'Be your brother's keeper,' Nickle Electrical employees say

Caitie Burkes

The News Journal

For employees at the Newark-based Nickle Electrical Cos., safety comes first – a priority they say creates a culture of trust among coworkers of all ranks.

Last February, the company celebrated seven years without a lost-time accident, a major victory in the often-dangerous construction industry. Scott Estep, a service manager who has worked at Nickle for 10 years, credits the accomplishment to employees looking out for one another.

"Be your brother's keeper," Estep said. "Everybody, from an apprentice to a foreman to someone in the office, all have the same kind of power when it comes to safety."

(left to right)Kris Hoffman, a project manager that has worked for Nickle Electrical Co. in Newark for over 20 year, Mark Benson, chief estimator for Nickel for over 21 years, CEO Steve Dignan, and vice president of of operations Jeromy Newton, stand in the service area of the company that won best leader of a mid-sized company and 3rd in places employees enjoy the most for a mid-sized company.

Since 1986, the company has performed commercial, industrial, residential and service work throughout the entire state, as well as southeast Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia. And many on the company payroll have been there almost as long.

Kris Hoffman has 20 years of experience as a project management assistant for the company. While her job is mostly done from the office, she said she still feels like she has been part of the vast array of projects Nickle has completed, ranging from Amtrak Wilmington Station to the University of Delaware's Independence Hall.

"I know I'm going to be safe and I know I'm going to come home safe," Hoffman said. "It's a family atmosphere."

John Guhl, a service manager, and Jennifer Yoder, a service manager assistant, for Nickle Electrical Co. in Newark, work in the service department.

The thorough safety task analyses, audits, and other precautions seem to work: The company is the No. 1 merit shop electrical contractor in Delaware, noted Mark Benson, the company's chief estimator.

Beyond the on-site safety measures, Benson said he looks forward to seeing the end result of sometimes years of hard labor.

"There's a lot of times you can go home and say, 'I helped build that,'" Benson said.

COMPLETE COVERAGE:Delaware's Top Workplaces

Still, Nickle employees maintain that they take care of one another both on and off construction sites.

Vice president of operations Jeromy Newton said Nickle has offered him a variety of opportunities in the nine years he has worked there. He nodded to his boss, Steve Dignan, who he says has mentored him into the employee he is now.

"He always says he's not a good teacher, but he's a good teacher," Newton said.

Jonathan Harrison, an estimator, is undergoing a company program where he experiments with all three facets of the Nickle's services: field work, project management, and administrative matters. The licensed journeyman, who is beginning his transition from the field into the office, said Nickle Electrical has allowed him to grow as a professional.

Estep, who followed a similar vocational track as Harrison, echoed Harrison's sentiment.

"They're not afraid to invest in us," Estep said.

STORY: Wilmington teen wins $10,000 Taco Bell scholarship

STORY: What will happen to Wilmington's Ninth Street Book Shop?

Contact Caitie Burkes at cburkes@delawareonline.com, (985) 640-2526 or on Twitter @caitie1221.