Lehigh Valley Electric
The light in your kitchen has been flickering off and on, and you have a growing suspicion that there’s something major going on behind your walls. You need service and you need it quickly. You’re not sure who to call. You want an electrician who is responsive and who knows the ins and outs of residential electrical systems.
Your need is what Bob Holland had in mind when he started Lehigh Valley Electric in 2004. As a foreman for a large industrial contractor, he observed a lack of customer service for the homeowner.
“I saw the need for a different kind of contractor, focusing solely on residential homeowners,” he recalls.
He likens the larger contractors to electrical service wholesalers, and says Lehigh Valley Electric is more like an electrical services retailer. “We deal directly with the homeowner. I like to work with the end user and see the benefits they get from our service. It feels good to help people and solve their problems,” he says.
“We’re strictly electricians,” says Tracy Holland, who joined her husband’s business in 2014 as creator of opportunities to help with sales, marketing, and new business development as the company began its expansion from its one-man roots.
Companies that cover all home services—from HVAC and plumbing to electricity—may send a plumber for an electrical job if that’s who they have available, Tracy explains. When you call Lehigh Valley Electric, you can rest assured that a trained electrician will be the one who rings your doorbell.
The other thing that sets Lehigh Valley Electric apart is its customer service. “We’re working in people’s homes, so we need to treat them with respect. Our technicians are professional and courteous. We lay down drop cloths, wear shoe covers, and clean up any mess during and after the project,” Tracy says.
The Allentown-based company serves the entire Lehigh Valley, offering same-day repair service, with a live person answering calls 24 hours a day. It also offers more extensive, remodeling-type services, such as electrical work for kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects, landscape lighting and generator installation.
“We generally don’t do work that takes more than three days,” Bob says. “The shorter projects allow us to get out there for emergencies when they happen.”
“Most homeowners don’t need electricians that often—maybe once every six or seven years, when something happens,” Tracy says. But even so, the company’s responsiveness has earned it repeat customers. “Our business is based a lot on referrals and reviews. People are always looking for good people, and they can be hard to find.”
The Hollands are proud that Lehigh Valley Electric has garnered more than 500 five-star reviews on websites that rate home improvement services and has been awarded the Angie’s List Super Service Award for outstanding customer service every year since 2009, along with other home improvement website awards.
Lehigh Valley Electric technicians will be out making repairs or replacing or upgrading electrical panels on most days, but they are also regularly called on to install ceiling fans and other fixtures, as well as perform electrical safety inspections, which the Hollands note should be done every year.
Larger jobs include providing electrical service for kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects, converting home lighting systems from fluorescent or incandescent to more environmentally friendly LED lighting, installation and maintenance of generators, and the installation of landscape lighting.
“Most of the bigger projects are done to save money or increase the functionality of the home,” Bob Holland says. One of the trends he’s seeing now is landscape lighting. “Homeowners spend a lot of money on landscaping to find that they can enjoy it only half of the time because it’s dark. We get a large number of landscape lighting calls so they can enjoy their yard day or night.”
Regardless of the project, Bob Holland says customers remember the responsiveness. “People remember our exceptional customer service,” he says. “If someone’s lights flicker, and we fix the problem, the next time they need something when there’s not an emergency, they’ll call us.”
Lehigh Valley Electric
Allentown
610.434.0508
lehighvalleyelectric.com
