Page 14 - MECO | Winter 2016

A Tale of

Two Companies

An Interview with Henry Brown and Ralph Marcum

Back in the late 80’s, Ralph Marcum had the idea that he could build a successful electrical business and make a good living for his

family and his future employees. Now 23 years later, Marcum Electric has a long record of good work and a solid reputation with all of

their clients.

We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Alabama-based electrical contractor Marcum Electric. Headquartered in Pelham, AL,

Marcum has served the needs of Heavy Industrial and Power Generation clients. Robert Tesney, Vice President of Miller Electric

Company, has relocated to Pelham to lead the combined operations, and Ralph Marcum will continue to be involved on a daily basis.

Q: What is the story behind Marcum Electric?

RM: I worked for another electrical contractor that focused on

industrial work. One day I thought to myself: “If I can work and

make them money, why not do it and make money for myself?”

So I planned for a long time, went back to school and got a

degree in business. I figured if I was going to run a successful

business, I should probably learn how to do it. Afterwards, I

put together a business plan and a strategic plan; then in 1994

opened Marcum Electric.

Q: How did the strategic plan work out?

RM: My main goal was to build a business that provided good

quality work at a reasonable price. Simple. This allowed us to

finish every project we ever started, on time and on budget.

I didn’t want to pursue all customers because I couldn’t be

everything to everyone. I simply wanted to build strategic

relationships. My first two customers are still clients today and

they happen to also be the biggest; Alabama Power and US

Steel. The relationships we have cultivated have worked well

over the years.

Q: Why Miller Electric over others that were interested in

Marcum?

RM: I have known about Miller for many years. I was friends

with Robert’s dad (Vice President Robert Tesney) and built a

friendship with Robert over time. As a matter of fact, I once

even tried to hire him away from Miller. He was happy with the

company so that didn’t work out. When it was time for me to

come up with an exit strategy, I hired a consultant to help me

locate possible buyers and Miller was one of them. Miller was

by far, the one that aligned with our values and the way we

conducted business at Marcum. Of course, Robert facilitated the

relationship.

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