Inhale, Turn Your Head, and Turn On That Main Breaker

Who are these two guys and why are they doing a podcast? These are questions that might be going through your head. Along with questions like “why should I listen to these two guys?”, “where did I put my wallet”, and “why would you need to inhale before you turn on a main breaker?”. So let’s take a few moments to answer those questions.

Jared Christman is currently the Director of Innovation and Technology at Big State Electric. He was born and raised in the Texas in coastal town of Corpus Christi, and starts every weekend by donning his brightest Hawaiian shirts for Hawaiian shirt Friday at Big State Electric. Big State Electric is not just a member of the Big State, it is also a member of the Big Contractor Club. Yes I did just make that up. Let’s just go with it. Jared has over 25 years in the construction industry. He learned, created, implemented, and eventually taught BIM at Big State Electric. He was a central figure in figuring out the details (and solving mistakes and problems) of prefab as well.

Sean Lazarian is currently the CFO of Electric Service & Supply Co (ESSCO), a Los Angeles based company he owns with his parents and brother, which was founded by his grandfather in the 1960’s. ESSCO is the typical NECA contractor – family owned and small to medium sized. Sean spent his youth tinkering with computers and swearing that he would never work at the family business. He is now over 40 years old and has spent his adulthood doing every job possible at the family business – estimating, project management, IT, human resources, and now is the CFO.

Your wallet is still in your car.

Jared and Sean met just in 1 BC (that’s before Covid) at an Innovation Taskforce for NECA. After lamenting the fact that there was no electrical podcast to listen to where people go into the details of the industry, it was suggested that they start one. And so they did. For a few years after that they took over NECA’s innovation overload podcast once a month for a special contractor series. In the back of their minds was the desire to do a less formal, more casual podcast. Something that was solely their views and did not represent anybody else. A podcast mullet if you will, with the NECA podcast being the work in the front and the Sparky’s Soapbox being the party in the back. Hence the main picture for Sparky Soapbox, with the previous logo expanding to reveal that we are wearing shorts and sandals.

This is the main purpose of Sparky’s Soapbox. It’s meant to feel that you are listening in on two tech heavy people in the industry talk about what they are interested in and what they are doing. It’s meant for people who, like we did years ago, wished they had somebody to talk to and listen to about high tech things for construction.

We both hope you enjoy it!

You inhale and hold your breath so, should the switchgear explode upon being turned on for the first time, you don’t breath in dangerous vaporized elements.