September 2023 Amber Grant Awarded to Stacy Electric

We’re excited to announce the September $10,000 Amber Amber Grant recipient. Congratulations to Carey Ann Stacy, Founder of Stacy Electric. She is the tenth qualifier for the 2023 year-end Amber Grant ($25,000).

Recently, WomensNet Advisory Board member Marcia Layton Turner sat down with Carey for an exclusive interview. You can listen to their conversation and view the transcript below.

Video Transcript

WomensNet: Hi everyone. Welcome to a conversation with our Amber Grant winner for September, 2023. Today we have the pleasure of chatting with Carrie Stacy, owner of Stacy Electric.

I’m Marcia Layton Turner, and I’m one of several WomensNet Advisory Board members who has the great opportunity to meet some of our amazing winners like Carrie. So Carrie, thank you so much for chatting with me today.

Carey: Thank you.

WomensNet: Why don’t you tell everyone watching a little bit about your company, starting with why you started it.

Carey: My name’s Carey Stacy with Stacy Electric. I got into electric with my dad actually; he does electric. He used to bring me with him to jobs and I really enjoyed it, but I didn’t really take it too seriously. And then in 2014 he hired me and I worked for him for two years.

Then I moved to Arkansas and got hired on as an apprentice and went through the apprenticeship and got my license. Now I have my residential masters license. I just love the work that I do. I started Stacy Electric because I take pride in my work and I wanted my name to be associated with the type of quality that I produce.

WomensNet: Awesome. How long does it take to go through that apprenticeship process? I imagine it’s pretty long.

Carey: Yes, ma’am. So, for a residential license, you do two years of schooling, and then you have to have two years of on the job hours, and then you can get your residential license.

To get your residential masters, you have to hold that license for a year and then do schooling for another year. And then four years of schooling is the most that it is for a license. And that’s for your all over journeymen, which would be commercial and residential.

You have to have four years on the job and then four years schooling. Then after holding that license for two years, you can get your all over masters. So masters for everything electrical.

WomensNet: And so Stacey Electric is specifically focused on the residential housing market. And I am guessing that you work with builders… you partner with builders and handle the electric for the homes that they’re constructing.

Carey: Yes ma’am. Builders and homeowners. I actually have two builders as it stands right now. They just do one house every now and then. So it’s not like a huge neighborhood or anything. It’s just, finish a house and then start another house. And they use me repeatedly.

 

WomensNet: Awesome. Is it unusual for a woman to be an electrician?

Carey: Yes, very. I actually looked that up and the percentage of women electricians in the US is 2%.

WomensNet: Wow. Good for you

WomensNet: So you’ve obviously spent a lot of time going to school, learning the trade. What do you think has been the secret to your success so far in your business?

Carey: I’d say my faith in God. I put my whole heart in everything that I do, and I do everything as onto the Lord, but also building the relationship with the homeowners and the builders and just producing a really good quality.

WomensNet: Fantastic. And so what percent of your customers are the customers who are hiring you directly? And then what percent are builders who are kind of partnering with you?

Carey: It’s kind of been half and half. Usually if my dad calls me with a job, it’s just for a homeowner. And then, like I said, I have the two builders…but still with that I do get to meet the homeowners and for me, that’s a really big part of it and I really enjoy that.

WomensNet: Awesome. So now that you’ve won a $10,000 Amber Grant, what are some ways that you’re planning to invest that into your company?

Carey: Well, first I would like to LLC. I also would like to purchase a box van or a Sprinter van. I’ve been using my little hatchback car, and it’s just not ideal.

I’d also like to get some equipment: some ladders and a computer for invoices. Blueprints. Also, I like to take pictures of the house in every stage. And that way it just kind of gives you a reference point on everything, you know, where everything is. And that would give me somewhere to store all of that.

WomensNet: It sounds like these investments will propel you forward, allow you to work more efficiently if you have new tools and ladders and things like that….and maybe expand your marketing if you have more photos to show the type of work that you do and the quality of the work, right?

Carey: Yes ma’am. Yeah. Business cards too. That’s been a big one. I need to make a logo and get ’em on a business card, but the homeowners usually ask me for one and I don’t ever have one to give out.

WomensNet: That’s great that they want them.

So you have plans already for how you’re gonna invest in the business to help it grow. Where do you see your company in three or five years? What’s it gonna look like in the future?

Carey: I would like to grow in size and scope. I would like to be able to run two or three crews and I would like to get bigger builders that have neighborhoods that we could do, you know, a house every other day or something. And just be recognized for the quality that we produce and become one of the best electricians in my area.

WomensNet: What’s a piece of advice that you might offer an aspiring woman business owner? Someone who’s thinking about starting a business or maybe is in the process of starting…what do you think you did that really helped you get to where you are now?

Carey: Just don’t give up… chase your dream. Go after it. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t. Just keep going…don’t stop.

WomensNet: And so for members of our community that are in Arkansas, what part of Arkansas do you work in?

Carey: Northwest Arkansas. Springdale area.

WomensNet: Excellent. Well, Carey, thank you so much for your time today chatting about your business. And congratulations again on being our September Amber Grant winner.

Carey: Yes, ma’am. Thank you so much. What a blessing.