Guarantee Electrical Company
Our History
1902
Electricity was a new technology and was generally unreliable at the time. These seven bold men “guaranteed” that the lights would stay on for the entire year of the exposition and, in doing so, found the name for their new joint venture.
- William Koeneman
- Ed Koeneman
- John Casey
- Charles J. Briner
- Fred E. Briner
- William Nolker
- Louis Nolker
1904
Guarantee illuminates the St. Louis World’s Fair and William Koeneman retains ownership of the company following the fair and establishes office at 1305 Pine St.
1920’s
Guarantee is selected to wire the main residence for the Busch family at Grant’s Farm and maintain other electrical systems at Grant’s Farm; Guarantee then located at 1407 Olive Street.
1929
Fred Oertli Sr. joins Guarantee as a laborer while attending Ranken Trade School and Washington University at night, receiving a degree in electrical engineering.
1930’s
Guarantee is selected to maintain the 5,000-bulb Standard Oil sign at Clayton and Skinker and as the preferred contractor to build and maintain Standard Oil filling stations in St. Louis and eastern Missouri.
1942
Guarantee is awarded a $2 million electrical contract from Emerson Electric for a new aircraft gun turret plant. Guarantee electricians work seven days a week on electrical power distribution to fulfill a major contract for Emerson Electric to produce gun turrets for B-17s, B-24s, and B-25 bombers.
1940’s
Fred Oertli Sr. purchases Guarantee from the Koeneman family. Guarantee moves to 4161 Gravois and hires Grace Rottenhagen, the company’s first female employee.
1950’s
Guarantee establishes its first branch office in Granite City, IL, and services dozens of industrial facilities such as Monsanto, the Atomic Energy Commission and Anheuser Busch during the post-war industrial boom in the Midwest. Guarantee began to acquire smaller companies, including Rick Electric and Wilson Electric. Arthur Kaspar joins Guarantee with the revolutionary concept of engineering and constructing electrical systems at one company at a fixed price – the idea of electrical design-build is born.
1960’s
Guarantee sees rapid expansion into new markets as Guarantee is selected to perform electrical work for the 800,000-square-foot building for McDonnell Aircraft Corp’s “Gemini” program, constructs Granite City Steel’s 80-inch hot strip mill, and completes the Pierre Laclede Center – the tallest all-electric building of its time.
1962
Guarantee, Kelso-Burnett, Sturgeon, Harlan, Evans, Fisk, Hatfield, and Sherwin found the Federated Electrical Contractors, a collaborative peer group of industry-leading electrical contractors.
1967
Guarantee enters the prefabrication and modular construction space with the founding of Guarantee Instrumentation Systems of Missouri (GISMO). Here, the team manufactures control panels, graphic displays, prefabricated junction and pull boxes, and custom enclosures. Guarantee is selected to implement modularization of the beverage can welding process for Continental Can in its off-site modularized construction facilities.
1969
GECO design-builds all electrical work for Six Flags Over Mid-America.
1970’s
Guarantee emerges as a leader in large commercial projects, completing work on Mercantile Tower, 1010 Market, 500 Broadway and Boatman’s Bank Tower, The Chromalloy Building, Interco Tower, One City Center, and Southwestern Bell’s Bell One Tower to name a few.
1974
Guarantee enters the design-build hospital market full force, performing all electrical wiring and interiors for the new 450-bed Christian Northeast Hospital and the 349—bed general hospital in the DePaul Community Health Center.
1975
Committed to the revitalization of the City of Saint Louis, Fred Oertli Sr. and Chuck Oertli purchase the 16-acre 300,000 square foot Bent Avenue Industrial Park from the Hoover Company.
1977
Guarantee celebrates it’s 75th anniversary on Art Hill in Forest Park – back where it all began at the site of the World’s Fair.
1979
Guarantee invests in cutting-edge technology, purchasing the innovative IDI-150 computer, the first CAD unit in the Midwest. The system incorporates a fiber optic light pencil that can design two subjects simultaneously and draw a third.
1980’s
This era saw Guarantee solidify long-term relationships with clients like Anheuser Busch, McDonnell-Douglas (Boeing), Monsanto (Bayer), Emerson, AG Edwards (Wells Fargo), and Lambert Airport. The company also recognizes the emerging technology sector, forming Hi-Tech Communications, later renamed Sonacom, to offer its customers resources for installing, maintaining, and repairing all telecommunications systems.
1982
Guarantee relocates to its current headquarters at 3405 Bent Avnue.
1986
Guarantee issues its first illustrated holiday card by John Blair.
1996
Guarantee launches a 24-hour service department.
1999
Guarantee has a record year, surpassing $100 million in revenue for the first time. That same year, Guarantee received eight AGC Safety Awards, its third consecutive DBIA Excellence Award, and the 1999 Keystone Project of the Year award.
2002
Guarantee celebrates its 100th Anniversary, and St. Louis City and County declared Sept. 14, 2002, Guarantee Electrical Company Day.
2003
Guarantee expands operations to Colorado, acquiring Denver-based Kimsey Electrical Contracting, specializing in commercial and industrial electrical construction, plant construction and maintenance, and voice/data and fiber optic installations.
2006
Guarantee initiates its ownership evolution, making its first contribution to its Employee Stock Ownership Plan, which offers employees ownership in the company.
2008
Guarantee and FEC partner White Electrical are honored with the REM Dubose Joint-Venture Award for their work together on two new concourses at Florida’s Jacksonville International Airport.
2010’s
Guarantee becomes a national leader in the electrical construction industry, establishing a formidable national region that performs work for key clients from coast to coast.
2012
Guarantee is part of the response team in Joplin, MO, to rebuild Mercy Hospital after a tornado tragically destroyed it.
2019
Guarantee tops $200 million in revenue for the first time in company history.
2021
With the acquisition of long-time FEC partner Berwick Electric in Colorado Springs and fellow St. Louis-based Aschinger Electric, Guarantee extends its expertise in Federal, Industrial, and Energy Solutions offerings.
2023
Ensuring a sustainable future, Guarantee finalizes a transition to 100% ESOP ownership. Guarantee’s Western team achieves the elite OSHA VPP Star Workforce status.
2024
Guarantee has a record year, surpassing $400 million in revenue for the first time. That same year, Guarantee, alongside FEC peer partner Barth Electric, received a NECA Excellence Award for their work on the United States Postal Service Indianapolis Distribution Center.
