Shawn Lamoureux

Red Seal Electrician • Co-Founder of Island Electric Co.

Shawn Lamoureux, standing in front of a white pickup truck with the Island Electric Company logo on the rear tinted window

Back in the day

I started in the electrical industry as a teenager, working in the warehouse at FMI here in Nanaimo. In 1995 I began my electrical apprenticeship.

Electrical contracting was a natural choice. My family has always been entrenched in the electrical trade.

My grandfather was the founder of Houle Electric, while my father founded both F&M Installations and Western Technical Installations. I grew up fixing tools, sorting Marrettes and bolts, and stripping wire in the warehouse.

I learned from some of the best on Vancouver Island. My instructors were from the “not good enough, stay after work and redo it” school, and I’m grateful for it.

My teachers were tough, but I really do value those lessons. In fact, I still apply what I learned all those years ago when I’m on the job today.

Co-owner of Island Electric Company Shawn Lamoureux, posing for a photo outdoors

My travellin’ years

I’ve spent the last 25 years honing my electrical contracting skills working all types of jobs. But my early days were spent primarily in the industrial and commercial fields.

Back then, I spent years travelling throughout British Columbia. I started as a journeyman electrician, and then moved into a site supervisor role. We built BC Hydro substations from the ground up.

Some of the project highlights of those early days include:

  • Campbell River cogeneration plant
  • NRGH distribution upgrades
  • Nanaimo cruise ship terminal
  • DND re-fuelling facility
  • Parkway Highway street lighting and traffic control
  • Pacific Biological Station distribution upgrades
  • Working in nearly every pulp mills on Vancouver Island

Those early projects taught me a lot. How to manage people. How to meet deadlines. How to manage quality assurance and quality control.

I also learned – probably most importantly – how stay on budget.

Shawn Lamoureux, piloting bathtub #333 in Nanaimo’s Great International World Championship Bathtub Race

From Harmac to Island Electric Co.

Before starting out on my own, I worked for 4 years as a maintenance electrician at Harmac. That’s where I met Jaro, and the idea for Island Electric was born.

At Harmac, Jaro and I teamed up on many projects. We always worked well there together, but we knew there was something more for us.

Jaro and I started Island Electric Company together back in 2016.

At the beginning it was just the two of us. We were on the tools by day, and doing quotes for clients by night.

The skills I learned and the hard work I put in during my early years really paid off. My ability to make decisions and provide excellent customer service allowed Island Electric Company to stand out in the beginning. Today, those same skills help us to thrive in our industry.

Some of my favourite projects we’ve completed as Island Electric Co. include:

  • Broken Coast Cannabis facility upgrades
  • Custom homes in the Woodlands Flats project, on Saltspring Island, and in the Victoria area
  • The construction of local businesses, such as hair salons and paint stores
  • A variety of residential and commercial renovations

In my spare time I am usually building things, and always have a handful of my own projects on the go. Of course I also enjoy spending time with my family!

I love to camp and go boating, play soccer, and attend my children’s sporting activities.

I may have even been known to win the Nanaimo Bathtub race once or twice...