwide at the National Workforce Youth Development Symposium in Chicago.
Kyle Cunningham performs a solo panel installation.
“I had no clue I could have such a positive impact on my peers on workforce agencies across the country,” he says. “To be honest, this was the first time I was truly proud of myself, and I hope my story can help others turn their lives around.”
To achieve his dream of working as an electrician, he attended the Independent Electrical Contractors school, which taught him not only electrical theory and code, but also the reasoning behind methods and applications. Now that he has earned his license as a residential wireman, he can finally let his experience help customers daily.
“My favorite part is saving customers money when another company would take advantage of them,” he says. “Some people need a break because life can be tough.”
Today, as an electrician for Swartz Electric, he has received more than 90 five-star ratings from customers over the last year. He attributes his success to being professional, always having respect, and asking lots questions. Also, he never leaves something partly finished.
In addition, his years of experience in construction before working at Swartz Electric helped him to understand the inner workings of the trade. His other secret to success: finding the smartest person in the room and paying full attention to everything he or she says.
“I worked on hearing their mistakes and making sure I never made them, putting my attitude and ego on the back burner, and applying my best effort every day,” he says.
Greg Swartz, president and CEO of Swartz Electric, says Cunningham is a very thorough service electrician at his company.
“People compliment him on his quality work and friendly service,” he says.
Cunningham works on an LED retrofit for a customer in Colorado Springs, Colo.
As a service electrician, he has a very organized work schedule each day. He usually arrives with his first customer by 8 a.m. and then continues with service calls all day until he is finished. The favorite part of his job is performing estimates, in which he can meet with the customer, listen to his or her requests, and develop a specific estimate for each project.
“When the customer moves forward, the company tries to have me lead the project since I have a rapport with the customer,” he says. “If I am not available, the other electricians receive a detailed plan to perform the job. Understanding every aspect of what goes into just making one job happen can be tough and deserves my full attention.”
The company is on target for about 2,500 projects this year, and to help his company succeed, he tries to be the best team member he can be. He says hard work is the ingredient to success.
“When our team combines technology, hard work, and great customer service, we achieve a raving fan trifecta and the customer not only becomes a repeat customer, but tells others about their great experience with us,” he says.
In five to seven years, he plans to start his own company, and Swartz is mentoring him along the way to help him to achieve this goal.
“I want to provide for my new family and make sure that what happened to me does not happen to them,” he says. “Because of that, I continue to gain as much knowledge as possible in the electrical industry as it never stops growing. There is an incredible need for our trade, and I would like to be a part of it.”
