Davco Electrical Services

It has been nearly 20 years since Dave Morrison bought Dave Cash’s electrical business in Morrison Drive and went from apprentice to boss.

“I took some time off in between to do a bit of travelling overseas but returned to buy the business in 2004, and we re-branded as Davco in 2007,” he says.

At the time, the company employed three electricians, one apprentice and a part-time office worker, and was doing primarily council maintenance and domestic work.

Today, the focus has expanded to include commercial and industrial, as well as residential and utilities, with a team of 25 staff providing a 24-hour callout service.

“We see ourselves as the business that keeps other businesses running,” Dave says. “Current projects include the installation of 310 lights on the new motorway interchanges and the Presbyterian Church project in Warkworth.”

Earlier this month, Davco moved to new premises at the top of Morrison Drive. This has doubled its workshop, storage and administration space, positioning the company to meet growth in the Mahurangi region.

General manager Jeremy Grant says Davco covers an area from the harbour bridge north to Ruakaka and specialises in four main areas – large area lighting for sportsfield, roading and carparks; industrial/commercial maintenance; domestic service; and commercial new builds.

There has also been investment in plant and equipment to make the company more resilient and this has included taking on a fulltime civil works specialist.

“This gives us more flexibility to manage and deliver projects, as well as better oversight and quality control,” Dave says.

He says it’s been a challenging work environment in recent years with Covid lockdowns and labour shortages. While these issues have largely been resolved, it’s now material shortages and building consent delays that are causing problems.