After only five years in business, Viva Electric is dominating at providing the best in quality, consistent electrical services across North Carolina. The secret sauce? Owners Jimmy and Maegan Giler are quick to credit their other half for their fledgling company’s success…

 

“Jimmy was first introduced into the trades right out of high school,” Maegan says. “And he hasn't looked back since. His father was an electrical contractor, my grandfather was an electrician in the Navy, so we are both proud to have ‘street cred’ among our peers in the trade. Jimmy always talks the talk and walks the walk.”

 

Jimmy is quick to echo his partner’s sentiments. “Maegan was practically born into the business. She’s the third generation in her family to be working in the trades and has nearly four decades of experience being in and around the industry… We certainly know what we are doing.”

 

Viva started out as a luxury custom home and construction-focused electrical contracting company. But over time, the Gilers realized that working for the homeowner and exclusively providing residential electrical service is where they both excelled and was the market niche where they could provide the best level of customer support.

 

“We do anything electrical related that is done for an existing home, typically in one day,” Maegan says. “We’re in and out with quick, prompt service. No construction, no remodels, no rewiring homes. We also help REALTORSⓇ across North Carolina with electrical inspections.”

 

“Some services we provide include outlet switches and fixture installations, panel replacements and upgrades, EV charger installations, and whole-home generator installations and maintenance,” Maegan explains.

 

Serving the Charlotte region, both Viva’s Charlotte and Lake Norman branches are fully capable of servicing the entire metro region, from Lake Wylie to Lake Norman, Belmont to Waxhaw.

 

“We are licensed in both North and South Carolina as well,” Maegan notes. “We have grown Viva from working out of our living room turned office in Charlotte to six physical locations now across North Carolina: Charlotte, Lake Norman, Greensboro/Winston, Raleigh, Greenville, and Wilmington.”

 

Looking at the future of the trade, the Giler team sees the writing on the wall as Baby Boomers start to hang up their tool belts in droves.

 

"About 53 percent of skilled trade workers are over the age of 45. Almost all of them will retire in the next 20 years. As Baby Boomers age out of fields like electrical, HVAC, and plumbing, they'll be leaving behind a gaping void. Right now, there just aren't enough young people pursuing the trades to replace them,” Jimmy points out.

 

Viva Electric is looking to fill that gap with a training program for ambitious youth showing an interest in the trades.

 

“We have a Market Leader program which takes talented individuals who demonstrate our core values, and we place them in leadership positions across our branches,” Maegan says. “Our culture is very important to us, and we take our core values seriously too — being hungry, humble, and smart. Our first criteria for hiring, and a number of our decisions, are based on these values.”

 

With five years under their tool belt at Viva, there’s no talk of resting on their laurels in the Giler home.

 

“We are looking to expand into South Carolina in 2023, and we have a goal of eventually having locations across all of the Southeast,” Maegan says. “We also have a little something in the works in the very near future to expand our footprint into the HVAC realm, so stay tuned!”

 

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A proud local girl, Maegan Giler was born and raised in what is now the "LoSo" area of Charlotte.

“After two decades of being together and totally having each other's backs and having gone through it all, we are a solid team,” Maegan beams. “Jimmy's my high school sweetie, and he's kinda stuck with me at this point.”