I first learned electrical when I was in High School. I hated school and chose to take as many courses as I could that provided me with technical skills in woodworking, electrical and automotive. Those classes are what got me through.
To be honest, I don’t know where my interest in electrical came from. I have no electricians in the family, and I didn’t grow up around it. But my thinking is, if you love something enough, why not try to make a career out of it?
I had a neighbor who was an electrician. He asked if I wanted to work for him, so I did that for a while. I guess you could say my initial interest in electrical as my career began there. Down the road, I ended up working for another electrician. He owned this company before me, made me a partner and later on I bought it from him.. Almost 19 years later and I’m still here doing what I love.
Other than myself, Colin Smith is the only other person that I work with. He is my right-hand man and may one day be my future son-in-law. I’m teaching him the trade and introducing him to contractors. I’m hoping in a couple of years that he’ll be ready to take over. He has just been phenomenal. He loves it and has come a long way.
One of my favorite parts about the job is meeting new people. The motive of my business has always been, ‘if the customer is happy, I’m happy.” I work primarily in Southern Maine, but I’ve done work throughout the state, from all the way up north wiring camps to all the way down south wiring houses.
When the pandemic hit, things got busier than ever. I’ve always been one to answer my phone, but in the last year and a half, the calls have just been non-stop. I’ve always had a hard time saying no to people, but with the amount of calls I’ve been getting, I try to be cautious about taking on too much work. I don’t want to be burnt out all the time.
What’s nice is that I don’t advertise. In this business, when you do good work for people, they do the advertising by suggesting you to their friends and family. It’s all word of mouth. Which is nice because it lets me know I’ve made them happy.
I like working for myself because I get to decide how my day goes. I do what I want to do, and how I want to do it. Working for somebody else means you have to do it their way, which isn’t bad, but it’s just not for me. I enjoy the challenges that come with the work I do. The best part is the people and the worst part is the paperwork. But once I started working for myself, I never wanted to go back.
I like being a customer of Saco & Biddeford Savings because they are very family-oriented and support local business a lot. I’ve been a customer of the bank for almost 30 years now, although it’s probably been longer when you consider I had an account as a kid that I’d put savings into every week.
I’m thankful for all the people in my life who love and support me, especially my wife Sharon. She does so much and I’m so grateful for her.
— Conrad Picard, Owner of Conrad Picard Electric, Inc.
Thank you, Conrad, for all you do and for all the years you’ve been by our side. We appreciate the service you provide and are happy to highlight you as our March Customer of the Month!
