Posts Tagged ‘Egan Electrical’

KARE 11 Electrical Fire Prompts Emergency Response and Upgrades

Wednesday, August 13th, 2025

In the world of live television, there’s no pause button. A significant transformer fire at KARE 11’s Golden Valley, Minn. facility forced a full evacuation of the building. While there were no injuries, employees remained unable to access the facility, and the extent of damage to critical broadcast systems was initially unclear. Egan Company responded swiftly with a complete electrical infrastructure replacement to restore reliable operations and help KARE 11 return to normal broadcasting as quickly as possible.

The original electrical system installed in the 1970s by a contractor not affiliated with Egan Company — featured an outdoor, weatherproof-rated bus duct running above ground into the indoor utility room. Building engineers, facilities managers, and Egan experts believe that prolonged exposure to Minnesota’s severe weather over the past five decades contributed to the system’s failure. 

Jesse Gesme, Electrical Special Projects Project Manager, said, “It was great to see everyone come together with all hands on deck, multiple project managers, estimators, and outside vendors, working with urgency to restore operations. The teamwork and quick coordination with the KARE 11 team made a big difference in getting the job done.”

Egan crews mobilized immediately when they got the call to restore power and begin installing new electrical systems to meet modern codes and standards. By noon the following day, the temporary outdoor generator’s final  connections were made to  re-energize the station  and work began on the installation of new electrical services and infrastructure both inside and outside the building. The final switchover from generator power to the upgraded permanent system took place nine days after the fire.

“We rely on Egan’s expertise and the quality of their work — both of which have met or exceeded our expectations,” said Marty McAlpine, KARE 11 Broadcast Engineer. “We valued their collaboration, approachability, and continual communication as the project progressed. The crew was with us every step of the way. It was clear they had our best interests front and center. Every day, multiple times throughout the day, they kept us in the loop and synced up at every stage of the project. They listened and understood our business needs and operations and answered every question we had. There were no shortcuts or loose ends. They were always on time, worked as long as it took, and ultimately completed the work on schedule.”

Safety remained the top priority throughout the process, consistent with Egan’s “Stay Safe” core value. Crews worked closely with KARE 11 staff to ensure operations continued without risk to employees or visitors. Station leadership has expressed confidence in Egan’s handling of the emergency and its commitment to quickly restoring reliable electrical service.

Not Just Power—Partnership: How Egan Electrifies Construction Projects

Tuesday, August 12th, 2025

Whether it’s powering a high-rise, streamlining a hospital expansion, or ensuring round-the-clock performance at a mission-critical site, Egan Company’s electrical teams deliver more than just power—they bring strategic foresight, technical precision, and unmatched collaboration.

To uncover what truly sets Egan’s electrical services apart, we sat down with three key leaders: Grant Price, Senior Vice President of Electrical; Jason Rosati, Vice President of Electrical Special Projects; and Jason Brown, Electrical Business Group Manager. Together, they offered a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look at how Egan’s electrical divisions work seamlessly to deliver industry-leading results across sectors.

A Full-Circuit Approach
“We’re not just wiring buildings,” Price shared. “We’re enabling businesses to operate more efficiently, safely, and reliably.” Egan’s electrical capabilities extend across multiple interconnected groups—including Industrial Controls, Outdoor Electrical, Electrical Special Projects, Electrical Construction, Southern MN,  and teams dedicated to commercial and mission-critical builds. While scopes range between installing a single outlet and powering massive data centers, every group contributes to a broader, unified electrical offering.

“The goal is for customers to see the full picture,” said Rosati. “They might know we install lighting or build control panels, but it’s the coordination between our groups that truly unlocks more value.”

Whether it’s a power distribution and lighting system or low-voltage infrastructure and advanced control integration, there’s hardly a system Egan’s teams haven’t tackled. We design, build, and support a wide range of environments—corporate campuses, healthcare facilities, manufacturing plants, and more—all while adhering to strict safety standards like NFPA 70E, NFPA 70B,  and energy code compliance.

Design Smarts Meet Jobsite Strategy
As the conversation shifted toward how Egan approaches Design/Assist and Design/Build projects, one principle became clear: partnership is everything. “We aim to get involved as early as possible,” said Brown. “The sooner we’re at the table, the better we can align expectations, navigate constraints, and help future-proof the system.”

The team detailed how they balance owner expectations with budget requirements—often drawing on their broad experience and internal resources to recommend long-lasting, cost-effective solutions. This includes participating in walkthroughs, interpreting vague narratives, and asking the right questions to ensure the delivered system meets performance needs. “Would you install it in your grandma’s house?” Rosati joked. “That’s our gut check.”

Prefab That Powers Productivity
Prefabrication is another area where Egan excels—especially when it comes to compressing timelines and enhancing safety. Whether it’s assembling conduit racks, underground duct banks, or room-in-a-box electrical kits, prefab ensures field teams can stay focused on installing, not assembling. “When prefab is done right, it accelerates everything,” Rosati emphasized. “Our jobsites are safer, cleaner, and more efficient. That’s what GCs and customers care about—and so do we.”

Staying Ahead of the Curve
Technology and sustainability trends continue to shape Egan’s work. Lighting controls, daylight harvesting, and all-electric buildings are becoming more common, especially as local and national codes evolve.

“We’re seeing the electrification of everything,” said Price. “We worked on a 400,000-square-foot research facility that runs completely on electricity—no gas. That kind of project is paving the way for what’s next.” Still, the team was quick to note that while sustainability is critical, they focus first on meeting requirements and delivering solutions that last. It’s about balance—not buzzwords. 

Relationships that Matter
One often overlooked value-add for Egan customers? Strategic relationships—not just with vendors, but with a robust peer network across the country. Backed by preferred vendor certifications with trusted manufacturers like 3M and Rockwell Automation—and strengthened by long-standing partnerships with peer firms—Egan leverages an expansive network that brings tangible benefits to every project. These relationships aren’t just symbolic—they create real advantages in the field.

“These relationships mean faster procurement, better pricing, and access to specialized resources,” said Rosati. “They can be the difference between delay and delivery.”

Peer group connections, in particular, allow Egan to collaborate on best practices, stay ahead of market trends, and extend capabilities when needed.

One Team. One Electrical Story.
In wrapping up the conversation, the leaders circled back to a common challenge: telling the full story of Egan Electrical. “Customers—and even some internal folks—sometimes only see one piece of the puzzle,” said Price. “But when you zoom out, you realize how much we actually do.”

Whether it’s installing critical infrastructure or solving complex, no-shutdown electrical cutovers, Egan’s electrical group is built to support every stage of a building’s lifecycle—with one point of contact and a whole lot of capability behind it. After all, when it comes to electrical, there’s more to leverage.

Fire Impact Requires Rapid Response from Egan Trades

Monday, December 28th, 2020

For over 75 years, Egan Company has committed to providing exceptional service and keeping our promises to our customers, no matter the time of day nor the severity of the need. When a fire destroyed part of Burnett Dairy Cooperative’s Grantsburg, Wisc. plant this summer, Egan was consulted immediately to develop a plan to get the plant fully operational as soon as possible. 

UNDER AN ‘AS SOON AS POSSIBLE’ DEADLINE

Known for producing award-winning, high-quality cheese products for over 120 years, and with customers waiting for products in their stores, the need to get the plant fully operational as soon as possible was of utmost importance. Working around the clock, multiple Egan crews comprised of six different trades partnered with Burnett Dairy and additional contractors to demolish and rebuild the infrastructure that was damaged in order to get the production lines back up running.

“We’ve worked with Burnett Dairy for the past few years and have formed a strong relationship,” said Dan Reintjes, Egan Company Project Manager. “When the call came in that we were needed to help after the fire, we were there as fast as possible to get the infrastructure and  production lines in perfect working order again.” 

The fire is believed to have started in the boiler building, which will require a complete rebuild. In the meantime, a temporary operation was conceived and constructed to ensure cheese production and assembly continued.  Egan’s process controls team worked late into the first night getting power to three of the plant’s electrical services and started a complete demolition of the fourth 2000 amp 5-section service gear which was then designed, built, installed and operational in nine days. The ammonia compressors were also powered up with generators on the first day in order to get Burnett Dairy’s warehouse coolers running to save all the products that were  already produced. Egan’s Mechanical team worked to make damaged piping safe and get temporary water piping installed as well as planning for a temporary boiler installation.

Egan was one of the contractors that was onsite within 18 hours of the fire trucks leaving the scene and didn’t leave until the plant was fully operational,” said Dave Gaiser, Burnett Dairy Cooperative CEO.  “With their help, Burnett was able to get our retail store back open within a few days so we were able to open for the weekend after the fire.  Within seven days, they assisted with getting one of our packaging lines operating so we could package cheese from other manufacturers and begin shipping to our customers. Egan worked 24/7 coordinating with other contractors to get Burnett running within two months of a fire impacting all utilities servicing the plant.

Beyond the initial scope of work that was completed to get the plant operational, additional projects were finished in order to restore complete operation to the plant. Egan engineers designed and programmed a new control system for the milk transfer and CIP systems that were lost in the fire, and additional electricians were tasked with installing new power distribution panels and feeders as well as installing the new milk transfer and CIP control panels and interconnect wiring.

Working alongside the controls electricians, Egan’s Mechanical trades were tasked with setting up the temporary, 900 horsepower self-contained boiler.  The team was also responsible for hydro testing and repairing all existing piping to ensure functionality and safety due to the fire.

BACK UP AND OPERATIONAL

The plant was back up and operational in 62 days, processing milk from 150 farms, and bringing 300 people back to work.

Burnett Dairy is currently operating with a temporary boiler trailer in place and due to the work of many contractors working within a tight timeline. Next steps for the plant include the design, engineering, and construction of the new boiler building; Egan’s full-time maintenance presence at the plant will continue, and any additional help the site needs as it starts the process of rebuilding from the fire.  

“Egan is a valuable business partner and the accomplishments of the past couple of months would not have been possible without them,” said Gaiser.

MULTI-TRADE PROJECT TEAM

  • 35 Egan onsite electricians
  • 15 Egan controls and mechanical engineers contributed to the needed design and engineering
  • 31 Egan plumbers, pipefitters, and sheet metal workers were onsite
  • 5 limited energy technicians delivered network installations with all new data cabinets and cabling for the plant
  • 10 control panel technicians built eight U.L. 508A control panels on a tight turnaround

KEEPING OUR PROMISES AS ONE EGAN COMPANY

Wednesday, July 8th, 2020

If you’ve been in the industry a while, you may remember a few of our former names – Egan Companies or The Egan Companies. If you’ve really been in the industry a while, you might recall our original name, Egan & Sons Plumbing and Heating Company which was founded by Joseph Egan and his sons Bill and Costney.

For 75 years, Egan Company has offered an array of specialty trades and professional services across the industry; and for many of those 75 years, the diverse skills and trades were divided into a number of individual companies and brands. Egan Company as we know it today is only 15 years old!

Over the years, Egan diversified and merged with existing mechanical, electrical, automation, technology, controls, and a number of other specialties. Each specialty then had its  own unique brand. The brands below consolidated to one corporate identity Egan Companies, Inc. in 2002 before evolving to simply become Egan Company years later:

  • Egan Mechanical Contractors, Inc.
  • Egan-McKay Electrical Contractors, Inc.
  • Egan Automation, Inc.
  • InterClad, Inc.
  • E&S Insulation Co.
  • The Egan Companies

This consolidation and positioning triggered an opportunity to develop a new brand promise and logo that would encompass all of Egan’s specialty trades and services—and represent the only company in our local markets with capabilities and services that are unmatched by anyone.

Fun Facts:

  • Egan’s old familiar logo was the letter “E” constructed of two triangles and three rectangles.  Depending on the entity, the logo was either black, red, green, blue, or maroon and was the Egan brand for almost twenty years.
  • The base of our current Egan logo was formed by three grids that represent the mechanical, electrical and systems business functions. This joined frame structure emphasizes the fact that each of our business groups is dependent on the others working together and doing its separate and combined job to support the Egan brand. Supported by this grid base, EGAN stretches across all three grids linking them together as one.
  • To ensure our dedication to our customers and community was highlighted as well, a new tagline was added, Building on Promises Kept. This reflects our long history of building in the Midwest and our commitment to keeping our promises, always. It serves to remind us to focus on the integrity of doing what we say we will do and when we will do it each day. It also serves to communicate to everyone who sees our logo that Egan stands behind our word, our promises.

EGAN COMPANY ELECTS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

Wednesday, July 1st, 2020

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (July 1, 2020) – Egan Company, a Brooklyn Park specialty contractor and systems integrator, announced the promotion of Mike Tengwall to Senior Vice President and Electrical Group Leader. In this senior leadership role, Tengwall is responsible for overseeing business operations and strategy for Egan’s business unit that provides complete electrical services and process controls which includes engineering, a U.L. 508A panel shop and IntelliBatch, Egan’s concrete batching product.

“Mike’s experience in the electrical industry and proven leadership provides an opportunity for our Twin Cities electrical teams to work more closely together,” said Duane Hendricks, Egan Company President & CEO. “I’m excited for Mike to expand our services and continue offering a great experience to our customers.”

Tengwall has over 30 years of experience in the electrical industry, with 13 of those being at Egan. Throughout his career, he has held many roles including: Electronic Technician, Electrician, Master Electrician, Project Coordinator, Electrical Specialist, Project Manager, Group Manager, and Business Leader. His experience includes working with various building owner customers including Michael Foods, Andersen Corporation, Ford Motor Company, as well as numerous General Contractors. He graduated from Brown College with a degree in Electronics Technology.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal highlighted Tengwall’s promotion in its People on the Move feature.

About Egan Company
Egan Company is a privately-owned, specialty contractor providing building trades to general contractors, engineers, building owners, property managers, and facility engineers. Specialties include: electrical, mechanical, curtainwall/glazing/metal panels (InterClad), millwrights, building technology, controls and system integration, and 24/7 service. Egan serves every stage of a building and provides in-house expertise in planning, design and engineering, construction, and maintenance.

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Media Contact:
Angela Schmidt
arschmidt@eganco.com // 763-504-3471

Over the River and Through Winona

Thursday, July 25th, 2019

This summer Egan’s Southern Minnesota team capped off its two-year project on Winona’s historic bridge.


The city of Winona is nestled along the Mississippi River Valley roughly 100 miles southeast of the Twin Cities. Known for its picturesque bluffs and small town charm, a few of Winona’s most recognizable landmarks are highlighted by Sugar Loaf, a rock pinnacle created by quarrying in the 19th century, and a symbolic pair of bridges that connect Minnesota to Packer Country.

Though its formal name is the Main Channel Bridge, these two bridges are more commonly known as the historic bridge (opened during WWII in 1942) and the new bridge (opened in 2016 – located slightly upstream from its counterpart). Following the opening of the new bridge, the historic bridge closed for necessary rehabilitation. Now, after more than six years of construction, both bridges are finally complete.

Egan’s Southern Minnesota team got the opportunity to provide its electrical expertise on the city’s historic bridge during portions of the rehabilitation process. Much of the team’s work was completed by tying-off to the barrier walls of the bridge making it more challenging.

The scope included all power and communication on the bridge for roadway and aircraft lighting, and navigational beacons. In addition, Egan installed 150+ aesthetic lights that illuminate the infrastructure at night.

As always, staying safe throughout such a high-risk project was top-priority. Significant safety planning and extra patience from the crew was necessary. With no approach stands to access the work or flat surface on the bridge, Egan’s team worked on barges, flew a boom lift up to the bridge deck, and installed lighting utilizing a reach all from underneath the bridge.

“A heavy focus on in-house prefabrication played a key role in this project’s success,” said Nick Schneider, Egan Company Project Manager. “With no flat surface to set-up a bender on the bridge, we prefabricated miles of conduit, all of the off-sets and bends, and over 70 junction boxes to increase efficiency on the jobsite. It worked out extremely well.”

Overall, the bridge was completed on-time and within a compressed schedule. Egan worked approximately 3,500 hours without a recordable injury or dropping/losing anything into the river – which was another team win!

This past July, a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Governor of Minnesota, Winona Mayor, and various U.S. and State Representatives was held to officially mark the re-opening of the historic bridge.


Video Series: We Are Egan Electricians

Wednesday, December 5th, 2018

The last spotlight from our specialty trades video series is on Egan’s Electricians. Take two minutes to learn what our electricians can do for you!

Our team is built of extremely talented individuals. The specialty trade series has worked its way across all 13 trades – millwrights, iron workers, glaziers, pipefitters, limited energy technicians, sheet metal workers, controls electricians, glassworkers, operating engineers, plumbers, control panel technicians, and finished with electricians. These are the faces behind our products and services. Without their commitment to safety, innovation, and exceeding customer expectations daily, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. 13 trades, one Egan.

In case you’ve missed any of our previously featured trades, all of them can be found here!

NAIOP 2017 Awards of Excellence

Monday, October 8th, 2018

Among this year’s NAIOP Awards of Excellence are multiple projects of which the Egan team was proud to have worked. We are honored to get to partner with some o f the best in the business! Egan’s scope for the following awarded projects include:

AC Hotel

AC Hotel – InterClad

Downtown East – Building Automation

MacQueen Equipment – Electrical, Technology, Fire Alarm

OATI – Electrical

T3 – InterClad

For more information about NAIOP and the full list of award winning projects, see here.

2018 Finance and Commerce Reader Rankings Announced

Friday, October 5th, 2018

For a second year, Finance & Commerce readers voted Egan Company as a top choice within the Best Electrical Contractor and Best Plumbing Company categories in the 2018 Reader Rankings.

Several hundred votes were cast and winners were selected in more than 60 categories. The full list can be found here! Thank you – and, congratulations to all who made the list!

Video Series: We Are Egan Controls Electricians

Wednesday, May 30th, 2018

The spotlight is on Egan’s Controls Electricians this month as we continue our video series highlighting each of our diverse trades.

Check out some of our previous videos here:

Millwrights
Iron Workers
Glaziers
Pipefitters
Limited Energy Technicians
Sheet Metal Workers