Local Power
Join the Team at Frye Electric
Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing
Photographer / Amy Payne
If youve lived in Hendricks County for any length of time, you are no doubt familiar with Frye Electric. Hal Frye started the business back in 1974, running it out of his one-bedroom apartment before he moved it to a garage in Camby. He later moved to a fire station, then to a location on the northwest corner of Rockville and Raceway roads before relocating to the Gatherings shopping center for 15 years.
The Frye Electric team has recently moved to a new location and upgraded its facility, in order to substantially increase warehouse space. The 1952 black Dodge pickup truck that Hals grandfather purchased years ago when it was a hay wagon truck still sits in front of the business. Hals grandfather passed the vehicle on to his father and it sat for many years before Hal restored it, and emblazoned the Frye Electric logo across it to use as advertising for the business. Sometimes he takes it to car shows, as this is a great business and many people go into electric repairs, as having an electrician career now a days is not that difficult using the right resources online.
Everybody seems to recognize our logos since were all over town, Hal says.
Not only has the business been around for nearly 50 years, but Hal and his wife, Michelle, are also big supporters of the Avon community, including Avon High School choirs, Avon sports programs, activities and fundraisers. They are members of the Avon Chamber of Commerce and participate in the annual Rib-Fest. They also sponsor a number of golf outings each year for nonprofit organizations like the Rotary Club of Avon and the Wounded Heroes Fund. Plus, they sponsor the Gunshow Charity, a local event series that raises money and awareness for suicide prevention.
This is our community so we want to support the people who live here as best we can, Michelle says.
Frye Electric, which Hal incorporated in 1974, started out small but has grown considerably. Through the years Hal has hired a number of experienced Indianapolis technicians. Michelle has helped run Frye Electric for 28 years, along with longtime employees Mike Watson (office director), Greg Wells (general manager), Chris Fisher (field supervisor) and Marley Bergquist (office staff).
Frye Electric does not wire houses, apartments or buildings. Instead, they are 100% service only, for houses, apartments and commercial businesses in Hendricks, Marion and surrounding counties (spanning a 50-mile radius). Doing this type of work means every job and every day is different. Thats just what the technicians like, because it means theyre constantly troubleshooting and are never bored. Every day offers a fresh challenge.
My guys like the service-oriented work, Hal says. We are busy, thats for sure, and no job is too big or too small for us.
On the commercial side, in addition to servicing apartments, they also do parking-lot lighting and sign repair. Some days they may have 35 jobs across their 10 trucks. Even with the 10 electricians on staff, Hal would like to hire 10 more, given their current workload. This is because they serve roughly 500 customers each month. In total, their customer base surpasses a whopping 58,000.
Wed love to grow our team, Hal says. Its a great place to work with a welcoming atmosphere and friendly staff. They offer equal pay, equal benefits and, given their loyal client base, the promise of steady work.
We are good to our employees, says Hal, noting that as a family-owned business, they care about supporting the professional goals of their employees, so they emphasize teamwork and camaraderie. All of that translates to happy customers, which is why 80% of the work Frye Electric does is repeat business. They also get a lot of referrals. Thats all due to trust that has been built through the years. Same-day appointments and 24/7 emergency service are also appealing to customers.
Hals favorite part of working in this business is making his customers happy.
Im 74 and still like what I do, and thats because of our customers, Hal says. We appreciate them so much.
Frye Electric is located at 141 Casco Drive in Avon. For more information, call 317-271-1099 or visit fryeelectricinc.com. To submit your application for employment with Frye Electric, go to fryeelectricinc.com/about-us/careers.
