Live Oak Electric Celebrates 25 Years of Quality, Trust & Community Commitment
Live Oak Electric LLC in Culver is a family business that boasts a beautiful story of its origins and early years, leading to decades of delivering consistent quality service and accountability.
Celebrating 25 years in business, Live Oak Electric provides a comprehensive menu of general electrical work and generator services. Its staff of certified electricians and support personnel live their motto of “A Business Built on Service,” with quality work, trust and integrity.
Owned and operated by Steve and JoAnn Ulery, Live Oak Electric has an interesting beginning. As former dairy farmers with a state-of-the-art milking facility, the Ulerys have years of experience with electrical systems and business management.
During a market downturn, they sold the cows and Steve worked in a factory, while JoAnn took a position in an office at Culver Military Academy. It was during this time that Steve was helping a friend rewire an old home when he heard what he recalls “was God calling me to open an electrical business and to raise up and train young men.”
Not long after, the couple turned their full-time focus to building Live Oak Electric, choosing the name Live Oak because of the tree’s strength and consistent life. The culture of the company came together with simple authenticity and, as the couple states, a mission to “operate a Godly business with integrity and train up young men and women in the process.”
Today, the team of certified electricians is led by Bryce Gibbons, who came on board right out of high school, has learned the trade well over the past 12 years, and for the last five years has taken on a greater level of leadership responsibility. Now the primary manager of the business, Gibbons became a 50-50 partner in Live Oak Electric on Jan. 1, 2026, with a multiyear purchase plan to gain 100 percent ownership as Steve moves into full retirement.
The Ulerys’ son-in-law, Shawn (Ginger), became their first employee and was on staff for four years before taking a leave of absence to serve in missions. Now back, he is one of five electricians on the team. Their daughter, Ginger, is also part of the office staff.
Live Oak is a full-service electrical company for residential, farm and light commercial projects. With eight technicians in the field, the company offers a variety of services including new construction, upgrading old wiring, troubleshooting and electrical design, as well as sales, installation and service of Generac generators.
Most of the current field staff have completed electrical technician schooling and hold electrician certification from the U.S. Department of Labor. Several receive annual certification through Generac for factory-authorized installation, service and warranty work on standby generators. They are also trained in 811 Pipeline Awareness for Excavator Operations.
As an authorized dealer of Generac generators for homes and businesses, Gibbons estimates that he and the other certified generator technicians at Live Oak “have serviced nearly 700 generators annually in the area and have installed 500 of those, 70 in just last year alone.” Annual service plans cover generator maintenance checks with discounted rates for 24/7 priority service calls.
Serving the community is a core element of the company, including a commitment to an onsite and on-call presence at Culver’s Lake Fest. Live Oak sponsors area sports teams, including Argos and Culver baseball, Culver soccer and Culver cheerleaders, and is involved with training for the 4-H Electric Project, as well as supporting the 4-H Livestock Auction. Staff electrician Geoel Simpson volunteers with Camp We Can for children with disabilities, and Live Oak supports the program.
Office manager Katie Miller holds a semiannual “Shoppazar” in Bass Lake, donating proceeds to local charities and needs.
Live Oak also supports the Plymouth and Warsaw Home & Outdoor Shows with electrical setup and maintenance, and proudly takes part in the Marshall County Senior Expo, which goes beyond vendor showcases and addresses safety issues that affect seniors.
Live Oak Electric appears in The Lakes magazine, The Culver Citizen and Pilot News. The company has been a member of the Builders Association of North Central Indiana for more than 20 years.
Steve Ulery assures, “We strive hard to get emergency electrical issues resolved quickly, knowing that our customers depend on electricity more than ever in today’s world.”
Ginger adds, “Our customers call, and we will be there for them to take care of them,” recalling common customer feedback such as, “You are the ones who call us back, and you stand by your work to get the job done right.”
Live Oak Electric is located at 15718 State Road 17 in Culver.
Service areas include Marshall, Fulton, Starke, Pulaski and Kosciusko counties.
For more information about electrical and generator services, call 574-842-4776 or visit liveoakelectric.com.
