WBE Firm Annese Electrical Partners with NECA Boston & IBEW Local 103 to Expand Success
Insights from Annese Electrical on the Job at Greater Boston’s Largest Public Projects
Annese Electrical, founded in 1988, has rapidly grown to become one of Greater Boston’s premier electrical contracting firms. And by recently becoming a member of NECA Boston and an IBEW, Local 103 signatory contractor, the certified Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) is “gearing up” and taking on some of Greater Boston’s largest public works projects.
“We’re now specializing in some of the area’s most challenging projects,” says Melanie Legge, President of Annese, which is based in Weymouth. The company continues to be family owned and operated, and has earned “a reputation for quality performance, integrity, and customer satisfaction.”
Legge, who is the daughter of founders Joe and Deb Annese, joined Annese Electric in 2004 and spent 10 years learning the electrical business. Now, Legge is leading the WBE firm to new heights, with Annese on the job at Quincy’s Public Safety Building, the East Gloucester Elementary school and many large-scale public projects powering our community.
Overcoming ‘Logistical Nightmares’ to Build Our Community
The joy of winning and completing contracts for some of Greater Boston’s largest public projects didn’t come without its set of challenges, says Mike Reynolds, Senior Vice President of Annese.
“Public projects are more challenging because everything goes through contract managers, then the owners' project manager, and sometimes to the town instead,” Reynolds said. This was coupled with the potential “logistical nightmares” created by supply chain shortages, shipping problems, and a shortage of drivers.
Yet, as Reynolds put it “schools have to open on time.” At East Gloucester Veterans Memorial School, Reynolds is spearheading the brand-new school’s electrical services with “all the latest and greatest tech.”
The 89,000 sq. foot building is a ground-up elementary school and will combine two schools from the community and will house approximately 440 kindergartners through fifth graders. This school is scheduled to be completed in September of 2023. Electrically, it will have emergency backup systems, data, security, fire alarm system, and mass notifications along with LED lights and a lighting control system.
Despite the “challenging schedule,” Annese has been surging forward to completing the project on time and on budget.
Partnering with NECA Boston & IBEW Local 103 to Amplify Success
Like “every trade out there” Annese was facing a labor shortage of highly-skilled workers to get their massive projects completed in the current tight job market. “It was surprisingly difficult to get people who can work on time and on budget,” Reynolds said.
To find more quality talent to meet their surging success, Annese joined NECA Boston and became a Local 103 signatory contractor in May 2022. Joining the industry-leading Local 103 Union allowed Annese to tap into the region’s pool of most qualified and skilled electricians and technicians in the industry.
In fact, the day Annese signed with Local 103, they won a nearly $8 million electrical contracting bid for Quincy’s new 120,000 sq. foot Public Safety Building.
The town’s 4-story building will house the city’s police station, including administrative offices for the fire department, a firearms training range, and headquarters for the department’s emergency operations. The ambitious project, slated for completion in the fall of 2023 will also have a 2-story garage for Quincy police, fire, and emergency management.
On top of accessing top-tier talent during today’s labor shortage to help complete these vital projects, “NECA is a great resource to grow your business” through networking meetings connecting Annese to a network of business agents in the industry. “Even though some of us are competing for business, we’re all on the same side when it comes to success,” Reynolds says.
Looking Forward to More Success in Building our Network
Annese has ambitious plans for “smart growth” and to “do more volume over time,” said Legge. As a WBE firm, Legge is utilizing The IBEW Local 103 & NECA Greater Boston Empower DEI Program to further amplify growth by taking advantage of the Program’s mentorship, connections, training, and business growth opportunities.
Legge, who graduated from Babson College in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance & Economics, and joined the industry after four years in investment banking, says the firm is proud to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion, and the idea of greater representation of women in the industry is a driver of her and the firm’s tenacious goals for success.