Newly acquired Pro Electric breaks ground on Mount Vernon regional office 

An Oct. 31 groundbreaking in Mount Vernon offered an opportunity for Pro Electric LC to mark two milestones: its Oct. 1 acquisition by The Waldinger Corp. and the future site of its expanded regional office. 

The new office is designed to be 15,000 square feet, five times the size of the existing one at the same site, officials say. 

Pro Electric, a company established in 1976 that opened its southern Missouri operation in 2019, also has a location in Kansas City, Kansas, according to its website. Pro Electric President and CEO Richard Barchak, based in Kansas City, leads the organization. 

All 400 Pro Electric employees, including 350 union electricians, remain with Pro Electric following the acquisition, according to a news release from Des Moines, Iowa-based Waldinger Corp., which did not disclose the terms of the deal. 

In the acquisition announcement, Barchak credited a commitment to service and a talented team for Pro Electric’s success. 

“Joining forces with Waldinger gives us the ability to provide our employees with a more secure future and even greater opportunities for growth, while expanding the resources we can offer for our clients,” he said in the release. 

The Pro Electric team will incorporateHorton Electric Service Co., acquired by Waldinger Corp. in August 2023, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. Pro Electric officials said the Horton Electric Service Co. name is not going away. 

Pro Electric Vice President Jesse Wade, who heads up the company’s southern division, celebrated the acquisition at the groundbreaking, which was applauded as a significant milestone in its own right. 

“We’re going to celebrate a very special moment in the history of Pro Electric and now Horton Electric as well: the groundbreaking of our new shop,” Wade said. “The theme I want to center this moment around is persistence and camaraderie. Those two words have carried us from a storage unit in Republic to where we stand today, ready to build the next chapter together.” 

Wade singled out a number of people who helped Pro Electric grow over its seven years in the region, including members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 453. Established in 2018, it took 835 days for it to open its first shop and 1,901 days after that to reach the Oct. 31 groundbreaking, Wade said. 

“That timeline tells a story of steadfast, persistent growth; a story of a team that refused to give up, even when we didn’t have much – men who shared a vision when we all had beat up tools, no trucks, no shop, but a determination to do something different,” he said. 

Wade added that the partnership of Pro Electric and Horton Electric through Waldinger is more than a merger. 

“It’s a joining of two teams, two legacies and two visions,” he said. “With nearly 100 wiremen today, we are now the largest signatory electrical contractor in southwest Missouri, and we’re not stopping here. … Let’s lock arms and make it 200.” 

Wade said the Waldinger acquisition is not a replacement of who Pro Electric is but an amplifier. 

“Waldinger brings a tremendous amount of resources, bandwidth and horsepower that positions us to take on any job confidently,” he said. “Their presence in this market has already made an impact, and, combined with the culture and foundation we’ve built here, the possibilities are endless.” 

He added that the acquisition creates opportunities for growth and expansion into Joplin, Springfield and beyond. 

The new Pro Electric office is being developed by Rick Clark of Majestic Rentals LC.  

Wade called the new building a launch pad to eventually house its new prefab division, virtual design engineering, panel shop and a future turnkey low-voltage division to expand its capabilities further. 

Christy Beshore of the Mount Vernon Economic Development Corp. said Pro Electric’s Mount Vernon location is advantageous. 

“We’re located halfway between Joplin and Springfield – we’re excited to see if this gets the ball rolling,” said Beshore. 

Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Brittni Bates also expressed optimism about the expansion. 

“We’re very excited to partner with Pro Electric and welcome them to the community,” Bates said. “This is really important to our community in providing jobs and training.” 

Previously, The Waldinger Corp. acquired Springfield companies Trinity Electric Co. in 2025 and Connelly Plumbing and CMI Mechanical in 2021, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. 

The Waldinger Corp. website reports that the company employs more than 4,000 professionals, 2,500 of them in trades, and has annual revenue topping $750 million. It works in the electrical industry as well as heating, ventilation and air conditioning, plumbing, piping and kitchen equipment systems for commercial, institutional and industrial customers. 

Wade said some of Pro Electric’s signature projects include Springfield Public Schools’ Reed Academy and work at Ozarks Technical Community College and Missouri State University.