Chris Wilburn knew the ins and outs of the electrical trade, but when it came time to start his own company, CW Electrical Solutions LLC, he knew he’d need assistance learning how to run a business. An online search for business education resources led Wilburn and his wife, Maria Thurston, to the online training calendar for the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC). They took every training course they could and established an ongoing relationship with the UGA SBDC that continues to guide their business.
Wilburn’s electrical career began 15 years ago. After receiving his electrical construction diploma from Athens Technical College, he completed a four-year apprenticeship through the Independent Electrical Contractors Atlanta Chapter while working as an electrical apprentice. After completing the program in 2015, he was designated a Journeyman Electrician and ready to specialize in his trade.
Wilburn went to work with Brian Swicegood at Stangood Electric Inc., in Lawrenceville, a business specializing in commercial car washes and their electrical components. Swicegood quickly saw Wilburn’s potential and began to mentor him, assigning him leadership roles, allowing him to run multiple jobs and trusting him to manage several teams.
Working for Swicegood gave Wilburn the knowledge, skills and confidence he needed to become a Master Electrician licensed in the state of Georgia and start his own business. Ready to take the next step, he reached out to the UGA SBDC.
In 2020, he opened CW Electrical Solutions LLC in Tucker, a business specializing in the electrical construction, remodel and service of commercial car washes, with a focus on motor controls.
After completing nearly every webinar available on the UGA SBDC website, Wilburn and Thurston developed a foundational knowledge of business and were ready to dive deeper into some of those topics.
They set up a meeting with UGA SBDC consultant Ruby Riesinger, who was then working at the SBDC in DeKalb. She guided them on the steps to build a successful business. First, they worked together to develop a business plan and set short-term and long-term goals for the business.
Next, Riesinger encouraged Wilburn and Thurston to work on the business’ human resources (HR) components by developing an employee handbook with the help of Lisa Rackley, HR expert and area director at the UGA SBDC in Macon.
“We tried to work ahead and anticipate how the business would grow and evolve in the future,” said Thurston. “Working with Lisa helped Chris make sure he had his necessary structure and documents in place so that when he was ready to hire, he could do so efficiently and effectively.”
As the business continued to grow, Riesinger introduced the pair to Todd Anduze, area director at the UGA SBDC at the University of West Georgia, to focus on accounting.
“Todd Anduze was fantastic with empowering us to believe that Chris could use QuickBooks himself, keep his own books and do it appropriately,” said Thurston. “He didn’t just reconcile the books for us. He taught us through some navigation tips and he helped us create a guide, so that we were empowered to do bookkeeping independently going forward.”
Riesinger is now a district director within the UGA SBDC, so the team now works with Ryan Swanson, a consultant in the DeKalb office.
“The coaching we get is fantastic,” said Thurston. “Whenever something outside the box comes up, we know we can call Ryan and we can work to resolve the issue together.”
Within CW Electrical Solutions LLC’s first four years of operation, the business has expanded into North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. The growing demand resulted in adding two additional employees and a 400% increase in revenue from 2022-2023.
Swanson attributes much of the company’s success to the emphasis they put on learning and tapping into the resources of the UGA SBDC.
“They value the education component of business. They know to reach out to the UGA SBDC to get the answers rather than guessing,” said Swanson. “They invest in the education of their employees and they understand the impact education can have on the bottom line of a business.”
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“The coaching we get is fantastic. Whenever something outside the box comes up, we know we can call Ryan and we can work to resolve the issue together.”
For More Information: University of Georgia SBDC | (706) 542-2762
All programs of the UGA SBDC are open to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The University of Georgia
Small Business Development Center
382 East Broad Street
Athens, GA 30602-5412
P: (706) 542-2762
