Ernie Mora welcomes new apprentices to Central Electric.
BY IEC STAFF
“Our primary purpose at Central Electric is to grow people,” says Ernest J. Mora, chief financial officer, Central Electric Ent. & Co. in San Antonio, TX. “Seeing them prosper and progress through our great industry is exciting.”
That purpose is lived through every aspect of the work, every employee, every day at Central Electric and is in line with the company culture. It’s why Ernie enjoys coming to work each day. He says developing that company culture begins with treating one another with mutual respect and caring for one another as much as you care for yourself. The second-generation family company invests in its core values (see image), and seeks employees who want the same.
Those core values mean the world to Ernie and may help explain why this former banker ended up in the electrical industry and how it fuels his work today — especially with young people looking to build their futures.
“Central Electric was founded back in the ‘70s by my brother-in-law and sister,” he recounts. “Today, their two sons, my nephews Chris and Ernest Martinez, run the business. They asked me to join them in 2013. I had already been retired from banking for eight or nine years, and my nephews were looking for some help with special projects and running the office.”
He said yes and is energized each day working beside leaders who value all people.
Recruitment
Beyond following up with potential applicants received from IEC Greater San Antonio, Central Electric targets its recruitment efforts in the local high schools.
“We believe our ability to offer internships which can develop into apprenticeships and then into careers works for our company,” he says. “Central Electric is known in the schools and we’ve worked hard to develop relationships with the career and technical education instructors and school counselors. They are on the ground floor; they know the kids in their classes that are serious about careers. They know our company values and can recommend the guys and gals that would be successful with us.”
The recommended students who choose to sign on with Central Electric have completed their third year in high school. They work at Central Electric from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday during the summer between junior and senior year. Ernie says interns work in Central Electric’s prefabrication department, not in the field. This gives them opportunities to experience a wide range of electrical work, handle basic tools, learn skills, and experience what it means to work hard and be accountable and responsible.
“They get of quick taste of what it’s like in our industry,” he says. “One day they’re building temporary power panels and the next day they’re working on meters and the next day they’re washing trucks. It’s a great litmus test — do we like you and do you like us?”
Because of the great relationship built with the schools, Central Electric and school administrators work together to help the student interns be successful. One big potential hurdle taken care of is transportation, as most students would have no way to get to Central Electric otherwise.
“The schools received a grant for this and have designated a driver to bring students to and from our shop,” Ernie explains. “Without this, these students would not be able to accept the internship.”
Those interns who are making progress and see value in the program are invited to come back to Central Electric in the fall. Again, working closely with the schools, schedules are addressed so that students attend their high school classes in the morning and are transported to Central Electric in the afternoon. They continue to increase their skills in the prefabrication area. Central Electric employees, guided by company core values and family feel, help these young men and women grow as individuals and constantly reinforce the opportunity they have to progress to a career that can help them provide for their families in the years to come.
“We’re always talking about careers, not just jobs,” Ernie reiterates. “We want them to finish high school and get that scroll. We tell them then we’re going to get you the training to become an electrician in four years. That, of course, is the IEC Apprenticeship Program. Last year, and again this year, we enrolled 16 first-year apprentices in the IEC program. You’ll be prepped for the state exams to get the journeyman license. And, you’re going to finish with no debt. You’ll be ready to rock and roll.”
Ernie notes that there appears to increased interest throughout San Antonio from administration, school boards, and counselors open to providing for more career and technical education programs (CTE).
“Some of the schools now have culinary, pre-law, pre-med, carpentry, pre-construction,” Ernie says. “Go back 30 or 40 years and so many schools had vocational training and preparation for the trades. Then a stigma seemed to arise and many parents were asking why would I want my son or my daughter to enter a trade when they can obtain a college degree?”
He believes that along with some disillusionment of the value of college degrees, people’s perspectives are changing. Parents and students are seeing why a trades career path that results in a license and an opportunity to make significant income after a four-year apprentice training program makes sense.
“Since we seek to grow electricians, we ‘fit’ best with new employees who have a willingness and an eagerness to learn and who can be relied upon to be good teammates,” Ernie says. “We’re not worried about them coming in and knowing how to use every tool in the book; we can teach them those skills. Our apprentice / intern program works.”
Retention
The family first culture also aids in retention at Central Electric. Four company policies feed into that — work within their geographical area, promote from inside, keep people regularly informed about how they’re doing, and offer training throughout their employment.
“We don’t take a lot of out-of-town work, as we prefer to have our employees go home at night,” Ernie says. “We’re large enough that we have jobs all over town and part of our company business plan is that we want to stay within the confines of Bexar County.”
From the beginning — when talking with interns about potential career paths — Central Electric states that their employees won’t have to jump places to obtain more responsibility and increase their wages. As employees grow in their abilities, Central Electric helps them move along as field leaders, foremen, and more within the company.
“We want employees to know where they stand at all times,” Ernie says. “We want them to know they’re on the right path and where they’re doing good work. They are not long or lengthy but we do regular evaluations with our employees. We offer continuing education, leadership training, and special topic instruction throughout their career with us. All of this keeps them — and us — on the path to improvement. We want everyone to feel like they are an important part of the company.”
Ernie says they work hard at helping all employees feel connected and an important part of the company’s success. Central Electric’s president calls every employee on their birthday and reaches out to thank every employee on their work anniversary. Ernie feels this is truly impactful, especially with a new, young employee.
Central Electric also is sure to have fun with employees and involves them in selecting the annual summer event at the zoo, water park, or Six Flags for example. Families are invited of course, and invitations go to the home.
“We host employee functions to celebrate five and 10-year work anniversaries, and give these employees special gifts,” Ernie says. “Also, we give out pies at Thanksgiving and hams at Christmas. These efforts are meant to demonstrate our appreciation for their hard work.”
Lifelong Lessons
Though Ernie’s path to electrical is quite different than most, he knows he has landed where he needs and wants to be and is contributing to industry growth. He credits early lessons for instilling his work ethic.
“I grew up working in the family’s grocery meat market,” Ernie says. “We worked pretty hard and were at the store seven days a week. It was better for my dad to keep me home rather than send me away to college. Because of that, I had the opportunity to go to a great local private university, St. Mary’s, to receive my degree and a commission in the United States Army. I was able to work in the meat market around my classes.”
Ernie’s next stop did involve leaving the meat market behind as he was stationed in Germany for almost three years working in finance, which then led to his post-Army banking career. This service, too, provided him with skills for his career.
Ernie’s IEC Committee Work
Ernie and Central Electric appreciate what IEC offers its contractor members. They are active at the chapter level in IEC of San Antonio and Ernie began attending IEC National events about 10 years ago. Through that involvement and the powerful networking available, he was invited to participate in the Professional Development Committee and the Membership Committee.
“A couple of years ago, I was asked to become Membership Committee chair, and it was a great opportunity for me,” Ernie explains. “The makeup of the committee is strong and involves many seasoned contractors who have a lot more than my 10 years in the industry. The opportunity to learn from these contractors, chapter executive directors, and volunteers is tremendous.”
The committee is focused on growing and supporting IEC’s existing chapters, while still keeping its eye on developing new chapters. It prides itself on connecting chapter leaders for sharing resources.
“We felt like there was so much work to be done that we broke ourselves up into task forces to tackle all of the subject matter,” Ernie says. “We’re one big family in this electrical world. We all struggle with the same issues but we can help each other.”