In 1968, Walter T. Parkes purchased O’Connell Electric from its founder, John O’Connell, who started the company in 1911. Walt’s determination to pursue unique, challenging projects and philosophy for calculated risk-taking laid the foundation for the diversified company we are today, fostering a corporate culture that supports innovative thinking and strategic action.  Our progressive approach differentiates us from the competition. We are dedicated to providing the highest level of service to our customers.

Several strategic acquisitions have contributed to the company’s growth and establishment of branch offices in Buffalo and Syracuse, New York—T.H. Green Electric Company (in 1996 from Fischbach Corporation), and Syracuse Merit Company (in 2003 from InfraSource). Our acquisition of Rochester Solar Technologies in 2007 rounded-off our position in the renewable energy market.

In the last 40 years, O’Connell has provided more than $1 billion of electrical services to its customers and has consistently been ranked in the 50 largest electrical contractors in the United States as determined by Engineering News Record surveys of top specialty contractors. O’Connell has been listed in the Rochester Business Journal’s Top 100 Companies thirteen times and was named the fastest growing privately held company in 1991.

O’Connell’s has strategically developed into a full service electrical and communications regional contractor. Our projects span the State of New York with additional customer specific contracts in Alabama, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

With a hundred years of industry leadership and innovation, O’Connell has weathered tough business climates before. We are stable and reliable. Our corporate bonding capacity now exceeds $180 million and we are fully insured to handle any project.