There was no guarantee Tommy L. Davis’ TD4 Electrical Company would be successful in the competitive world of electrical contracting.
In 2006, Rick Oertli, Guarantee Electrical Company chair and CEO, invested in fledgling TD4. His trust paid off when Davis announced this week his firm bought back the equity position held by Guarantee and is now a 100% minority-owned company.
“We are proud of what we have accomplished over the past 16 years at TD4, and we are grateful to Rick and Guarantee for believing and investing in us,” Davis said.
“Not many contractors can claim the level of success we have worked hard to achieve. We look forward to remaining one of the area’s premier electrical contractors that happens to be 100% minority owned.”
TD4 employs 75 electricians, and its 30,000 square-feet of warehouse space makes it one of St. Louis’ largest minority-owned contractors. The company is working on several projects in St. Louis, including the Missouri Botanical Garden, Centene Stadium (future home of St. Louis City MLS) and the BJC-3 campus renewal project. TD4 also has clients in Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio.
Davis said his son Tommy L. Davis III joined the firm in 2014 “and quickly adapted to the industry.”
Davis III has held several positions at the company, starting as an assistant project manager. He now serves as vice president of business operations.
“It has been a pleasure to witness the growth and success of TD4 Electrical Company over the years, and it is particularly gratifying to have our relationship come full circle as Tommy and Tommy purchase back our equity stake to become full owners of the company they worked so hard to grow,” said Oertli.
“We look forward to continuing to build our partnership and to collaborate on future projects together.”
The companies have partnered on projects including the St. Louis Art Museum, Centene Tower, River City Casino, Monsanto’s CV technology building, Ballpark Village, SSM St. Louis University Hospital and BJC Healthcare’s campus renewal program.
Future joint projects include the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Taylor Visitor Center, renovation of Ameren Corporation’s headquarters and Washington University’s Siteman Cancer Center.
TD4 is a five-time St. Louis Minority Business Council Minority Business of the Year; four-time Black Enterprise Nation’s Top 100 Minority Business awardee; and a Small Business Administration (SBA) Minority Business of the Year-Missouri award in 2020.
In its 16 years, TD4 grew into a full-service MBE certified electrical contractor. It provides electrical, voice/data, fire alarm, security, temperature controls, and material distribution services. It is certified as a Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) by the St. Louis Minority Business Council, Mid-States Minority Development Council, and the St. Louis Airport Authority.
Guarantee Electrical Company’s history dates back a bit farther. It was founded in 1902 and its first major project was to help “electrify” the 1904 World’s Fair St. Louis, according to its website. It is among the oldest electrical contracting firms in the United States.