We’re always looking for talented electricians to join our team, so if you’re interested in working for a company that values its employees and has a great work/life balance, then please consider Prairie Electric.

In addition to competitive salaries and benefits, we offer our employees the opportunity to stay active and have fun by playing pickleball on our company-owned courts.

What is Pickleball?

Pickleball is a paddle sport that was invented in the 1960s in our home state of Washington (Bainbridge Island, to be exact).

Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis. It’s a great workout and a lot of fun!

According to a Seattle Times article from 1990, pickleball “was the invention of Lt. Gov. Joel Pritchard and a few friends, created to ease the boredom of Pritchard’s children during a vacation at the family’s summer home on Bainbridge Island” in 1965.

The game is played on a court that is 20-feet by 44-feet — the same size as a doubles badminton court. The height of the net is 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches at the middle.

Players use wooden paddles (similar to ping pong paddles) to hit the ball over the net. The ball itself is plastic with holes, similar to a Wiffle Ball, except that the holes cover the entire surface of the ball.

Pickleball can be played as singles or doubles, just as players on tennis courts do. It’s easy to learn and fun for all ages and skill sets.

In other words, anyone can start playing and become a good pickleball player! (Maybe not a major league pickleball, but ya gotta start somewhere.)

Why We Love Pickleball

We love pickleball because it’s a great way to stay active and have fun. Pickleball is a fast-paced game that requires quick reflexes and strategic thinking, which makes it the perfect way to take a break from work and relieve some stress.

We’re also excited about pickleball because it’s quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. In fact, according to the most recent Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) “Single Sport Report on Pickleball,” about 4.8 million people play it.

There are 38,140 courts (both indoor and outdoor courts) in the United States. (Of course, that will be 38,142, when we’re finished with ours!)

Those numbers are sure to increase as the sport continues to grow in popularity with more and more people playing pickleball.

Prairie Electric

If you’re an electrician who loves pickleball, then there’s no better place to work than Prairie Electric. We like to offer our employees fun perks. We know that happy employees are productive employees, so we make sure to provide an enjoyable work environment.

As mentioned above, we provide competitive pay and excellent benefits, including:

• Medical, dental, vision coverage (fully paid by Prairie)
• 401k
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Section 125 Flexible Spending Accounts
• Wellness programs
• Carpool options

So if you’re looking for a new job in the electrical trades — one that also provides a space to help you stay healthy and happy — start your application here.

Bora Architects designed the rebuild, and Hoffman Construction is the project manager and general contractor.

Prairie Electric is proud to have played a part in the construction of a new Lincoln High, one of the most historic high schools in the country. When the new building is complete, it will be just the second high-rise school west of the Mississippi River.

A Milestone for Lincoln High School and Prairie Electric

For nearly 40 years, Prairie Electric has been helping power up the Portland OR and Vancouver WA metropolitan areas. As experienced and expert electrical contractors, we’ve worked on residential, commercial, and government projects — but few have been as rewarding as this one.

That’s due in part to the unique nature of the school itself and this particular six-story project.

The Journey to This Milestone

This project has actually been in the works for more than three years, with preconstruction beginning five months before that.

That might seem like a long time, but when you consider that we’re building on top of the city of Portland’s Tanner Creek, which is roughly 40 feet below the current ground level, it’s no wonder it’s taking some time.

When the job is finished, we’ll have installed a mile of pipe just on the stage itself.

In total, we used around 20 miles of pipe in the building, including pulling about 200 miles of wire to complete Phase 1 — and we’re not done yet! Phase 2 will be underway soon. We’re excited for the community to see the finished product.

The new building — designed for energy efficiency — measures 120,000 square feet bigger than the old building.

What This Means for Prairie Electric and Our Customers

The Lincoln High School construction project is a major milestone for Prairie Electric, and we’re so grateful to Portland Public Schools for entrusting us with this important task.

We hope that this blog post gives you a better understanding of some of the work that went into making Phase 1 a reality — and there’s still more to come!

As always, thank you for your continued support.

Prairie Electric Project at Lincoln High School in Portland OR

Lincoln High School is nestled in the heart of the Goose Hollow neighborhood, not far from downtown Portland. The school has a long and storied history. Founded in 1869, Lincoln is one of the oldest public high schools west of the Mississippi River.

The school has seen its share of famous faces who have made their marks in track and field, professional sports, and the performing arts. From politicians and athletes to musicians and artists, some of the more illustrious Lincoln Cardinals of the past include:

• Harry Glickman (a founder of the Portland Trail Blazers; let’s go Rip City!)
• Johnny Pesky (professional baseball player for whom Fenway Park’s “Pesky Pole” is named)
• Eliott Smith (singer-songwriter)
• Mel Blanc (voices actor and the man behind the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and many more)
• Matt Groening (creator of “The Simpsons” and “Futurama”)
• Mark Rothko (painter found in art galleries and art museums throughout the world)
• Ted Wheeler (Portland mayor)

Lincoln has become one of the most popular schools in the city, thanks to its rigorous academic program and award-winning extracurriculars.

Here’s a brief look at the history of this beloved institution.

A Brief History of Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon

The Early Years: Founded in 1869 when Portland was a small city with a population of fewer than 10,000 people. The first graduating class consisted of five students.

The school would move several times — and change names from Portland High School to Lincoln High School — over the course of the next few decades.

Establishing Excellence: As Portland grew, so, too, did Lincoln’s enrollment and its reputation as a powerhouse for academics and athletics.

Depression and War: The Great Depression hit Lincoln hard in the 1930s, as it did many communities. Despite these difficulties, Lincoln students excelled. The following decade saw more hardship, as many Lincoln graduates went off to fight in World War II.

A New Era: After the war ended, Lincoln began to rebound. The administration established new programs and enrollment increased rapidly.

Continuing Renewal: In 1995, voters in Portland passed a $197 million bond measure “to address the (district’s) considerable technology, seismic, accessibility, and building improvement needs.”

In recent years, Lincoln has been recognized as one of Oregon’s top high schools by various news outlets, including U.S News & World Report.

Lincoln High School looks poised to continue its tradition of excellence for many years to come. And this rebuild is in many ways the first step toward a more modern learning environment and a new bright future for the Cardinals.

Vancouver’s Prairie Electric is happy to be a part of the latest and perhaps most innovative CLT construction project in North America: The Canyons on North Williams Avenue in Portland. Prairie is the electrical contractor for the Canyons, while Portland’s R&H Construction, in conjunction with Kaiser+Path, provides general contracting services.

The Canyons project is truly unique, providing “barrier-free” living spaces that are ideal for older residents, those with limited mobility, or people looking for a modern, accessible apartment that’s been thoughtfully designed “for comfort, connection, and safety.” (The Canyons is neither age- nor ability-restricted. All are welcome!)

R&H constructed The Canyons with cross-laminated timber, an innovative engineered wood product that is truly a sign of things to come in the United States. 

What Is Cross-Laminated Timber?

Producers make CLT by gluing beams of wood together perpendicularly to fashion layers of wood boards up to a foot thick. They’ve been utilizing CLT in Europe for a couple of decades now, but there’s been an uptick in interest here in the States over the lasts few years. And as time goes on, building methods and procedures are improving — as is the ability of designers to plan for taller construction projects. Plyscrapers!

The Pacific Northwest is at the forefront of CLT building systems in the U.S. In fact, D.R. Johnson, a wood products manufacturer in Riddle, Oregon, was the first company in the country to be certified to manufacture structural CLT panels. And Portland companies such as the architectural firm Lever and real estate developer project have been awarded prizes in the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition.

Kaiser+Path (that’s Kaiser Group developers and Path Architecture) is leading the way with their cross-laminated timber designs and developments for tall urban buildings in the U.S. The future is in wood-building construction. Prairie Electric will be right there alongside developers, providing quality, reliable electrical installation services to these massive, important commercial builds.

Benefits of ‘Plyscrapers’ and CLT Construction

What are the benefits of CLT construction? Let us count the ways!

1. It’s sustainable. Made from our region’s most renewable resource and sourced from trees that are 10 inches or fewer in diameter. Kaiser+Path says that harvesting these trees from dense forests helps prevent the spread of wildfires. Plus, builders can use CLT made from leftover sawmill scraps as well as newly harvested materials. Finally, according to Smithsonian magazine, “the buildings themselves become carbon sinks rather than carbon producers.”
2. It’s good for business and industry. According to a 2015 editorial in The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon’s annual timber harvest is half what it used to be, representing a loss of more than 30,000 jobs since the mid-1980s. The increased appeal of CLT construction has reinvigorated a long-dormant timber industry.
3. It requires less energy. According to Kaiser+Path, “CLT is lighter than steel or concrete, and requires less energy to produce, transport and assemble.”
4. It’s super durable. CLT is stronger than steel and is one of the most seismically resilient building materials in the world. Why? Because the joints between boards help buildings dissipate energy more efficiently, minimizing the damage that can occur during an earthquake.
5. It’s fire resistant. This sounds implausible at first, doesn’t it? A wood building is fire resistant? Well, yes, actually. Kaiser+Path says that wood chars on the outside. CLT creates a protective seal that prevents the inside of the wood beams from burning.
6. It’s beautiful! On walls, floors, and outside entryways — wherever and whenever an appreciative eye falls on timber construction — wood is warm, inviting, and connects living spaces with the natural environment.

Other benefits of using cross-laminated timber CLT as a structural material: Faster construction times, improved thermal performance, and lots of versatility when it comes to quality control, building codes, and the timber building designs themselves.

Prairie Electric and The Canyons

One of the more creative and astonishing innovations the Canyons will feature is a Japanese-style alley running through the building filled with storefronts open to the public. Along with the building itself and the units that comprise it, this wonderful alleyway is another project that will keep Prairie Electric busy all summer, fall and into December. (The building will open in 2020.)

You can learn more about the Canyons project and about plyscrapers in general here.

Prairie Electric is an award-winning electrical contractor. We’ve served the residential and commercial communities of the Pacific Northwest for more than 35 years.

Contact Prairie Electric today to see what we can do for you.

And keep an eye out for the grand opening of The Canyons!

The team at Prairie Electric is proud to be actively involved in projects throughout Clark County, Washington, and one of the most recent jobs that we were able to work on was in the Ridgefield School District.

Prairie Electric partnered with Emerick Construction Company to install new electrical systems at the Ridgefield Middle School project, which was one of the multiple sites designated in the construction contract. By aligning with Emerick, a company that is also focused on building a relationship with each customer on the projects they do, there was a unique hands-on approach that made the job fun and exciting for the professionals at Prairie Electric.

This was the largest contract in Emerick Construction’s history, and Prairie Electric was proud to be on-site working to get the building wired and ready to go.

The school district was given bond money for updating schools in the area. The intermediate school is located on a former farming field site that is adjacent to five acres of wetland, making it a beautiful addition to the area. The building is two-stories and 150,000 square feet, and it includes metal panels and concrete masonry units. It has a large wing that is dedicated to science, technology, engineering, and math, as well as art programs. Because of its location, new utilities were installed on the greenfield site.

Prairie Electric is dedicated to finishing each job with accuracy, attention to detail, and superior quality of workmanship. Our years serving the Pacific Northwest showcase positive reviews and many success stories. We continue to dedicate ourselves to personalized customer service, no matter how big or small the job is. Our goal is to finish the project knowing that our clients are fully satisfied.  

Looking for reliable electricians to work on your commercial or residential electrical project? Contact Prairie Electric today for information on how we can help.

Construction sites are full of activity and general contractors know that sticking to the blueprint is important and necessary to get the job done on time and within budget. So, whether it’s installing circuit breaks, panels, and fuses or installing commercial electrical lighting or completely installing or excavating electricity to coordinate with gas piping, you can trust that our electricians won’t stop until the job is completed exactly how you want it.

Why choose Prairie Electric for your electrical construction project?

The details of a construction project are key to making the process run smoothly and with success. We’ve worked on many different types of construction jobs ranging from supermarkets, hotels, movie theaters, colleges, universities and more. Our commercial team has been trained specifically to handle commercial jobs, including your design build construction projects.  

We will read the blueprints, talk to you about the overall details of the site, and make sure the installation of all the wiring and electrical controls follow state and local building regulations. We will work with your building deadlines and will use our hands-on expertise to cover any on-site issues that arise.

Once your electrical construction job is complete, we will stand by our work. Should any issues arise, we will be sure to come back and correct it. If you’re planning on hiring a team of electricians to work on your construction site, look no further than Prairie Electric. We are ready to talk to you about the details of the job and provide information to get you started.

#1: Our comprehensive list of electrical engineering services.

We offer a comprehensive list of electrical engineering services for residential, commercial and industrial clients, be it electrical troubleshooting and repair, electrical upgrades, home improvement projects, or home remodeling. We put our all into every project, no matter how big or small it is. We work on remodels and additions, security light installations, circuit additions, network wiring, industrial motor controls, street illumination and traffic signals, and much more. If it’s an electrical project, we can do it.

#2: Our approach.

Our roots date back 35 years ago, when one electrician believed that he could build a company on integrity and quality workmanship. Now, we have 200 of the most qualified electricians to serve our community. We work with common sense and responsiveness. We don’t just hire people who are qualified – we want people who can think. We’re as principled as we are experienced. Our engineers anticipate problems in advance, and our supply team ensures our guys have everything they need by the time they get to work.

#3: Our dedication to building relationships in Vancouver.

We’re in this for the long haul. That means our goal is building an ongoing relationship with our clients, so they can rely on us to provide electrical service not just for the immediate, but whenever something else comes up later down the road. We give you our word that we will do our best work for you both now and well into the future.

Ready to get started on your electrical project? Our experienced team at Prairie Electric is standing by to talk to you.

It is award season for Prairie Electric. Sure, it is not the Grammy Awards or the Golden Globes, but each award and recognition that we receive truly means the world to us and is just as important.  Prairie Electric is proud to share that we were recently recognized as the 2018 Daily Journal of Commerce TopProjects Subcontractor of the Year.

For the TopProjects awards, there were more than 90 finalists named in the competition, which included projects in Washington and Oregon. Projects included several categories such as public buildings, private buildings, infrastructure, renovation, and transportation and were evaluated closely by a panel of building industry professionals.  Out of the submitting companies, we were named as the Subcontractor of the Year.

We are proud to share that we worked on these TopProjects in the last year:

• Columbia Precast Products Headquarters
• Hampton Inn Pearl
• Faubion School + Concordia University
• Hockinson Middle School
• Maletis Beverage
• Sovereign Hotel Building
• T-6 Marine Reserve Site Expansion

At Prairie Electric, we are committed to finishing each job with attention to detail and superior quality of workmanship.  This award demonstrates our excellence in not just completing each job to the best of our ability on time and on budget, but it also showcases our dedication to personalized customer service, no matter how big or small the job is. Our goal is to listen to each customer and their unique project needs so we can leave the project knowing we have a 100% customer satisfaction rate.

If you’re looking for reliable electricians to work on your home, business, or industrial space, we can help. Our team has decades of hands-on industry expertise, which means you can trust that we know what to do and will do the job well the first time.  Contact us for information on your business or residential project!

Prairie works with residential, commercial, and industrial customers across a wide range of electrical services — all at competitive prices. The award-winning and expert electricians at Prairie Electric are also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for emergency electrical services in the Vancouver and Portland metro areas.

Experience. Excellence.

Electrical Work You Can Trust.

At Prairie, our comprehensive list of electrical services for residential, commercial and industrial clients is robust. Whether it’s troubleshooting for electrical issues, electrical upgrades, electrical repairs, home improvement projects, or home remodeling — we do it all.

Here is just a sample of the services we provide:

• A/C and heat pumps
• Ceiling and attic fans
• Panels and generators
• Lighting fixture and switch upgrades
• Hot tubs
• Swimming pools

Prairie Electric can also handle many unique and special-purpose electrical projects. Please let us know about your project; more than likely, we can do it. If you have a service need, please complete the Prairie Electric Request for Service Form.

We work throughout the greater Vancouver and Portland metro areas, as well as other Washington cities including Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, Camas, and Ridgefield.

Prairie Electric: Electricians In Portland and Vancouver

When you partner with Prairie Electric, you’re getting the best — and one of the biggest — in the business. We’re proud to have been named the 2018 Subcontractor of the Year by The Daily Journal of Commerce, as well as our ongoing work within the community.

Take a look at our projects page to get a glimpse of some of the extraordinary work our 200+ expert electricians have done. Contact Prairie Electric with any questions! We look forward to serving you.

Beauty Box Spa was one such project – we loved working with the owners to create a luxurious locale for their services. This business provides hair styling, nail application, and esthetics services, all with a fun, “outside the box” approach. The owners pride themselves on using up-cycled and recycled materials to decorate the space.

Challenges

When we started working with Beauty Box, the setting was raw, a mere shell of what was to come. Besides starting 100% from scratch, we were working with the strict energy code of the City of Vancouver, which limits the amount of lighting that can be installed in a single space.

To meet this challenge and provide an energy-efficient boost for the client, we utilized LED lighting. LEDs provide exceptional service over traditional lighting for the following reasons:

• Long life: LED bulbs and diodes are expected to last up to 100,000 hours, which equals 22 year at 50% operation or 11 years of continuous use. Because LEDs don’t burn out the same way that standard lighting does, and emit a lower output level over a long period of time, they last and last, a boon for business owners as well as homeowners.

• Energy efficiency: LED’s provide the most efficient lighting available today. Their energy efficiency weighs in at 80-90% of traditional lighting, meaning that 80% of the electrical energy that passes through these bulbs converts into light. The remaining 20% is converted into heat, compared with incandescent lighting, in which 80% of the energy converts into heat instead of light.

• Design flexibility: LED lighting can be combined into various shapes to create efficient – and stylish – solutions. Dynamic control of lighting is possible due to the dimming potential of each individual LED. If you’re intention is to set a mood, creating a particular aesthetic for your space, LEDs are an excellent choice.

Combining our electrical and lighting design teams, we were able to match the client’s desired aesthetic and produce an elegant space for a very happy client.

We were honored to work on the Beauty Box Spa and thank the whole team. Looking for inspired lighting design in your commercial or residential space? We’re here for you. Contact Prairie Electric today!

The show focuses on the Portland-based company, Tiny Heirloom, who devote their creative and architectural talents to building luxury tiny homes. We were particularly excited about this show because our team has an ongoing relationship with Tiny Heirloom. We have fully wired seven of their luxury homes, an undertaking that has changed our perceptions of what makes a home a home.

Tiny Challenges

Let’s state the obvious: tiny homes are small. However, they require the same amount of wiring as a standard-sized home. For this reason, creating an electrical layout and properly-fitted panel was a challenge we were happy to take on. Our crew worked hard to accommodate each given space, including all of the crawl spaces, nooks, and crannies that make tiny homes so charming.

Tiny home wiring utilizes the same electrical structure as any other home, but on a smaller scale. 12-gauge wire is used throughout. However, the panels that we created to accommodate this wiring needed to be housed in creative ways, in panel boxes built within the overall layout.

Individuals who live in tiny homes have the same circuit breakers as “normal” homeowners, and the same electrical safety tips apply. However, those living in these spaces need to be extra cognizant of keeping their wiring contained, so as to avoid safety hazards that could lead to fires and electrocution.

Why Tiny Homes?

Part of what we valued about the process of wiring each home is that, while getting familiar with each corner of these small spaces, we began to understand the appeal of tiny living. Sure, people need to get rid of clutter to adjust to living in a reduced space. Yes, residing in close quarters with others requires adjustment. However, the financial and ecological benefits of tiny home living inspire a new, simple way of existing that values time and financial freedom over multiple possessions.

Tyson and the Tiny Heirloom team were incredibly helpful and accommodating, and we are grateful to have been involved.

Have questions about your electrical project? Contact us today!