About Merit Electric Company
Company Overview
Merit Electric Company was formed in June 1996 by Larry Neuman, who had been working for a large contractor over 26 years. As happens in many companies, Larry started to notice a disconnect between the clients he worked with and the company he worked for. He knew from experience that it was possible to deliver a better product through stronger relationships with the client - it just took a change of focus. So in June of 1996, backed by the support of his wife of 50 years, Larry pulled the plug at his old company and turned on the lights at Merit Electric.
Soon after starting the business, Larry was joined by his daughter, Laura, who returned to her hometown of St. Paul to take over front office duties. In 1997, Larry’s son Jeff, who had also been working for a large contractor, made the switch and joined the team. The three knew a great customer experience started with treating them like family - with complete honesty and integrity. Merit Electric applied this core value to each project and steadily grew its number of clients and employees through Larry’s retirement in 2006 when the company was sold to Laura and Jeff. During the economic downfall of 2006 -2010, there were times when it was a struggle to keep the lights on, but Merit Electric dug in and kept the business running, backed by the quality of their team and the relationships they had built with their clients.
Each day is filled with new challenges and opportunities and the team at Merit Electric Company continues striving to ensure all jobs are completed on time, on budget and correctly the first time - just like you would do for any family member.
Merit Electric Company Leadership
Jeff Neuman
Jeff started in March of 1997 with Merit Electric. He worked as a journeyman electrician until August of 2001. During that time, he also obtained his Masters Electrical license. In august of 2001 Jeff Started working in the office as an estimator/project manager and in 2006 His sister Laura and he purchased the company from his father. Jeff and Laura are currently Co-owners of Merit Electric Company and Jeff holds the Masters license for the company.
Laura Baldwin
Laura graduated from the MN School of Business in the Court Reporting Field in 1992. Started working for Merit Electric in 1996 Previous to her employment at Merit Electric she worked in the Human Resources Department at a large medical complex in Duluth, MN. Wanting to get back to her hometown she decided on coming to work for her family business. Currently Laura runs the front end of the office answering the telephones, scheduling electricians, billings, etc.
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Madison Neuman
After High School, Madison attended and graduated from the Medical Assisting program at Dakota County Technical College where she quickly discovered the healthcare field was not her calling. She continued her job as a waitress at a local bar and restaurant in Hastings. In 2018 she was offered an office management position at a plumbing company, having no prior office experience. She worked there for three years and caught on quickly. In the winter of 2021, she was asked by Laura to step in to temporarily help in the office. Her temporary position promptly transitioned to full-time and she became a part of the Merit Family.
Rich Chermak
Rich started with Merit Electric as a journeyman electrician in 1998. In 2003, he took on the responsibility of an estimator/project manager. Beyond power and lighting he also has experience with mechanical projects and Solar Panel Installation. His job prior to Merit Electric included working for a mechanical contractor and served as a United States Marine during the 1st Gulf War.
Steve Shalikōw
After receiving a degree in 2006 from Dunwoody College of Technology in Electrical Construction and Maintenance, Steve was hoping to become an electrician. Unfortunately, the Great Recession had just started and he soon found that he would be waiting awhile before getting an opportunity in the field. Fortunately, that's when Merit Electric came knocking and that's when he discovered that his true talents lay inside the office as part of the management team. A United States Marine Corps Veteran, he tries to implement the leadership traits he obtained during his active duty stint to his everyday personal/work life. He greatly values family and his friends/colleagues. He strongly believes in team work and the work hard, play hard mentality. In addition to his duties as an estimator/project manager, he also has his hands in permitting, scheduling/dispatching, tool, equipment, and material control, leads the safety division for the company, and is in charge of editing the company website.
What Our Customers Say
We ave been a client of Merit Electric Company for years and years. Whenever we need electrical work (and it has been frequent these past few years), we call Rich at Merit. Merit is prompt, reliable and their workmanship is fantastic! Even when the only plan I have is a sharpie drawing on the back of a napkin! We are such frequent customers, that I can roll down the window in my car and wave when I randomly pass a Merit van on the highway. It is a very high probability that I will know who the electrician is that is driving. For me it does not get much better than that!