Cattaneo Electric Company: Grounded in Family

Peter Cattaneo’s father was an electrician, working on high-rises in downtown Chicago. By 1976, the elder Cattaneo had had enough of his long commute. He and his wife decided to start their own business.

opened in 1977, operating out of the family home in Darien.

“I’ve been answering the phone with ‘Cattaneo Electric’ since I was 9 years old,” said Peter Cattaneo. 

By 1991, the business moved into a building on Frontage Road. In May 2002, it moved again to its current location, in a building designed for it.

Cattaneo is senior project manager, responsible for sales and the electricians. Mom Sharon is owner and president, and Cattaneo Electric Company is certified by the State of Illinois as a Women’s Business Enterprise. Cattaneo’s father, also named Peter, co-led the company until his death in 2005. One of Cattaneo’s sisters works for the family business as well, handling bookkeeping, billing and invoices.

About 70 percent of their customers are commercial, but residential business is important, too.

“My dad always catered to all facets, and we still do,” Cattaneo said. “We handle everything from $100 calls all the way up to $3-4 million. We carry the full gamut of electrical, from the homeowner who needs a light switch replaced to putting up a brand-new building.”

Cattaneo doesn’t work on new residential construction, preferring to work with end-users rather than general contractors and builders. Much of the residential business comes as a result of the company's work with offices, hospitals and schools. He cites quality as its best advertising.

“Our customers rely on us,” he said. “We always hear that from other customers. ‘We were told you could help us.’  And we go in and we get them out of trouble.”

Commercial customers include , Hallowell & James, Dana Victor, Tellabs and Allstate. When Target remodeled its stores last year, Cattaneo was called.

“We handled every Target from Iowa to Lake Michigan, and Green Bay all the way down to Springfield,” he said.

The company has worked on government projects, including schools in Darien, Naperville, Westmont, Hinsdale and Woodridge. It's also worked on local post offices and O’Hare Airport.

“When the Olympic Committee was in, we got a call from (Chicago) City Hall,” he said. “The mayor wanted the lights on (at O’Hare). We relamped the entire main parking lot.”

Its service area runs from Milwaukee to Decatur, and from Gary to Dekalb. When existing customers put up new commercial buildings, they often hire Cattaneo to do the electrical work. That work sometimes takes the staff out of state, or even out of the country.

“We can mobilize,” he said. “We’ve gone to Mexico and Canada. Colorado, Florida, Jersey, New York, Michigan… Our existing customers here in Chicago take us. They’ll set up a shop down in Florida and say, ‘We like you up here and we need you to go down there.’ We’ll ship a couple guys and a truck down there, and off we go. We’re really there to meet the customers’ needs. If they can trust us here, they can trust us there.”

With 22 trucks, Cattaneo claims the largest fleet in DuPage County. Each electrician has a truck and can handle a variety of situations and projects 24 hours day.

“Our electricians are pretty diversified,” he said. “We want it that way. We don’t want anyone to rely on any one particular electrician.”

Cattaneo noted that his electricians are clean, friendly and well-spoken. “You’re not afraid to have them come into your house,” he said. “Our youngest electrician has been here 11 years. And I have one employee, Terri, who’s been here since 1986.”

Cattaneo Electric is a union shop. It belongs to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 701 DuPage County, Local 134 in Cook County, Local 176 in Will County, Local 461 in Kane County, Local 150 in Lake County and Local 117 in McHenry County. When staff do work out of town, they sign into that (local) union.

“If I land a $2 million job tomorrow, I need to get employees right away,”  explained Cattaneo. “I can’t put it in the paper; it would take too long. I need qualified (electricians) right now. So the union’s very beneficial to us.”

Cattaneo is himself an electrician.

“I did serve an apprenticeship with Local 701,” he said. “I went through the five-year program. Electricians need a lot of algebra. It’s not just plugging things in. We’re calculating loads all the time, calculating weights. So it’s 2,500 hours in the book (and) 8,000 hours on the job.”

The Cattaneos believe in giving back to the industry.

“My father was on the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee from ’86 until ’05 when he died,” explained Cattaneo. “We give a $2,000 scholarship every year in his name to a union member’s child who is going to college.”

The Cattaneos also belong to the Northeastern Illinois Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). NECA sponsors the Electrical Engineering Department at Northern Illinois University. In partnership with NECA, they give two $5,000 scholarships to NIU students each year.

The Cattaneo family donates their time and talents as well. Sharon is on the Health & Welfare Board for IBEW Local 701 as well as on the Members’ Assistance Board. Peter is on the Labor-Management Co-op Committee (LMCC).

They also believe in giving back to the community. The Cattaneos have donated to DarienFest every year since its inception. Sharon Cattaneo has been on the Board for five years. And “Mr. Peter” can be found about once a week at doing lunchroom duty.

Cattaneo Electric remains a family company. Children’s pictures and drawings adorn office walls, and toys are scattered in corners. One day, those children may be back in those offices, running the business.

Cattaneo Electric Company is located at 8171 S. Lemont Road in Darien. For more information, call 630-910-9400 or go to www.cattaneoelectric.com .