In 1924 W. J. Collins, the company founder hired one man. A. J. "Gus" Sanguinetti as an electrician. By 1927 Collins turned fifty percent of the business over to Sanguinetti in return for a debt of $2,499.00 in unpaid wages. By the end of 1928 Sanguinetti acquired full ownership of the company. The annual gross income was $2,000.00 and running equipment of a Model T Ford, a Dodge Truck and an Overland business/pleasure automobile. He hired four men and organized the men as a business team.

Sanguinetti's first major project was the State Hospital in Stockton which was soon followed by the Mendocino State Hospital. "Gus" believed in order to do the best job possible he had to have the best workers available. In fact, employees learned that he tolerated nothing but the best. He wanted men who were willing to learn and grow with the company.

In 1955, John Nomellini at the age of 16, was tested in the office for a year before he was allowed into the shop to learn the electrical trade. A couple of years later Al Schwall started in the Stockton shop and soon went into management. The company was in need of a bookkeeper so "Gus" called the Business teacher at Stockton High School. He asked for the name of the best student in the bookkeeping class. It turned out to be Henning Thompson. He was hired straight out of high school, at the age of 19, as the company bookkeeper.

When World War II broke out both Nomellini and Thompson went into military service. Sanguinetti recognized they were some of his best men and he made them a promise. He said when they returned he would make them part owners in the company. He kept his promise, but in the mean time there was immediate business to mind.

The companies first out-of-state job was for the U. S. Army in Lovelock, Nevada. It was just the beginning of sub-contract jobs on vital military facilities. The job of wiring Camp Parks (Santa Rita Prison Pleasanton, CA) involved 500 electricians and came to an approximate total cost of $2,600,000. It was the company's largest project to date, but was only the beginning of sub-contract projects on military facilities, vital to the war effort.

In 1946, Collins joined the National Electrical Contractors Association (N.E.C.A.). The company incorporated as the Collins Electrical Company in 1949. Two years later a joint venture was formed with Acme Electric of Reno to bid on the Staid Air Force Base. When the job was completed some of the joint venture partners were bought out and this became Acme-Collins of Reno.

Al Schwall, who had started out in the Stockton shop in 1937, was a share holder, co-manager with Roy DiPietro. The latter was the first and then the last employee of Acme-Collins when it was converted into Collins Electrical fifty years later.

Over the years, that branch of the company completed many big jobs including military installations, hotels, and others. Government projects included: Air Force Communication in Fallon, Nevada and the Primary Distribution Center-Naval Ammunition Depot. Hotels included; the Holiday Hotel, Sparks Nugget, Harrah's Hotel and Casino, and the El Dorado Hotel Expansion. Other projects were: the University of Nevada-Mackay School of Mines, Washoe Medical Center Addison, and the Reno/Sparks Sewage Treatment Plant.

The company also handled the Squaw Valley Facilities for the 1960 winter Olympic Games. During the Korean War the Stockton Office organized a marine division. This branch wired ships for Colberg Boat Works of Stockton who had a U.S. Navy contract. It was also, during this time that the company purchased Mapes Electric and opened a Sacramento Branch. The Sacramento branches most recent job was for Sutter General Hospital at a cost of over $5,000.000.

In 1953, Collins Electrical Company opened a branch in Merced to handle work at the Castle Air Force base. A branch was also opened in Modesto. Four years later another branch was added in Monterey, then moved to Marina in 1972. Mr. Bill Evans was transferred from the Merced Office to manage the Monterey Office. Mr. Evans= son Matt Evans took over the management from his father, when Bill retired in 1985. This division worked on numerous projects including Fort Ord barracks and the Aquarium at Monterey.

The company celebrated its 30 year anniversary in 1958, with a volume of $8,000,000. The company continued to expand buying Modern Electric of Fresno. Operations also moved into San Francisco as Wright/Collins Electric. This too proved to be very productive, working on two Macy's and the Emporium Department Stores, the Marin Civic center and several waste water treatment plants. They also did work on the Shell Oil Steam Gathering Instrumentation Facility at the Geysers. Their last big job was at Skywalker Studio for George Lucus.

Collins Electrical Company sent a crew to Oregon in 1961 to do a huge pole line job. This was not the first or last electrical transmission or generating job. They had worked on the Cherry Power House for the City of San Francisco and many power line projects and number 2 generator and power lines at Hoover Dam.

On June 1, 1965 Gus Sanguinetti, John Nomellini and Henning Thompson formed Collins Electrical Co. of San Francisco with George Clyne as a partner/manager. Their major projects were the Alcoa Building, Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, Bank of American Computer Center and the Levi Plaza. Sanguinetti did not get to see these projects to completion, he had a heart attack and died November 6, 1966. He had set the company on course. He had nurtured his employees into partnerships. His philosophy of settling only for the best was ingrained, it was the company tradition when John Nomellini became President. Henning Thompson who had come to the company straight out of high school, was named Secretary/Treasurer.

The company business did not slow, it moved on and in 1970 was named among the top ten electrical companies in the nation by "Engineering News Record" magazine. The Sacramento branch undertook a project for the Chico State University, Butte College, generator replacement at Shasta Dam, and the Calaveras Cement plant in Redding. The main company received two U. S. Navy Awards of Merit for work on Government projects.

The company had been paying state taxes on many jobs. They protested that electric generator machinery and equipment installation were not taxable under the law. The California Department of Justice ruled they were right. The company was rewarded with a rebate check of $140,000.

The Nomellini/Thompson team worked extremely well. Each worked in his own area, operations and financial respectively, but each supported the other. Mike Thompson, Henning's son graduated from Arizona State University and came into the company bookkeeping department. He was responsible for converting the department from business machines to computers. The company had arrived into the second generation.

John Nomellini retired in 1983, after working for the company over fifty years. He was named and is still Honorary Chairman of the Board and as one employee put it, the "Father Confessor."

Henning Thompson became President of the company. Thompson was a true, All-American dream, starting with the company at the age of 19. Carroll Keys became Secretary/Treasurer. Thompson led him just as he had been led by Gus Sanguinetti. Unfortunately, Henning Thompson died in 1987, after 50 years of loyal service to the company. Thompson's former understudy, Carroll Keys, became the first president not on the early team. Eugene "Gene" Gini became Senior Vice President. Gini had been a reservist in the Army Corps of Engineers, where he trained as an electrician and lineman. Gini's grandmother arranged an interview with John Nomellini, a cousin, for a shop position at Collins. Gini had not planned to be an electrician, but he went for the interview. Nomellini liked what he saw and also considered him family. He went to work as a shop boy in 1960. In six months he was put in charge of repairing, tagging, logging, and distributing tools to other branches. He served his time as an apprentice and became a journeyman, foreman, Modesto Branch Manager , Vice-President and finally President of the company. His wife Dianne was the Modesto Office Manager, and son Brian became the Modesto Branch Manager when Mr. Ray Quitiquit retired at the end of 1998. Mr. Quitiquit took over the management of the Modesto office from Gene Gini, when Gini became President in September 1990. Gini's son, Kevin, is the Manager of the Sacramento Branch. In 1998, Kevin was named as one of the top 20 managers in Sacramento.

The company has always cared about their company family. Safety is a major part of employees training. In 1981, their insurance carrier issued a dividend check for $482,050.00, because the accident record had been at a minimum the previous year. As the company continued to grow so did the number of accidents. There were seventy-five accidents in 1990-91. New safety programs were initiated. Two of these were a requirement for employees to wear protective eye glasses and back supports. Accidents dropped off drastically. The following year there were thirty-five accidents, and the next year only nine. Road crews that work under the most hazardous conditions cut the accident rate to nil in a short time by special training.

Job foremen began to receive praises for accident free jobs. The employees and company both benefited. The crew on a Fresno High School project was honored with a catered barbecue as a result of their safety record. This was a 40,000 man-hour job, and the crew had gone over 27,000 man hours without an accident. This has become the rule, not the exception for Collins employees.

Longevity of employees has been rule of the company. Employees stayed because they received good compensation and were not laid off in hard times. The policy is cutting equipment cost instead of laying-off employees. This too helped employee loyalty and cut the expense of training new people. In every branch 25% of the employees have worked for a minimum of twenty years. In counting only those who have worked over ten years, there has been over 1,580 man years of service in the company. There are 30 employees who have worked 30 years, and a least ten with 35 years or more of service. The original team of Sanguinetti, Nomellini and Thompson contributed 150 years of this time. One man, Bill Harmon had worked for the company for 53 years as Senior Estimator before his retirement. Another long time employee who is considered “the elder” is Mr. Royce Mayo, who became the Stockton Branch Manager in 1991. Royce is well known throughout the community as Mr. Collins Electric, for his community service, and exemplary service to his customers. If you wanted something done, you called Royce. Royce retired in 2003 after completing forty-seven years of service with Collins Electric.

Larry Schlenker started with the company in 1961. He started typing invoices and statements, and did odd jobs in the accounting department. He went on to purchasing agent, then became the Vice-President overseeing purchasing, contract administration, submittal coordination and lead times of supplies. Larry retired in 2000. Larry=s son Steven is a jouneyman electrician for the company.

Charles Plaster started out to go into the electrical business. He trained at Modesto Jr. College in Basic Electrical and Electronics. He worked at a small shop in Los Angeles before coming to Collins in 1968. He became Secretary/ Treasurer in 1990 and was responsible for the estimating department and participates in project management for the Stockton branch.

As of October 2000, the Company redeemed four (4) shares from Larry Schlenker. Charles Plaster sold one (1) each of his shares to Kevin Gini and Brian Gini. Ray Quitiquit became Vice-President of Special Projects coming out of retirement to accept this position, and Royce Mayo was made Vice- President. Dianne Gini was appointed as Senior Vice-President, Kevin Gini and Brian Gini were also made Vice-President=s. Philip Asborno was named as Secretary-Treasurer.

Later, Kelly Foote was brought on board to head Business Development in 2001.

The current Board of Directors consists of Eugene Gini, Dianne Gini, Kevin Gini and Brian Gini. Charles Plaster and Philip Asborno are also Directors. Fiscal year 2001, the company posted revenues of $68,400,065.00. In 2002 revenues were $64,500,000.00 and 2003 is projected to reach $64,000,000.00 Royce Mayo retired in 2003 and Jeff Withers replaced him as the Stockton Branch Manager.

Gini reported that he believes the fastest growing areas in Northern California, as far as the company is concerned, is Modesto/Fresno first, Sacramento second, Stockton third. The company has from 250 to 350 employees, depending on projects that are underway. Over the past 75 years the company has been a major contributor to the economic health of Stockton and other communities in which it operates.