[00:00] Bryan Hyde: Welcome to the Phoenix Business Brief podcast. I'm Brian Hyde. Today I'm joined by Isaac Williams and Lish Cook. They are with Alpine Electric in Phoenix, and, and I want to welcome both of you here. There's a really great origin story, and we're going to be talking about your business today, but before we get there, we need to talk about the two of you. So let's, let's first of all, Isaac, I'm going to ask you to introduce yourself and tell a bit about your background, and then Lish, I want you to do the same, but I want you to fill in the cracks of how the two of you came to work together. [00:27] Isaac Williams: Okay. Well, uh, yeah, I'm Isaac Williams. Um, I've been doing electrical work since I was 19 years old. Um, 47 this year, so it's been a little bit. I started doing, uh, construction when I was, um, 15 actually, um, and realized in pretty short order that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Um, but I've started in framing houses and realized that, uh, that The shelf life for framers aren't too good, and the ceiling for pay was terrible. So I looked at all the, uh, the different trades that were coming into the custom houses we were building, and the electricians seemed to use their brains the most and left the cleanest and, and seemed to have the best pay. Gravitated towards that. [01:13] Bryan Hyde: And Liz, let's, let's jump over to you for a moment to tell me a little bit about your background, and then let's talk how how you and Isaac came together and now are the driving force behind your company, Alpine Electric. [01:32] Lish Cook: Okay. Well, I was a recruiter for about 15 years in pharmaceutical and biotech space. Loved using my brain in that area. It was a lot of fun. But I like to call myself a professional facilitator because I'm very good at Just figuring out what people need and making sure that happens. And so after recruiting, I moved into commercial real estate with a friend of mine who needed some help in getting organized. And so I jumped in and did that and then took over for the team. And I back up our commercial real estate team doing whatever they need— marketing, data, all the things. And then I found myself in my mid-40s and single and out there trying to date and jumped on a dating app and met Isaac and we started chatting and we were having a great time and we met each other and realized pretty quickly that that was not the right fit. [02:33] Isaac Williams: Not at all. [02:34] Lish Cook: But we became really good friends. So I gained a best friend out of it and we have a lot of fun together and We can absolutely count on each other, and it's amazing. So, um, Isaac was in a position where he was relaunching his business, and I said, you know what, I could probably help with that. So I jumped in and started doing all the backend stuff and back office and getting things organized and putting things together. And Isaac is an amazing electrician who goes out and solves people's problems and takes care of our community. [03:10] Bryan Hyde: I gotta say, there— I've heard some interesting origin stories. This is one of my favorites though. And, and who would have thought a dating app would launch, you know, a productive business? Now let's talk a little bit about, about what your business does. And Isaac, I'm gonna ask you, give me the overview when it comes to Alpine Electric. Uh, what, what all do you cover? [03:30] Isaac Williams: Uh, well, we are— [03:33] Lish Cook: we— [03:34] Isaac Williams: anything electrical, uh, quite honestly. Um, I've done it all. Um, residential, commercial, solar, some industrial. Really, for the last 17 years though, I was partnered up with a fairly large nationwide remodeler. And so, you know, I kind of got pigeonholed into a one-man kind of operation that is running nothing but service for that business. And so I kind of drifted away from what I love the most, which is You know, customer service. I love to be in front of my clients. I love to, you know, joke around with them and put smiles on people's faces. That that's what really makes me happy. So actually, having Wish come on board here at the time that she did, that company had what sold. It sold back to its parent company and left us kind of. Sitting with nowhere to go. We hadn't advertised or done any kind of work like that. And so I found myself in my community for the last 20-some years. Nobody knew who we were. [04:41] Bryan Hyde: Wow. [04:42] Isaac Williams: Which is pretty scary, actually, to go from every Monday being fed plenty of work to keep busy for the entire week. And that went on, like I said, for 17 years until one day it was just gone. [04:56] Bryan Hyde: Um, so, so how did you guys overcome that? I mean, starting a business even under the, under the best of conditions is pretty challenging, but, uh, sounds like you had some extra difficulty. How did you, uh, how'd you go about building a happy clientele? [05:11] Isaac Williams: Well, that I will credit to Alicia's, um, her talents. She is, uh, excellent at, uh, getting people's attention, I would say. And she created, you know, kind of a narrative in our company that's very fitting of who we are. But I mean, I didn't know how to put myself out there. I mean, the old, you know, pay for leads kind of thing. [05:39] Lish Cook: Right. [05:39] Isaac Williams: You know, the Angie's List and all the usual things. We didn't have the money for that at all. It gets very expensive very quick. Uh, and so Lish was able to put together some, some really fun marketing ideas to advertise us out in, in our community here in Ahwatukee. Um, and, and it started to get some, some steam as we, uh, you know, weeks went on and stuff like that. And through social media, um, we saw some growth. Uh, and then it was kind of like, uh, we hit kind of a wall, I think. Wouldn't you say, Lish, as far as like growth is going? It's kind of slow. [06:17] Lish Cook: Yeah, yeah. Like I told Isaac from the beginning of, of kind of launching these campaigns is this is, this is slow burn territory. It, it's not gonna bring anything right away, but as the snowball rolls down the hill, it's gonna get bigger. [06:30] Bryan Hyde: So yeah, I gotta ask, I gotta ask, uh, Lish, when it came to, to, um, I mean, obviously you got, you've got marketing, you know, in your blood and you, you have, uh, the means of getting the message out to people. What, what works today? The, the, a lot has changed in terms of, of how people do marketing. I'm, and I don't, I don't wanna go necessarily down the whole rabbit hole, but I'm just curious, what do you find works today, you know, to, to help people connect with, with people like Isaac? [06:59] Lish Cook: Oh my gosh, I don't even know. Every day it's a new adventure. Um, you know, what worked yesterday doesn't work tomorrow. So I think it's really just a matter of, you know, getting a message and sticking to it and Trying anything and always exploring and always looking for the new way to approach the community and get the message out there. And we just try to have fun with it. We're just 2 people and we're just trying to make something happen. And so we let our personalities shine through and we really make a point of, Awatukee is our local community. We're out in it. We go to events. We go to We patronize local businesses, we promote other businesses. We've gotten some great partnerships from other companies that are small like ours and doing something slightly different, but we both kind of end up in some of the same spaces sometimes. So we make sure that we share their information and recommend them to people. And it's just really being out there and doing the footwork and being a part of what's going on around you. [08:10] Bryan Hyde: I love it. I mean, that's a— that to me sounds like a wonderful way to not only build the business up but also establish it as a, you know, a household name. Um, let, let me ask you this, Isaac. Do you spend more time doing new construction or, um, remodels or, or repairs? I know there's, there's a lot that, that comes under the whole rubric of, um, all things electric, but, um, where do you spend most of your time, or where, where is, is your best time spent? [08:39] Isaac Williams: Uh, yeah, my, my forte, what I love to do the most, I would say would be lighting. I love lighting. I love to see people's faces, you know, and the switch gets turned on and their kitchen or living room, uh, that was a dark space for 25 years where they, you know, they can now see dust bunnies that they had no idea were there. Um, but at the same time, it's just the, the, just the smiles that come over people. Um, that's where I find, you know, the most joy, I think, in my work. So Anything lighting, but certainly I love troubleshooting. Problem solving is— it's fun to me. I mean, you know, it's— I've always been like that since I was a little kid where something mechanical, some sort of an issue, it's got a starting point and it has a conclusion. So I just kind of always been good at figuring those type of things out. [09:31] Lish Cook: And Isaac's very, very creative, and I think that really scratches that itch for him is when he can get in there and do those troubleshooting things because he will find things to make— ways to make things work that other people might not. And in fact, his— in his house, over his dining room table, he has this beautiful pendant light fixture that he made himself. [09:55] Bryan Hyde: Wow. [09:55] Lish Cook: That he gathered all the interesting pieces to it and designed it himself and put it up. And it's fantastic. There's not another one like it. [10:03] Isaac Williams: And that's true, that is a one of a kind. [10:06] Bryan Hyde: Do you do a lot of commercial work, Isaac? Do, do, are there businesses that, that, hey, hey, you're the guy for us too? [10:12] Isaac Williams: Yeah, I mean, we, we definitely do, uh, commercial work as well. Um, for me personally speaking, it's, it's not as rewarding. Um, certainly we'll do it and it's a good filler. Um, and the folks that are in the commercial industry are, um, they're, they're great folks too, but, um, Again, I would really like to be in front of my customers. I like to talk to them. I like to hear their backstories and things that way. On commercial sites, you don't have that kind of interaction. You know, you're talking to the general contractor or the project manager on site, and pretty much it's, you know, the daily check-in on progress reports and things like that to make sure that, you know, your draw schedule is being met. So it's really impersonal. And so for me, it's not, it's not my ideal, uh, use of my time. Um, but, but, you know, we'll, we'll run service for local businesses and things like that, and I enjoy that too. But, um, primarily I, I really do enjoy remodel work in the residential space. [11:15] Bryan Hyde: Yeah, you know, when you talk about remodel work, I, I have to wonder, um, I'm sure Phoenix has a lot of homes that are, you know, getting older. The Sunbelt's been around a while. What do you see in terms of when people purchase an older home? Do they come to you and say, look, we want to update the lighting, get rid of that cavernous, you know, quality that you were describing earlier? Or do they sometimes need to update the wiring? You know, so I mean, how big have the advances been since some of these homes have been built? [11:49] Isaac Williams: Well, to be very honest, there has not been much that's changed, um, in the standard, uh, residential wiring systems. I mean, they've, they've definitely done integrated lighting and things like that, so smart homes and what have you. But as far as the, the main 120, you know, 200-volt systems, it's, it's pretty much the same as it was, you know, at the dawn of time. So, um, What I see a lot of times, and I try to tell customers, is, um, again, I'm gonna go back to the lighting. That's the most important part of any home because, as we all know, you know, a nice bathroom, nice kitchen, bright lights, that sells a house because that's what the wives are looking for. And we all know that our wives tend to drive our purchasing. [12:35] Bryan Hyde: So, uh, you know, I think I only laugh because I'm going through the process of getting a home right now, and everything he said is exactly true. [12:42] Isaac Williams: Yeah, yeah. But I don't even bother talking to the husband usually. If he starts having an opinion, uh, my eyes glaze over because I know that 15 minutes from then, uh, his wife's gonna come along and totally poo-poo his idea, and we're gonna be square one. So I go typically right to the missus of the house to get the, uh, get her opinion. But, um, but no, I mean, you know, the only time that we see like a need for a rewire or something like that would be, uh, the older houses that have, you know, aluminum wiring. And those are ticking time bombs in a lot of ways. [13:15] Lish Cook: Yeah. [13:15] Isaac Williams: And because you get, uh, you know, Johnny Homeowner that comes in and thinks he can just add lighting or fans or new outlets or whatever, wherever he wants to, or update the plugs and switches. And all the plugs and switches these days are not rated for aluminum. So they'll go and tie that stuff on aluminum wiring. And, you know, over time the resistance builds up and it literally starts fires in the wall. Oh man. [13:42] Bryan Hyde: What about people with EVs? Do you do a lot of installation of, uh, you know, the, the chargers at their homes? [13:48] Isaac Williams: We have started to, yeah, definitely pick up on those. Um, and that's definitely a nice upgrade, uh, for folks that are doing like Airbnbs and things that way. Um, to have those installed, you know, that's a good offering on a rental. Yeah, certainly, certainly they are picking up. I'd say that the rebates have sort of died down, so the rush to get those has kind of slowed a bit, but, you know, they're coming in fairly steady. [14:16] Bryan Hyde: And let's talk a little bit about Alpine Electric and some of the specific things that set you apart in how you do business with your customers. Let's, in fact, let's give potential customers— here's Why are— why would they want to choose Alpine Electric? [14:33] Isaac Williams: Well, I would say that we're very much community-minded. Um, that's, uh, you know, I mean, I, I've raised my children in this community. Um, I coached baseball for many years in this community, uh, and this is my home. Uh, so, you know, when I, when I go into people's neighborhoods and stuff, I'm not just a guy looking to take their money. I really take pride in seeing the community grow and thrive and change. And, you know, when I'm out in public, I want people to come up and say hello, and I'm proud of that. So— [15:10] Lish Cook: I would add to that too, you know, when we've had potential customers reach out to us and they have an issue and they're not sure what's going on, but they're, you know, worried about Well, what does it cost for you to come out? And Isaac always says, it doesn't cost anything for me to come and take a look. He, he's very good at going in and seeing that there's a problem and reassuring that customer and saying, hey, I'm here to take care of you, and I'm not going to try to sell you a bunch of stuff. I'm going to make sure that you have what you need and you know what you need, and anything extra and beyond that is totally up to you. [15:49] Isaac Williams: Nice. [15:50] Bryan Hyde: Tell me about the no hassle quote. [15:51] Isaac Williams: Well, I mean, it's just what it is. Um, you know, if a customer is needing or wanting something and they're trying to figure out their budgets for the year, or we'll just get a general idea of, you know, what might look good or be, or be, you know, functional in their home. Um, you know, I pride that, uh, myself to be kind of a designer in that way. Uh, to help people kind of make decisions for, for their homes, um, the way that I would hope somebody else would treat me. I think we have a lot of, uh, larger companies that are coming into our communities, and, and they have this business model that's kind of, kind of predatory, really, um, where, you know, if we— if they have, uh, say a customer has an issue with a circuit in their home, These companies are coming without meters and screwdrivers. They're coming with iPads and sales quotas. And to me, that's just not the way that you take care of your neighbor. [16:53] Lish Cook: And when Isaac writes a quote, he doesn't exceed it. The quote is what the quote is. And if that means by some rare chance that we're going to be on the losing side of that, It doesn't matter. That's what we promised the client. [17:08] Isaac Williams: Yeah, 100%. Yeah, our word is our bond. So that's very important to me too. We were talking about the importance of, I think, community and living and working in our space here. I think we were kind of surprised about a week ago, we were called out to do a ceiling fan installation for a fella. And, um, you know, got to talking to him on site and gave him a quote of what the cost would be to install the fan for him. And he'd, uh, he stressed to me that he wanted to ask me a couple questions before I got started. And so, um, I was still getting my tools out, and his question was whether or not we were owned by some big company, parent corporation, or if we were truly a small business. Because apparently what's happening in a lot of the smaller companies in our area and over the greater Phoenix Valley, mom-and-pop operations are being bought up by larger companies and totally corporatized. And so I think customers are not loving that. So it's kind of heading back towards, you know, small business. Minded spending, I think. So locally owned and operated is becoming more and more important, I think, as people see what the downfall is of having one big company owning everything. [18:39] Bryan Hyde: One last question here, and this is for Lish. How do people get a hold of you? Is it the website? Is it a phone number? What's the best way to do it? [18:50] Lish Cook: Yep, our website has all our links, uh, and that is alpineelectricaz.com. Um, you can also find us at awatukiselectrician.com and awatukisbestelectrician.com. Um, of course we've got all our social medias, um, Alpine Electric on Facebook, Instagram, all of those things, uh, and we, uh, we're always available. [19:17] Bryan Hyde: I sure appreciate the two of you joining me today for the Phoenix Business Brief podcast. Again, thanks to Isaac Williams and Lish Cook with Alpine Electric. [19:25] Isaac Williams: Thank you. [19:26] Lish Cook: Yeah, thank you.