The partners at Bryant Electric, from left, Jason Weaver, Darcy Bryant and Sarah Walker
PRINCE GEORGE – Longevity is a great gauge that speaks about the success of a business.
Bryant Electric is no exception, as the family business, founded by Glen Bryant in 1960, now has third generation ownership, as Glen’s son, President Darcy Bryant, notes that his niece, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Walker, is now a partner along with Vice President Jason Weaver.
“Our transition from the ownership from where it started as a small business to a multi-generational company has been amazing,” says Darcy, explaining that he and his brother, Gary and his wife Sylvia became second generation owners in 1996. “This is the first time we’ve had someone from outside the direct family that is a part-owner of the company.”
Bryant Electric is a licensed electrical contractor with offices in Prince George and Terrace, and they have customers from north of Kamloops to Prince Rupert, offering full commercial, institutional, industrial and multi-unit residential services, including new construction and renovations. They work on power and distribution, generator and transfer switches, electrical inspections, data voice cabling and underground and street lighting services for subdivisions. Their HVAC Controls Division has been a huge success.
Jason started as an apprenticeship 17 years ago and became a partner in 2022, while Sarah, the daughter of Gary and Sylvia, started with the firm in 2004 and joined ownership in 2015.
“We’re unique in the way we all get along, which can be rare in a family business,” says Sarah. “What we all bring to the table is our different personality traits and the strengths and weaknesses we bring to the company in each position meld well together, and sometimes you can’t get that when you’re just looking at the family.”
As President, Darcy oversees company operations and maintains key relationships with contractors and is involved in estimating. Sarah, as CFO, does everything from daily operations, accounting, project management and keeps procedures in check. Jason is mainly in the office and looks after bidding, estimating and scheduling, as well as project management software and in-house technology.
Bryant Electric was started in Prince George in 1960
Each of them hold positions on a board of directors: Jason as a BC Construction Safety Alliance director, Sarah is now Secretary of the BC Construction Association Employee Benefit Trust, and Darcy is past chair of the Electrical Contractors Association and local health care foundation Spirit of the North.
“Although I’m not in the family, I’ve always felt like it from the beginning,” Jason says. “That’s one of the strengths that shows with all of our employees. We try and make everyone feel like they’re part of the family.”
Electrical systems for design/builds is one of the big successes of Bryant Electric, as Darcy notes “Our staff goes into a project as a team, work with our customers and within their budgets to maximize their designs within their budget. There’s a lot to it.”
The Terrace office has been a big part of the company’s growth in the last decade.
Bryant Electric is well known for its commitment to safety
“We have had a lot of work in the northwest region, and we have a fantastic manager in Kelly Olson and a great team there,” says Darcy. “We’re the prominent electrical company there and Kelly was born and raised there. He’s very much part of the family, and he’s so well known in the area. The larger accounts like the City of Terrace, School District and others, go to him because they know he’ll look after them.”
Darcy summarizes the reasons for their success by noting that Bryant electric is a one-stop shop for electrical needs.
“Customers don’t have to go elsewhere. We have a wide net of data networks so they can just deal with us to get everything done,” he says. “I think that’s a real strength for us.”
Business Examiner Staff