(707) 433-6931

Newsletter Archives


Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Knights' Message

We hope you enjoy our monthly newsletter as much as we enjoy making it available to you. We look forward to sharing stories and ideas that promote our customers, their businesses and how we all work together to come up with solutions to the challenges we face together. We also look forward to hearing from you with your comments, feedback or story ideas to make our newsletter more valuable to you.

Barbara Ragsdale, CFO & Editor

Follow us on Facebook

COMMERCIAL
Estimated Gains

As Richard Freitas begins his second year at Knights' Electric as Commercial Estimator things are looking up for him, his department and the company. Art Knight, Knights' Electric Vice President and Commercial Manager, agrees, "It seems like we are estimating more projects right now than we ever have."

Richard Freitas is the commercial estimator at Knights' Electric, Inc.

Richard Freitas is the commercial estimator at Knights' Electric, Inc.
Freitas came to Knights' Electric with a solid business background having worked at OCLI for 24 years where he initially honed his skills as an estimator. Freitas also co-owned and operated a retail furniture business in Santa Rosa for 12 years. His experience in corporate structure at OCLI and his retail experience give Freitas business savvy insights that should benefit Knights' Electric commercial department. Freitas is a student of economics and well educated with an MBA, Master of Business Administration.

"I'm really happy to be working in a business-to-business environment. I like the highly professional way business is conducted at this level," says Freitas. Freitas and Art Knight work closely together on project evaluation and strategy when estimating jobs they bid on, "There's always a final product but there are many ways to get to that point. We want to do it the best way and make the customer happy," explains Freitas.

When estimating, Freitas does the "take offs" from plans typically submitted to Knights' Electric from contractors for commercial projects that include wineries, industrial and manufacturing plants, schools, churches and retail. "One of the big challenges is that some of the projects are one-of-a-kind, which makes them a little more difficult to bid on," says Freitas, "That's where Art's experience helps so much."

Freitas also has previous experience as a project manager at OCLI. "Eventually, project manager would be a natural progression for Richard," says Knight, "We're very happy to have him here with us in the commercial department."
 

RESIDENTIAL
Stylish, Versatile Track Lighting

This track lighting system at Starbucks in Windsor highlights the art display and seating area.

This track lighting system at Starbucks in Windsor highlights the art display and seating area.
If track lighting is not yet the rage then it's definitely a trend and if it's not yet a trend it's definitely a style. Matt Sweeney, Residential Project Manager of Knights' Electric's residential department has witnessed a surge in the popularity of track lighting. "Sometimes when we're working with a customer on a lighting theme and we suggest track lighting, the customer will say 'I don't like track lighting.' Then we show them the catalog and say, 'Wow! ? That's track lighting?'"

The new stylized world of track lighting has come a long way since it's inception. Sweeney figures he has about 15 vendors to choose from and they all have multiple choices, "Track lighting is very eye catching and very versatile. It can be used for art lighting, ambient lighting or general lighting. It can be adjusted, dimmed or redirected. Lighting fixtures can be moved along the track or replaced with other fixtures that change the entire lighting effect."

This $4000 Fortuny pendant is lit and hanging from track lighting at the Saint Dizier Home showroom in Healdsburg. Vita Pehar Design was the lighting designer and Knights' Electric installed the electrical.

This $4000 Fortuny pendant is lit and hanging from track lighting at the Saint Dizier Home showroom in Healdsburg.  Vita Pehar Design was the lighting designer and Knights' Electric installed the electrical.
Track lighting fixtures are just as diverse as the lighting they cast with varieties of hanging pendants and stem mounts from walls along with the dazzling metal finishes available. Chrome for a silver look, brushed aluminum and satin or brushed nickel are now the norm in upscale homes that favor a "high tech look." Sweeney notes the overall design trend for luxury homes has moved in that direction, "When the cabinet and door hardware have a high tech look so do the lighting fixtures."

The realm of track lighting also includes colored lighting and colored fixtures, "One company offers a line of colored track lighting fixtures including the color purple," says Sweeney, "The colored fixtures seem to be more suited for commercial applications. Colored lighting is popular in residential design. We did a home that had different colored lighting for each room. The design was extremely modern. One room had yellow lighting and the dining room was lit in deep red. It looked really great. Certain surroundings just lend themselves to track lighting."
 

THE COMPANY
Rhoda Hauth - Working with Customers

Rhoda Hauth's official title is Office Manager but one of her most important and frequent activities is working with customers. Knights' Electric has a customer service network that is triggered when a customer calls for service or a contractor calls in to talk to a manager regarding a construction project.

Richard Freitas is the commercial estimator at Knights' Electric, Inc.

Rhoda Hauth is celebrating
her 9th year at Knights' Electric, Inc. this month.

"Normally Debora (Larson) will answer the phone and I back her up if she is busy or out of the office," says Hauth, who has been with Knights' Electric for 9 years as of this month. "Our job is to get customers to the department and person that can help them. Also our employees out in the field need to communicate with people here in the office, the warehouse and the panel shop." All of Knights' Electric's project managers and foreman can be reached on their cell phones and calls that come into the office for them are "patched through" directly to them.

Hauth also oversees receivable and payable accounts, "We try to be as flexible as we can when we invoice our customers. They may be a new customer and they would like to be billed in a certain way for their system. We know all of our regular customers and what they need, it's a network of office people we work with all the time." Knights' Electric also has a support team for their billing system. Debora Larson prepares and sends out billing to customers and Hauth processes the bookeeping. Incoming payables go from Hauth to CFO Barbara Ragsdale for review and payment.

Rhoda Hauth has seen Knights' Electric grow in the number of employees and the volume of business they do during her 9 year tenure. Hauth takes pride in the fact that the company has kept its family feeling and attitude towards employees and customers over that time, "As Knights' Electric has grown we've still kept the personal touch."