ST. LOUIS—In the aftermath of the May 16 tornado that left many in the St. Louis region without power, a coalition of local contractors and labor leaders has come together to launch ReConnect STL: a community-driven effort to help residents safely restore electrical service to their homes.  

Guarantee, alongside St. Louis City Mayor Cara Spencer and representatives from ArchKey Solutions, IBEW Local 1, and NECA, announced the collaborative initiative at a news conference July 1. Led by Guarantee Electrical Company, the initiative will connect city residents impacted by the storm with no-cost or reduced-cost electrical service reconnection, with a focus on reaching the most vulnerable residents first. It represents a partnership among many of the largest entities in St. Louis’ electrical trade community. 

“This effort isn’t about one company—it’s about an entire community of trades and contractors stepping forward when our neighbors need us most,” said Rich Ledbetter, CEO of Guarantee Electrical Company. “We’re proud to stand alongside IBEW Local 1, NECA, and so many others who believe in rebuilding more than just infrastructure—we’re here to restore dignity, comfort, and safety.”  

IBEW Local 1 was among the first organizations to respond following the storm, coordinating with partners across the region to assess damage and deploy qualified repair crews. “Their readiness and leadership have been nothing short of extraordinary,” Ledbetter added.  

Expert teams from IBEW and NECA have already performed the first assessments and are mobilizing to restore connections at more than 200 addresses. ReConnect STL is now operating in the hardest-hit areas of St. Louis, working street by street to identify needs, make critical repairs, and reconnect families to safe, reliable power.  

Guarantee’s Emily Martin, who also serves as governor of NECA’s St. Louis chapter and is among the leaders of the industry effort, said members of her industry are uniquely positioned to help and galvanized quickly around the idea of helping St. Louis residents in need. She also called this kind of collaboration par for the course in the city’s close-knit electrical construction community.  

“At the end of the day,” she said, “our industry always shows up for our community. This is what good neighbors do when disaster strikes: We put our heads together, we chip in, and we use our expertise to help our neighbors in a time of need.” 

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City residents who are disconnected from the power grid due to the storm can request a ReConnect STL assessment on the City of St. Louis’ website. Mayor Spencer said, “While the city will administer the recovery program, we are grateful that the IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection, Guarantee and ArchKey have agreed to do all the heavy lifting with their generous donation of service and materials.” 

Spencer and the City also announced other support services, including architectural assessments and critical repair assistance, for storm-damaged homes.