It’s no mistake that we’ve been in the industry for almost a century. We know what we’re doing and we strive to become better every day. Over the years, we’ve developed wisdom, but our fire for innovation burns brighter every day.
1928
Founded by Raymond Starr, Starr Electric Company, Inc. began as a one-man operation in a small office on North Green Street in Greensboro, NC. From its humble beginnings, the company endured and grew through the Depression Era.
1940
Raymond Starr's brothers John W. (J.W.) and Roy joined the company. Starr Electric began honing its focus on the electrical contracting work we are known for today and continued to build and expand upon the firmly established foundations of the company.
1940-1948
Starr Electric company was working for the military at Fort Bragg and building radar sites all along the East Coast including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Some of these sites are still in operation today.
1953
Starr Electric Company completed Moses Cone Hospital, the first ever completed by the company. Since that time, Starr Electric Company has worked on every hospital campus throughout the Carolinas and continues to do so today.
1973
Starr Electric begins its first life sciences project, the E.R. Squibb & Sons, Inc. penicillin plant in Kenly, NC.
1978
Starr Electric Company Completed its first center modern day Data Center for Nations Bank which at the time was called a "Computer Room Wiring Job" since the term Data Center and Mission Critical had not been evolved yet.
As the seventies wound down, a changing of the guard ensured that Starr Electric's position as a leader in our industry would continue and remain strong. John D. Starr was promoted to President when Joe Guill retired after 33 years of service to the company. Al Kennedy was elected vice president, and, as the new decade began, sales surpassed the $12 million mark. With a longstanding reputation for excellent service, Starr Electric had established a firm hold on the electrical contracting market.
1980
Long time friend, leader and revolutionary, J.W. Starr, retired, leaving the company in the hands of his son John D. Starr to maintain. Revenue exceeded the $20 million mark for the first time ever.
1984
John Starr single-handedly led the charge to build Carolinas Electrical Contractors Association (CECA), which promotes and supports the use of merit shop contractors through the Carolinas. CECA continues to support the Carolinas as right-to-work states.
1995
Starr Electric acquired a major interest in SECON, an electrical contractor in Fayetteville, N.C. managed by Don Harrison. This expansion led Starr Electric to being a major force in Fayetteville and at Fort Bragg.
1996
Starr Electric acquired IND-COM Electric and merged with IND-COM's operation. The first project after the new acquisition was the NFL's Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolinas Panthers, and was a design-build project.
1999
Starr Electric built a permanent office in Raleigh, NC to meet the demands of the growing economy and company. Since then, Starr Electric has built world-class facilities in the vertical markets of healthcare, data centers, life science, higher education and technology.
2000
Starr Electric started the AutoCAD Design Department, now known as Starr Electric's Virtual Design Department. Since then, we have used virtual design capabilities on over 12,000,000 square feet worth of projects.
2005
Starr Electric expanded again into the Columbia, SC market with the award of the Lexington Hospital expansion. The expansion was over 600,000 square feet and included a new patient tower, operating rooms and a central energy plant. The Columbia office remains a driving force in South Carolina.
2008
Starr Electric created Hargett Academy, a training entity within the company to manage and promote all aspects of training and safety. This academy is the only NCCER accredited training units in the Carolinas by an electrical contractor. Hargett Academy has set the new standard for OSHA and NFPA-70E, as well as training for our company, our contractors and our clients. Hargett Academy standards have been rolled out in numerous community college programs across the Carolinas. Hargett Academy was named after Phil Hargett, who was our president from 2003-2010 and promoted "Excellence in All We Do".
2009
Starr Electric was named Subcontractor of the Year by the Association of General Contractors for the third time in 6 years.
2010
Starr Electric completed the 1.5 million square feet Duke Energy Tower in Charlotte, NC, which was awarded "Smartest Building in the World" by Siemens Technology. This was also the First LEED Platinum Office Tower in the United States under LEED 2.0. Starr Electric has constructed the most LEED Certified projects in the Carolinas.
Starr Electric was awarded the National Design Build Institute of America's (DBIA) best project of the year for Randolph Memorial Hospital Project in Asheboro, NC.
2011
Starr Electric moved into the offsite construction market. The market allows us to build complete data centers, central energy plants, electrical rooms and skid technology to ship anywhere in the world, giving Starr Electric an even greater geographic footprint.
2012
Starr Electric Company was selected to build world's most technological and greenest brewery for Sierra Nevada's new East Coast operation. This was the catalysts for the craft beer revolution in the Carolinas.
Starr Electric was recognized on a national platform by winning its first ever National Eagle Award for Wexford's Biotechnology Place, a 300,000 square feet privatized project that spurred growth in the piedmont region of the Carolinas during the recession.
2014
John D. Starr was inducted into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Society by former governor, Pat McCrory. This is the highest award a civilian receive. Membership to this exclusive society is based on what the nominee has done in the betterment of the Old North State.
2015
Harley Garrison was promoted to Chief Executive Officer after 11 years in the company. He leads Starr Electric into the next generation of the electrical construction industry.
2018
In 2018, we celebrated our 90th year maintaining a stellar reputation in the contract electrical industry. Starr Electric continues to uphold its original promise from 1928 to always provide the highest quality of work and service to the community and to the customer.
2019
Starr Electric joined the Lean Construction Institute as a catalyst for the future of lean construction. We are focused on eliminating every facet of waste from our company and reducing our constraints on an hourly basis. We strive for true relationships that challenge and support every project we complete while we energize the industry.
TODAY
Starr Electric Company remains a well-established leader in the construction industry with an reputation for excellence and unwavering customer service. With a talented and diverse management team in place, Starr Electric continues to thrive as a privately-owned company with stockholders consisting of family and key employees. Though Starr Electric was founded and remains headquartered in Greensboro, NC, the company is also licensed in eight states throughout the Southeast.