Sachs Electric
Encyclopedia
Sachs Electric Company is the largest electrical contractor
in Missouri
. In addition, Sachs has four specialized divisions: Sachs Automation, for pneumatic and computer-based process control systems; Sachs Systems for communications and security systems; McGraw Electric (in Livonia, Michigan
) for automotive industry
and other industrial electrical contracting; and Sachs Civil, for in-house support for trenching, excavating and general trades.
The company is based in Fenton, Missouri
, a suburb of St. Louis
. It was founded as S&S Electric Company, a two man and one-room company in 1925, by Samuel Sachs in partnership with fellow Washington University graduate, Herman Spoehrer. It was renamed S. C. Sachs Company in the early 1930's. Early projects included designing and building the lighting for Sportsman's Park
, home of the St. Louis Browns baseball team. Samuel Sachs served as chief executive until 1953, when his son Louis Sachs was promoted to president. Louis Sachs was followed as president by Norman Krause in 1978 and Larry Plunkett in 1983, though the company remained family owned through 1990. In 1990, Plunkett, as president and CEO, oversaw his most ambitious project, the employee buyout of the company from the Sachs family, with a five year loan that the company paid off in three and a half years. In 2000, the CEO position went to Robert Murdick and the presidency to Clayton Scharff, and Scharff replaced Murdick as CEO in 2002.
Sachs acquired Detroit-based McGraw Electric in 2003, to expand into the Michigan industrial and automotive sector.
Company revenue grew from $17 million in 1969, when Plunkett joined the company as an engineer, to $100 million in 1995, $220 million in 2001, and $293 million in 2007.
Electrical contractor
An electrical contractor is a business person or firm that performs specialized construction work related to the design, installation, and maintenance of electrical systems—a $130 billion industry in the United States....
in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. In addition, Sachs has four specialized divisions: Sachs Automation, for pneumatic and computer-based process control systems; Sachs Systems for communications and security systems; McGraw Electric (in Livonia, Michigan
Livonia, Michigan
Livonia is a city in the northwest part of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Livonia is a very large suburb with an array of traditional neighborhoods connected to the metropolitan area by freeways. The population was 96,942 at the 2010 census, making it Michigan's 9th largest...
) for automotive industry
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
and other industrial electrical contracting; and Sachs Civil, for in-house support for trenching, excavating and general trades.
The company is based in Fenton, Missouri
Fenton, Missouri
Fenton is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, and a suburb of St. Louis. The population was 4,022 at the 2010 census.-History:Due to its proximity to fertile land and the Meramec River, the Fenton area has been inhabited for over 1,000 years...
, a suburb of St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. It was founded as S&S Electric Company, a two man and one-room company in 1925, by Samuel Sachs in partnership with fellow Washington University graduate, Herman Spoehrer. It was renamed S. C. Sachs Company in the early 1930's. Early projects included designing and building the lighting for Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, all but one of which were located on the same piece of land, the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street on the north side of the city.- History :From...
, home of the St. Louis Browns baseball team. Samuel Sachs served as chief executive until 1953, when his son Louis Sachs was promoted to president. Louis Sachs was followed as president by Norman Krause in 1978 and Larry Plunkett in 1983, though the company remained family owned through 1990. In 1990, Plunkett, as president and CEO, oversaw his most ambitious project, the employee buyout of the company from the Sachs family, with a five year loan that the company paid off in three and a half years. In 2000, the CEO position went to Robert Murdick and the presidency to Clayton Scharff, and Scharff replaced Murdick as CEO in 2002.
Sachs acquired Detroit-based McGraw Electric in 2003, to expand into the Michigan industrial and automotive sector.
Company revenue grew from $17 million in 1969, when Plunkett joined the company as an engineer, to $100 million in 1995, $220 million in 2001, and $293 million in 2007.