Richard Tanner- Mobile, Alabama

According to Richard Tanner, owner of Mr. Electric of South Alabama, it’s all about making a plan and sticking to it. As a high school student in Mobile, he dreamed of opening an electrical supply company. After graduation, he enrolled in trade school where he discovered that he enjoyed the hands-on service, installation and repair side of the business more. He quickly began the process of becoming licensed, and became Alabama’s youngest active master electrician just after his 21st birthday.

In the same year, Richard opened his own company, Professional Electrical Services. After working for three other electrical service companies in the area during the licensing process, Richard felt he had the skills and knowledge necessary to go it alone. “I tried to learn as much as I could from everyone I worked with,” Richard explained. “You see, I didn’t want to make the same mistake that some do, and only specialize in one thing. I wanted to be able to offer my customers everything under one roof, so they would call me for it all.”

“Then one day, about five years ago,” says Richard, “I get a call from a guy with a company called Mr. Electric©. He tells me they can help me grow my business. The thing is, I was growing my business. I had more business than I knew what to do with, and didn’t think I needed any help.”

“When they called me back, things had changed quite a bit since the first time we talked. I had grown so large that it was all I could do just to keep things going, and business had stalled. I decided I had three options: scale my company back to a manageable size, sell it to someone and look for another business, or find a partner to help me continue growing. What I didn’t know at the time,” says Richard “is that Mr. Electric was the partner I was looking for.”

After some long conversations, Richard and his wife, Serita, traveled to the Mr. Electric national conference in San Antonio to learn more about the company. While at the conference, they had a chance to meet and talk with Mr. Electric franchisees from all over the U.S., as well as support staff and executives. “It was an eye-opening experience for me,” said Richard. “I left there convinced that things were going to change for my business, one way or the other.”

“Even if I had chosen not to go with Mr. Electric, the things I learned while visiting with them made my trip worth it. They really are dedicated to seeing people grow and succeed in business and in life.”

A few weeks after Richard and Serita returned from Texas, they decided to join the Mr. Electric family. “There are a lot of reasons I joined Mr. Electric,” Richard says. “But what it finally came down to was this: I knew that whether it was me or someone else, Mr. Electric was going to put a franchise in my area, and I didn’t want to have to compete with them.”

“One of the most difficult aspects of business for me has always been hiring and keeping good employees. The first thing that changed for me was the quality of people I had applying. On top of that, Mr. Electric’s system makes easier to keep good employees and help them be successful.”

One of Richard’s main concerns as he transitioned into his new name was keeping his established customer base. “To my knowledge, we didn’t lose any customers when we changed our name,” says Richard. “In fact, we now have more returning customers and more referrals than we’ve ever had before.”

“The entire Mr. Electric system is designed to make you a dominant force in your market. I’ve seen it work since the day I started implementing it. I’d recommend Mr. Electric to anyone.”

“I don’t regret not partnering with Mr. Electric sooner,” says Richard. “I think it was important for me to make a few mistakes on my own as a businessman to really appreciate how effective and comprehensive the Mr. Electric system really is.”

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