Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Wilson.
Hi Shannon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a native to San Diego, born and raised here. My father was in construction and always had a vision and work ethic to build something of himself and own a company of his own one day. He started his own business in 1999. And as soon as I could write and do math, he had me helping with the company books. My siblings and I would go on to work for him in all aspects of this business in the office and out of it. In 2005 He successfully had 2 companies, a construction company and an electrical contracting company. Sadly in 2019 my father Russ Wilson passed away. Today, I continue to own and run the electrical contracting company Arc Lighting & Electric Inc. that I worked in with my father for so many years. We have successfully survived the recession of 2008 and the lockdowns of 2020 to which we lost so many small businesses. In 2022 I joined the Army National Guard as an infantryman in order to serve my country and my state. I love California and I wanted to give my time to help defend and protect it. I was able to assist in the LA Fires of 2025 as well as the LA riots of 2025. In 2023 I was deployed to the Middle East for 9 months. I currently serve my state part time in the guard as well as run Arc Lighting & Electric Inc.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest struggle I have in running an electrical contracting company is finding the next generation knowledgeable in the trades to add to the team. There is a huge gap in knowledge. It seems there is either a 60-year-old that knows electrical or an 18-year-old with no knowledge and no work ethic. There doesn’t seem to be much in between. In my opinion, the trades need to be taught more frequently, be more encouraged as a career path, as well as the knowledge passed on. In addition to that I would say the hardest part of running a small business is finding those with good moral character and a good work ethic since those are non-negotiables for me and my team. The team I currently have is small but of good caliber. I’ve found high moral code and good work ethic, which are the 2 most important things to me. When I find employees like that, I try to hang onto them for life.
As you know, we’re big fans of Arc Lighting & Electric Inc.. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My business is Arc Lighting & Electric Inc. We are a small business in San Diego that mainly specializes in commercial electrical service work. Although we also do residential, we mainly work in the commercial sector these days. We do anything from new construction, to lighting efficiency upgrades, parking lot light and sign maintenance. We really do it all when it comes to electrical work. We are known for our ability to solve the customer’s problem at a cost that works for them. We are always honest with our customers and keeping their goals in mind, wanting to provide them with their desired outcome. Since we are a small business we tend to develop relationships with our customers that last a lifetime. Many of our customers have been with us for 20 plus years. Here at Arc Lighting & Electric Inc. we are a family business, and we operate as such. We have a very honest, experienced team that loves San Diego and loves helping those who operate and live here with their electrical and lighting needs.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
It is hard to predict the future, but a lot of the big shifts are actually happening right now. We see more electric charging stations with the newer technology and popularity of electric cars. Another big shift in the electrical industry has been lighting efficiency. We have come a long way with energy efficient lighting. Because of this, maintenance for property owners has gone way down and energy savings have gone up. As a result of this we here at Arc have had to shift from a maintenance mindset to an upgrade mindset. We are currently assisting all of our customers with upgrading from the old lamps and lighting systems that are energy guzzlers and need to be frequently replaced, to the new technology that lasts. That’s where the mindset is at right now, after that it’s hard to say where the industry and new technology will go. We are pretty happy with where it has come so far in regard to the new lighting technology and energy efficiency.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.arclei.com
Image Credits
Portrait done by Versaguis Photo & Video
