History

“We grew up in this business!”

William A. J. Shaeffer began working in the nascent industry of electrical power distribution in 1908. To put the year in historical context, both Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse were still living then. The battle for dominance between DC power favored by Edison vs. AC power advocated by Westinghouse had only recently been decided in George’s favor.

With our recently celebrated 100th anniversary it can truly be said that our company has grown, through three generations of family ownership, with the industry itself. Throughout a century of constuction our services have changed with the evolving market place and the needs of our clients. From industrial mainentance in the early part of the century, to wiring the post war housing boom, to development of surburban office parks and the more recent hi-rise boom of downtown Philadelphia, we have played a part in it. William Shaeffer’s slogan “Everything Electrical Installed and Repaired” covered the full gamut of electrical systems in service at the time: doorbells, lighting fixtures, motors, household appliances and wiring systems. With the end of World War Two, William passed the torch to four of his sons. Joe, John, Jerry and Larry expanded the business through the next forty years, always stressing the traditional values of “Honesty, Quality and Service” in their professional practice. Since 1983 a third generation of Shaeffers has continued the tradition. As it was with our grandfather and our fathers, the work we do today remains a response to the the marketplace and the needs of our clients from data centers to complete corporate centers to university buildings, hospitals health care facilities and food processing plants.