“In high school, I had zero plans of ever becoming an electrician and certainly not an electrical contractor,” said Jim Lenard, who eventually established the long-running Lenard Electric in 1996. “I was totally focused on business classes and was confident I was going to work in a large corporate firm. After a brief semester at Anoka-Ramsey Community College after high school, I realized pretty quickly that a four-year degree wasn’t for me. I got a job doing maintenance and construction at the Dewitt-Seitz Marketplace in Canal Park, and from there, I was exposed to all facets of construction.”
Eventually, Lenard graduated from what was then known as Duluth Technical College with training in wiring and worked in his field for several years before striking out on his own. “We are in our 30th year,” Lenard said. “Hard to believe.”
“We are primarily a residential and commercial contractor that puts an emphasis on quality and building relationships with general contractors and business owners, as well as taking care of homeowners,” Lenard said. “I am fortunate to have some of the best electricians in our area. We are truly a team that works together to make projects happen timely and affordably. We have a group of people that genuinely care about each other and our customers and I couldn’t be prouder of any of them. I think that is truly what makes us special.”
“We have always avoided the temptation to grow too big and have always been disciplined enough to know when a project isn’t the right fit for us,” Lenard said. “As for the future: no immediate plans to change a thing. I know I can’t do this forever, but I am confident the people working here will be more than capable of building onto what we have started.”
