HOPE, N.D. – An electrical contractor headquartered in a small town 66 miles northwest of Fargo has found a successful niche in the automation of facilities such as grain elevators, and seed and fertilizer plants.
Hope Electric designs and builds systems that enable facilities to control the movement of grain from a farmer’s truck to a storage bin and to a rail car -- all from one computer. The system is also capable of weighing the grain and testing its grade.
For projects in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana where the company is licensed, it also handles the wiring and installation. Projects outside the area, such as one underway in the state of Washington, are designed and managed by Hope Electric, but a local electrician will do the wiring.
Hope Electric is also working on a new elevator for Arthur Companies in Pillsbury, N.D. General manager Ola Andersson said there are many benefits to automation.
“Basically, everything is run remotely on a computer screen and all the gates, all the conveyors, everything, you can make all the changes from the control room,” he said. “You can run the whole elevator. Everything. The benefits are safety, accuracy and efficiency.”
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In addition to new construction, Hope Electric can upgrade existing elevators where tasks are still done manually with similar hardware and software.
Hope Electric also provides maintenance and support after installation.
The company has provided maintenance for Arthur Companies’ facility in Harvey for more than 10 years. Andersson said Hope Electric has been excellent to work with on both projects.
“We are very happy with the quality of work they do,” he said. “They have a great staff and the resources to service our company. On top of that, with Pillsbury, they are right next door.”
But when it comes to support, close proximity is not required. Hope Electric can also access systems online remotely and can usually help clients pinpoint any problems that way.
Company growth
President and owner Joe McCullough, a native of Hope, founded Hope Electric in 1978. He operated the business from his garage in the early days, adding an employee or two each year. Business took off when he began specializing in the grain elevator industry in the early 1990s. Today, he employs 70 electricians, programmers and IT professionals, and maintains offices in Hope, Fargo and Valley City.
When asked what motivated him to focus on agriculture, McCullough said he was looking for a way to better support his family.
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“That’s probably what drove me to do it, to be quite honest,” he said. “When I opened the fridge door and there’s no milk in there, I figured I needed to find some more work.”
His son, Jason McCullough, a project manager and estimator for the company, is working toward establishing a strong commercial presence in Fargo. The company secured a big job this spring when it was hired to convert the former Office Depot on 13th Avenue South into a Natural Grocers.
He is also focusing on converting businesses to LED lighting. He provides clients a cost-benefit analysis that will show how soon they can expect to recoup the cost of the work.
Joe McCullough said the business is always looking for new markets.
“We’re constantly looking for new ways to market and add services,” he said. “We don’t do just basic wiring of houses like some other companies do. It’s kind of a speciality service.”
