Thoma Electric

What Thoma Electric does

Thoma Electric, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned electrical engineering, design/build, and construction firm headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California. Founded in 1961–1962 by Clarence "Bud" Thoma, the company operates three integrated service lines — Electrical Engineering (design, CAD, LEED documentation), Design/Build (single point of responsibility combining engineering and construction), and Electrical Construction (full installation of power, lighting, communications, fire alarm, and standby-power systems) — plus a 24/7 Service+ division for residential and small-business emergency response. The firm employs IBEW-trained, state-certified technicians produced through a five-year apprenticeship program of 8,000+ on-the-job hours and 1,200+ classroom hours, and holds LEED credentials across 25+ projects, OSHPD healthcare experience, and Berk-Tek OASIS data/fiber integrator certification.

The company serves commercial, industrial, and public-sector clients across California, with primary verticals in government (federal courthouses, fire stations, EMS centers, forest service facilities), healthcare (hospitals and medical centers with critical/standby power), education (Cal Poly, Lucia Mar USD), agriculture/winery (Central Coast wineries such as Tolosa, Denner, Bianchi), manufacturing (clean-room facilities), hospitality (Martin Resorts), and historic preservation (Hearst Castle). The business model is project-based professional services revenue, with quote-driven pricing per engagement; clients are acquired through direct enterprise field sales, RFPs, and long-standing relationships, while Service+ adds recurring smaller-ticket residential/SMB volume through an online request form. Thoma Electric is now in its third generation of family leadership under Bill Thoma (President, CFO) and Jeffrey Thoma (Vice President, PE-licensed engineer, formerly of Apple), with no external institutional ownership.

Name

Thoma Electric

Legal name

Thoma Electric, Inc.

Website

https://thomaelectric.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Thoma Electric is a family-owned, third-generation electrical engineering, design/build, and construction firm based in San Luis Obispo, California, serving commercial, government, healthcare, education, and winery clients with IBEW-trained technicians and integrated LEED-certified project delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electrical Contracting and Engineering Services

NAICS

Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors (238210)

SIC

Electrical Work (1731)

akta.pro primary industry

Electrical Contracting & Wiring (IMAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Electrical Contracting (Commercial/Industrial) (IMAIABAC), Low-Voltage & Security Systems Contracting (Access Control, CCTV, Intrusion) (IMAFALAF)

Keywords

• Electrical engineering services
• Electrical construction contracting
• Design-build electrical
• Commercial electrical installation
• Electrical service and repair

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Electrical Engineering Services: Qualified team of electrical engineers, electrical designers, CAD operators, and commercial electricians providing engineering services for commercial and industrial projects.
2. Design/Build Services: Combined services of engineering, design/build, and construction divisions providing single point of responsibility for all services to minimize risks and consolidate construction schedules.
3. Electrical Construction: Full-service electrical construction and installation from design through completion. Projects include lighting and communication systems, environmental controls, alarm systems, power distribution, and critical standby power systems.
4. Service+ (Service & Repair): 24/7 service for small business, residential and emergency needs. Scalable solutions meeting exact customer needs with on-time and under budget delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Thoma Electric is a premier electrical engineering, design/build, and electrical construction contractor serving commercial, government, healthcare, agricultural, and fire station/EMS center clients across California. The firm provides a unified four-division offering spanning electrical engineering and design, integrated design/build delivery, full-service commercial and industrial electrical construction, and a 24/7 Service+ division for residential and small-business emergency and maintenance needs.

Product overview

Thoma Electric operates as a unified electrical engineering, design/build, and construction services company serving commercial, industrial, government, healthcare, and specialty industries throughout Central Coast and California. The company offers four interconnected service lines: Electrical Engineering (providing design, CAD, and LEED certification for 50+ years), Design/Build (combining engineering and construction for streamlined project delivery), Electrical Construction (full-service installation since 1962), and Service+ (24/7 residential and emergency electrical service). Projects span fire stations, healthcare facilities, government buildings, wineries, educational institutions, and commercial complexes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electrical Engineering Engineering design services provided by a qualified team of electrical engineers, electrical designers, CAD operators, and commercial electricians, covering power distribution systems, fire alarm systems, communications infrastructure, and LEED certification projects for commercial and industrial clients on the West Coast for over 50 years.
• Design/Build

Quantifiable outcome

• 25+ LEED certified projects completed
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Lucia Mar Unified School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2014Thoma Electric partnered with the school district and Southern California Edison to construct 250kW of solar arrays on parking canopies at three schools (Monte Vista, Vieja Valley, and Hope Elementary Schools). Projects were constructed under Division of State Architects requirements.
• Martin ResortscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time partner for preventive electrical maintenance across multiple hotel properties. Thoma performs thermographic studies using infrared thermal cameras and has completed remodels and WiFi improvements at Shore Cliff Hotel, Pismo Lighthouse Suites, and other properties. Maintenance and troubleshooting performed at more than half of the hotels across the Central Coast over 30 years.
• NECA/IBEWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) together with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) sponsors one of the best electrical vocational programs in the USA. Apprentices receive 8,000 hours on-the-job training and 1,200 hours classroom instruction during a 5-year program.
• Community Foundation San Luis Obispo CountyminorOthersAdministers the Jennifer Thoma Memorial Ballet Scholarship established in 2012. Scholarship provides $2,500 for local dancers to attend intensive summer ballet programs. Multiple recipients awarded since 2014.
• Southern California EdisonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Thoma Electric and Lucia Mar Unified School District for renewable energy solar projects at three schools.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Quanta Services: Public utility and infrastructure services provider with significant electrical contracting and communications capabilities nationwide. Functions as a broad incumbent touching similar end-markets but operating at vastly greater scale and primarily in utility-scale infrastructure.
• EMCOR Group: Public national provider of mechanical and electrical construction, facilities, and energy services through subsidiaries across the U.S. Very broad incumbent serving the same end-markets as Thoma via larger, multi-region operating companies.
• IES Holdings: Public national provider of electrical and communications infrastructure services for commercial, industrial, and data center customers. Functions as a broad incumbent peer with overlapping capabilities, though operating at materially greater scale.
• Faith Technologies: Wisconsin-based national electrical and engineering services firm offering design, build, and service across commercial, industrial, and mission-critical markets. Broader incumbent peer with overlapping full-lifecycle electrical services but a national, multi-region footprint exceeding Thoma's.

Direct peers

• Bergelectric: California-based (Escondido) full-service electrical contractor serving commercial, healthcare, and government facilities nationally. Comparable to Thoma in integrated design/build delivery, IBEW labor model, and depth in healthcare and institutional markets.
• Rosendin Electric: Rosendin is a large, employee-owned electrical contractor headquartered in San Jose, California, providing design-build, construction, and service across commercial, industrial, healthcare, and mission-critical facilities. Most directly comparable peer: same full-service engineering/design-build model, same West Coast base, and same union (IBEW) labor model.
• Redwood Electric Group: Northern California-based commercial electrical contractor providing preconstruction, design-assist, and construction services. Closely comparable to Thoma in West Coast focus, project size, and design/build integrated delivery model.
• Helix Electric: Helix is a California-based multi-division electrical contractor (preconstruction, construction, service) operating across the West Coast. Directly comparable to Thoma's engineering/design-build/construction structure and California-centric service area, with strong healthcare and commercial portfolios.
• Cache Valley Electric: Utah-rooted, multi-state electrical contractor with full engineering, construction, and service capabilities. Comparable as an integrated design/build/construction firm with similar size and union-trained workforce, though primarily serving the Intermountain West.
• Morrow-Meadows Corporation: Industry City, California electrical contractor specializing in design-build, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects. Highly comparable peer with similar West Coast footprint, full engineering through construction capability, and IBEW-trained workforce.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thomaelectric
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThomaElectric

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thoma Electric