In Huntsville, there are a lot of familiar faces and a familiar level of surface operating under a brand-new banner.
SIFFT Electric might be relatively new to the Huntsville area but they’ve been a mainstay in South Muskoka and Parry Sound for more than four decades.
SIFFT merged with Ron Pratt Electrical earlier this year to add on to their merger with Greenside Electric of Huntsville the previous year. The result is a workforce based primarily out of Huntsville with years of service and knowledge of the community.
“I’ve spent 24 years in the trade and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have landed as part of the SIFFT family just as this merger was coming together,” says Dan Wark, an electrical journeyperson with SIFFT and a lifelong Huntsville resident. “There’s a real sense of community here. Any time I’ve asked them about sponsoring a hockey team or some soccer jerseys, it’s always right away, ‘yeah, let’s do it.’ They wanted to be up on the boards at the Don Lough and the Jack Bionda (arenas)…even the curling Club.”
Having grown up and raised three children in the area, Wark says it’s important for Huntsville residents to feel that local connection with the companies they hire.
“It’s a big enough team at SIFFT that if we need people to help us out they’re always there but it doesn’t feel big at all,” he says. “I can literally call (SIFFT general manager) Curt (Moore) just to ask him what he thinks of a certain product, and there’s not many companies this size where you can do that.”
SIFFT now employs 15 people in the Huntsville area, along with another 50 in the rest of Parry Sound and Muskoka. In addition to their decades of experience in electrical work, they also specialize in solar, HVAC and home automation needs.
“We have so many different people with so many different skill sets that we’re learning off each other all the time,” says Wark.
Brandon Bones has been in the electrical trades for more than 25 years, and he says working for SIFFT has helped him find the work-life balance he’s been looking for.
“I’ve got a young family and working for SIFFT has allowed me to balance my family life with a company that has strong community values,” says Bones, whose family has been cottaging in the Huntsville area since his great-grandfather purchased land and built a cabin in Almaguin. “I feel like SIFFT genuinely cares about my family. They value what I have to offer and have allowed me to succeed in the community I want to live in.”
Bones says SIFFT is a company that does more than talk the talk when it comes to community involvement.
“They’ve supported me with any community initiatives like the hockey teams I coach,” he says. “They want to grow with the community. There are 14 employees living in the Huntsville area and we’re always looking for new team members and offering the chance to give them opportunities for success and career advancement.”
Bones says the Huntsville area is one of the most picturesque regions in the province and a wonderful place to raise his three boys. He says SIFFT appreciates what binds the people to the region and wants to be part of an organization that aims to help continue to make Huntsville such an incredible place to live and work.
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