LEXINGTON – BP Electric of Ohio co-owner Jen Poth said employee camaraderie and customer service are pillars of her electrical contracting company.
Jen Poth’s husband, Bob Poth, founded BP Electric in 2004 after working at Carter Electric in Galion. He decided it was time to take most of his own profits, knowing entrepreneurship also comes with its own risks.
“Every job has a new boss — the client is the new boss,” said Bob Poth, BP Electric president.
BP Electric has about 20 employees. It has expanded since 2004 to not only serve commercial businesses but also residential and industrial properties.
Jen Poth, BP Electric secretary treasurer, estimated their customer base is equally split between businesses and homes. As more people worked from home during the pandemic, BP Electric’s residential services increased.
Jen Poth said electricians are also installing more electric vehicle chargers and increasing voltage service in homes around Columbus. BP Electric covers most of the state, but Jen Poth said she’s grateful for more local opportunities.
BP Electric recently helped with Ontario business remodels including Five Guys, Old Navy and Jersey Mike’s.
“For the longest time, we were going to Cleveland or Columbus for jobs,” Jen Poth said.
After each service, she sends a survey to the home or business owner for feedback. Poth said the company consistently receives 5-star reviews, which are updated weekly on BP Electric’s website.
Customer service and innovative use of technology earned BP Electric two awards at the 7th annual HomeServe Contractor Awards in September.
BP Electric received the Great Lakes Service Delivery Award for its work as one of HomeServe’s leading network contractors. The company also received the national Best Use of Technology Award, given to contractors who make the best use of HomeServe technology.
“It’s always a huge honor,” Jen Poth said. “As an electrical contractor, you don’t usually get to compete on a national level, so it’s nice to see we’re doing well.”
Contractors in all categories were evaluated against several criteria for awards, including performance reports, score cards and customer feedback, among other measures.
“Thank you for sharing our commitment to our shared customers, our values of exceptional service and a great customer experience,” Tom Rusin, HomeServe North America CEO, said in a press release. “We’re pleased to celebrate their accomplishments and contributions to our business.”
BP Electric was one of 13 contractors honored with awards out of a network of 2,400 contractors across the country.
Jen Poth noted, while BP Electric prides itself on customer service, it usually cancels regular services in advance of large storms. “Storm duty” requires everyone on staff to respond to no-power calls.
HomeServe provides emergency home repair services to more than 4.8 million customers, and provides call center assistance at 833-956-2336 and homeserve.com.
Jen Poth said BP Electric always celebrates awards with its employees. HomeServe awards were presented virtually in 2020 and 2021, which meant the Poths could watch the livestream with their employees.
“We wouldn’t get awards if it weren’t for all the employees,” Jen Poth said. “I think we’ve been very blessed to have a great group of guys working here and they’ve all stayed.”
For BP Electric’s future, Bob Poth said he wanted to keep growing the company’s service areas, particularly in Richland County.
“It’s one day at a time with market changes, inflation rates, getting materials,” he said. “I think we would definitely like to continue our growth with commercial locally because that’s been huge.”
