Ace’s experience in offsite prefabrication stretches back to the 1980s. The firm expanded its offsite capabilities in recent years with the 2021 completion of its 52,000-sq-ft engineering and fabrication building.
Photo courtesy Ace Electric Inc.

Those skill resources would prove essential as Ace began its largest-ever project—a confidential multi-billion-dollar technology manufacturing facility—and continued garnering new assignments elsewhere in the Southeast and nationwide. With $215.8 million in overall national revenue, Ace Electric ranks No. 174 on ENR’s list of the Top 600 Specialty Contractors.

Yet at its heart, Ace Electric has changed little since it was founded in 1975 as a local residential and commercial contractor by Tom Stalvey, who was soon joined in the business by his brother, Bobby. Now with four Peach State offices, plus locations in North Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio, the company remains family owned. The Stalvey brothers’ sons, Tommy and Rob, both of whom have literally grown up in the company, share the duties of president. Thomas Stalvey retired in 2015, while Bobby serves as company chairman.

Another long-standing fundamental feature of the firm, Rob Stalvey says, has been the loyalty and commitment of Ace’s employees.

Ace has instituted its NESO 40 (new employee safety orientation) that covers everything from working from a lift to performing CPR.
Photo courtesy Ace Electric Inc.

“We have great people, all of whom are invested in the success of the company,” he says. “That combined with a good market and good customers has helped us prosper.”

Tommy Stalvey adds that Ace has been well positioned to be involved in some of the Southeast’s most active market sectors.

“Hyperscalers and mission-critical work are big drivers currently, and health care has gained steam over the last couple of years,” he says. “Cold storage facilities also are continually a good market for us.”

The diversity of Ace Electric’s work is reflected in such projects as the 263,000-sq-ft Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology at the University of Florida for AJAX Building Co.; a 37,462-sq-ft annex to the Tomochichi Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Savannah, Ga., for Hoar Construction; and the 1.2-million-sq-ft Mark Anthony Brewery in Columbia, S.C., for Clayco Inc. The company is unable to share its involvement in several other major projects due to client confidentiality requirements.

The 37,462-sq-ft Tomochichi U.S. Courthouse Annex in Savannah, Ga., is home to bankruptcy court, probation services and U.S. Marshal services.
Photo courtesy Ace Electric Inc.

Securing the Skills

At a time when all types of craft labor are in short supply, the Stalveys credit their in-house recruiting team for their sustained success in finding workers with the necessary skill sets to staff these often large and complex projects. But they’re quick to add that identifying new employees is only part of the process. They also need to ensure new staff members of all experience levels are fully prepared to carry out their work professionally and safely. Ace initiated a weeklong orientation program called NESO 40 that covers topics such as company culture and jobsite safety protocols.

Conducted at the company’s 8,500-sq-ft training facility in Valdosta, NESO 40 provides an opportunity for recent hires to learn new skills such as operating and working from a lift or performing CPR.

“That first week is paramount to the success of an employee at Ace,” Rob Stalvey says.

NESO 40 is an integral part of Ace University, the company’s workforce development program for training and certifications. The program’s hands-on and online learning options accommodate employees’ schedules and learning preferences. Another facet of Ace University, the Career Pathway Program, provides road maps for building technical and leadership skills and experience.

Ace Electric’s proverbial “ace in the hole” may well be its long-standing experience in offsite prefabrication, an approach Tom and Bobby Stalvey began utilizing in the early 1980s. The company, which has significantly expanded these capabilities over the past decade, added a dedicated 72,000-sq-ft engineering and fabrication building in 2021.

“Given the aggressive schedule of projects and shortage of labor, offsite fabrication plays a big role,” Tommy Stalvey says.

So too does the company’s design-build experience, according to Erik Gunderson, chief operations officer for Woodstock, Ga.-based cold storage facility specialist Primus Builders Inc.

“We advise them on what’s going on inside the box, and then they develop the electrical design and interface with us, our other subs and the power company,” Gunderson explains. “They’re really a one-stop shop for us in terms of electrical service provider.”

Based in Valdosta, Ga., Ace Electric will celebrate half a century in business in 2025.
Photo courtesy Ace Electric Inc.

Gunderson also praises Ace for its ability to identify solutions when challenges arise, particularly the lingering post-pandemic supply chain issues. He cites one client who insisted on using a certain brand of equipment for a new project despite there being an 80-week lead time. In addition to quickly collecting information on alternatives, Ace invited the manufacturers to make presentations that helped the client feel comfortable with using a different brand.

“That saved us almost half a year of time,” Gunderson says.

Ray Neal, president of the Cumming, Ga.-based commercial construction joint venture Sovereign Cooper, observes that Ace Electric also strives to smooth the way for successful projects through proactive coordination with other trades.

“They don’t stick their heads in the sand and say ‘we just do electric,’” Neal says. “They do their homework and work with every contractor and trade to understand what’s going in and what the electrical needs are.”

Such a holistic approach often helps avert future problems. Neal describes how Ace alerted the project team to several issues with the initial phase of Front Porch, a community-driven, mixed-use project of renovation and new construction in Atlanta’s Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic District. While addressing the issues required some redesign, Neal says the result will be a better finished project for the development’s tenants and visitors.

“They’re a team player,” he says.

The University of Florida’s 263,000-sq-ft Malachowsky Hall, an Ace project, houses the school’s departments for data and information technology.
Photo courtesy Ace Electric Inc.

Nationwide Networking

Even with its strong reputation as electrical construction experts, the Stalveys never miss an opportunity to learn more. Continuing a tradition begun with their fathers, Tommy and Rob regularly exchange insights and ideas with other electrical contractors across the U.S. via their active trade association involvement and peer groups.

“We always want to know how to be a better company and how to better serve our customers,” Tommy Stalvey says. “We learn a lot from those guys, and we hope they learn a lot from us.”

One question that all specialty contractors are focused on is how regional construction markets and sectors unfold over the next several months and beyond.

“I can’t see how the data center and semiconductor chip work will slow down over next five to 10 years,” Rob Stalvey says. Ace also expects to play a role in the continuing shift to electric vehicles, with several charging station projects already underway in Georgia and Florida.

And while some sectors may see a slowdown, health care and K-12 school spending are expected to remain fairly consistent. “We may also see more spending on defense-related projects, which has been down for a while,” Rob Stalvey says.

What will remain constant, Tommy Stalvey adds, are the family-oriented values that have sustained Ace Electric for nearly half a century.

“Even though we’ve grown to more than 1,000 employees, we try to make sure that no matter where they’re at, we care about them, their families, and that Rob and I have an open-door policy if they have a question or concern,” he says. “They’re the reason for our success.”