PRESS
The South Lyon Herald - 10/20/2011
New Hudson electric company celebrating 25 years
Herald: Tell us about your business.
Tyrrell Electric: We are proud to celebrate our 25 years in business in New Hudson. We are a family owned, family run, and family staffed electrical contracting business. Being a family business allows us to provide the attention to detail you'd expect from a smaller company, and the capabilities to handle a variety of jobs you'd expect from a larger one.
We handle jobs anywhere from small residential additions to retail stores to large industrial buildings. Some services we provide include service changes, backup generator installations, equipment and machine wiring, and lighting design and installations.
One of the newer areas we are venturing into is energy-efficient lighting upgrades. This is a great opportunity for businesses to save money. This is not only due to substantial energy savings but also due to government tax incentives and utility rebates.
Other areas we look forward to exploring are solar and wind power installations. We are sure we'll have opportunities in these fields as alternative energy becomes increasingly important.
Herald: How did you get started?
Tyrrell Electric: A friend of Jerry Sr.'s got him a job with an electrical contractor. He worked his way up to journeyman, and then went into business with a partner. After some years went by, he decided to make it a family affair, and start a new business with his two eldest sons, Jerry and Hugh. Through the years he's kept it a family business, with both immediate and extended family.
Herald: What's the best reason to do business in the South Lyon Area?
Tyrrell Electric: Why do we enjoy doing business in the South Lyon area? Well, simply, its nice to work where you live. It's a bit easier to become well known when you're part of a small community like this. We grew up here and went to school here, so we have roots here beyond just our business location. New Hudson is also a great base to be able to get to other job opportunities throughout Southeast Michigan.
Herald: How are things going lately?
Tyrrell Electric: Things seem to be picking up a bit this year. Of course, we took a hit like everyone when the housing bubble burst. In fact, we haven't done much new housing at all since then. Luckily we've had home remodel and addition work, as well as commercial and industrial work to get us through.
Herald: Do you have a funny tidbit or story to share with our readers about your experience so far as a small business owner?
Tyrrell Electric: What makes our job interesting is working in different settings all the time. As you can imagine, we see a lot of remarkable sights including: People with animal addictions, adult "play" rooms, and items falling out of grid ceilings like loaded guns, porn and sex paraphernalia. Once while moving a ceiling tile in an office, a dehydrated mouse fell on the head of an office worker. To say she "freaked out" would be an understatement. One of the scariest jobs was working in a basement stocked full with pallets of gun ammo. One errant spark, and ... Of course, we keep names confidential.
One of the newer areas we are venturing into is energy-efficient lighting upgrades. This is a great opportunity for businesses to save money. This is not only due to substantial energy savings but also due to government tax incentives and utility rebates.
Other areas we look forward to exploring are solar and wind power installations. We are sure we'll have opportunities in these fields as alternative energy becomes increasingly important.
Herald: How did you get started?
Tyrrell Electric: A friend of Jerry Sr.'s got him a job with an electrical contractor. He worked his way up to journeyman, and then went into business with a partner. After some years went by, he decided to make it a family affair, and start a new business with his two eldest sons, Jerry and Hugh. Through the years he's kept it a family business, with both immediate and extended family.
Herald: What's the best reason to do business in the South Lyon Area?
Tyrrell Electric: Why do we enjoy doing business in the South Lyon area? Well, simply, its nice to work where you live. It's a bit easier to become well known when you're part of a small community like this. We grew up here and went to school here, so we have roots here beyond just our business location. New Hudson is also a great base to be able to get to other job opportunities throughout Southeast Michigan.
Herald: How are things going lately?
Tyrrell Electric: Things seem to be picking up a bit this year. Of course, we took a hit like everyone when the housing bubble burst. In fact, we haven't done much new housing at all since then. Luckily we've had home remodel and addition work, as well as commercial and industrial work to get us through.
Herald: Do you have a funny tidbit or story to share with our readers about your experience so far as a small business owner?
Tyrrell Electric: What makes our job interesting is working in different settings all the time. As you can imagine, we see a lot of remarkable sights including: People with animal addictions, adult "play" rooms, and items falling out of grid ceilings like loaded guns, porn and sex paraphernalia. Once while moving a ceiling tile in an office, a dehydrated mouse fell on the head of an office worker. To say she "freaked out" would be an understatement. One of the scariest jobs was working in a basement stocked full with pallets of gun ammo. One errant spark, and ... Of course, we keep names confidential.
The South Lyon Herald -12/15/2005
Jerry and June Tyrrell opened up shop on Grand River Avenue in New Hudson 20 years ago, and their current staff includes five of their six children, two grandchildren and a pair of nephews.
The family contractor takes jobs around the Detroit metro area, working on residential, commercial and industrial projects.
But, owner Jerry Tyrrell said, the business has done particularly well in the New Hudson and South Lyon areas.
"We've really enjoyed the New Hudson area," he said. "We're anticipating all the new growth and all the new things coming into the New Hudson area."
The family moved to the area in 1976, and office manager Anna Hoffman , June's and Jerry's daughter , remembers a much different New Hudson at the time.
Hoffman was enrolled in high school in Detroit when her mom told her they were moving. In three weeks time, Hoffman found herself dislocated from the city and living in a small rural village. Though she was not particularly fond of the move as a teenager, Hoffman said it spelled a new beginning for her family.
At the time Tyrrell opened, the barber shop across Grand River Avenue was a bank Hoffman recalls. Aside from the New Hudson Inn and a handful of other historic buildings, New Hudson bore little resemblance to the bustling commercial center that exists there today.
Hoffman said her family's deep roots in the area have helped the business to thrive for 20 years.
"New Hudson's been really good to us," she said. "The business is run mostly through word of mouth."
Yet her mother, June Tyrrell, said the business is focused on the future, instead of on the past. And while she acknowledges that 20 years in business represents a significant milestone, she said everyone involved is looking to push forward.
"We hope to be open for another 20," June Tyrrell said. "We're taking it 20 years at a time."
Dan Trudeau is a reporter for the South Lyon Herald. Reach him at (248) 437-2011 or at dtrudeau@gannett.com.
- Originally published December 15, 2005 -
Jerry and June Tyrrell opened up shop on Grand River Avenue in New Hudson 20 years ago, and their current staff includes five of their six children, two grandchildren and a pair of nephews.
The family contractor takes jobs around the Detroit metro area, working on residential, commercial and industrial projects.
But, owner Jerry Tyrrell said, the business has done particularly well in the New Hudson and South Lyon areas.
"We've really enjoyed the New Hudson area," he said. "We're anticipating all the new growth and all the new things coming into the New Hudson area."
The family moved to the area in 1976, and office manager Anna Hoffman , June's and Jerry's daughter , remembers a much different New Hudson at the time.
Hoffman was enrolled in high school in Detroit when her mom told her they were moving. In three weeks time, Hoffman found herself dislocated from the city and living in a small rural village. Though she was not particularly fond of the move as a teenager, Hoffman said it spelled a new beginning for her family.
At the time Tyrrell opened, the barber shop across Grand River Avenue was a bank Hoffman recalls. Aside from the New Hudson Inn and a handful of other historic buildings, New Hudson bore little resemblance to the bustling commercial center that exists there today.
Hoffman said her family's deep roots in the area have helped the business to thrive for 20 years.
"New Hudson's been really good to us," she said. "The business is run mostly through word of mouth."
Yet her mother, June Tyrrell, said the business is focused on the future, instead of on the past. And while she acknowledges that 20 years in business represents a significant milestone, she said everyone involved is looking to push forward.
"We hope to be open for another 20," June Tyrrell said. "We're taking it 20 years at a time."
Dan Trudeau is a reporter for the South Lyon Herald. Reach him at (248) 437-2011 or at dtrudeau@gannett.com.
- Originally published December 15, 2005 -