History of Adams Electric Company
Electrical Contractor and entrepreneur M.E. Adams used his relationships and experience gained at White Electric from Atlanta, GA to build his own company. In 1928, he started Adams Electric Company in Reidsville, NC. More than 85+ years later, Adams is one of the most experienced and respected Electrical Contractors throughout the Southeast.
Our history and experience has been paramount to our success. Please explore our timeframe below that showcases how Adams has grown since 1928 and constantly continues to connect to the future and help our clients do so as well.
1928
M.E. Adams founded Adams Electric Company in Reidsville, NC.
1940s - 1950s
Adams began building relationships and work within the textile and tobacco industries; including clients such as Fieldcrest Cannon, Cone Mills, Burlington Industries, Dan River Mills, J.P. Stevens and American Tobacco.
1950s
As Adams expanded, Mr. Adams’s daughters, Mitchelene A. Martin and Peggy A. Tatarski, along with their respective husbands, J.B. Martin and Lou Tartarski, joined the company.
1960s
Adams worked throughout the Southeast performing on various industrial projects including textiles, tobacco, food, cosmetics and other types of manufacturing.
1970s
Adams continued their vast experience by specializing in Design Build Industrial projects with strong relationships with Fieldcrest, MacField, Burlington Industries, Glen Raven Mills, Vintage Yarns, Frontier, Unifi, Russell Mills, Pine Hall Brick, American Tobacco, R.J. Reynolds, Miller Brewing and General Shale Brick.
1972
Upon the death of Mr. Adams, Mrs. Michelene Adams Martin was named President and CEO.
1980
Mrs. Mitchelene Adams Martin’s son, Johns Martin, joined Adams.
1991
Johns Martin was named President.
1995
Adams decided to diversify its portfolio into Healthcare, Clean Room Laboratories, Mission Critical and Chip Manufacturing projects as the industrial sector began to move manufacturing capacity overseas.
1998
Adams purchased an Electrical Contractor in Raleigh to focus on the Research Triangle Park markets.
1999
Don Young joined Adams Electric to supervise and lead Operations for all locations.
2003
Adams completes projects for Raleigh clients such as Cisco, Wyeth Labs, Network Appliance, Caterpillar and Duke University.
2004
Adams was awarded the first project with Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital to renovate the Heart & Vascular Department. The project included multiple Shutdowns and launched our experience in major Hospital Renovations.
2005
Adams opened an office in Charlotte, NC.
2006
The Adams Office in Charlotte was awarded the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory Building in Kannapolis, NC. This project started the expansion into the Charlotte market and lead to a larger footprint and continual growth for Adams Electric.
2007
Adams continued to expand in the Charlotte market after being awarded the Inspiration Network project, Mt. Holly Citizens Center, Providence Baptist Church and the NASCAR tower projects. The CMC Mercy Project was Adams’s first healthcare project in the Charlotte area. In the same year, the Adams Charlotte Team was also awarded the UNC Center of Excellence in Nutrition after an excellent performance on the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory Building project.
2008
Created in-house BIM team and began utilizing BIM to assist in the planning and development for projects such as the Carolinas Medical Center Main Surgical Expansion & Renovations. This project was considered by the owner as "the most difficult project ever executed" by Carolinas Medical Center. The project lasted 3.5 years and included 12 phases, 7 phases and over 60 shutdowns. BIM modeling helped to successfully execute this project. Adams won the ABC Carolinas’ Project of the Year for Excellence in Construction for this innovative and difficult project.
The success of this project led to also being awarded the CMC Pineville Energy Plant project, which allows the hospital to be completely unmanned and can be controlled by remote means.
Adams opened a satellite office in Charleston, SC after winning a Design-Build project for East Cooper Regional Medical Center.
Adams Electric is certified as a HUBZone and a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) through the state of North Carolina.
2009
Adams Electric helped launch Swedwood’s first manufacturing facility in the United States. The Swedwood companies serve as the manufacturing arm for the international IKEA Home Furnishing Stores. This 910,000 SF Design-Build project had to adhere to a very fast paced schedule and took a total of 17 months from initial design to completion.
2010
Adams completed the East Cooper Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant, SC. Adams has been doing Design Assist / Design Build industrial projects since the 1950s. However, the East Cooper Regional Medical Center was the first Design Assist, Guaranteed Maximum Price and Ground-Up Healthcare project. This project was a major Healthcare milestone for Adams Electric.
Upon the conclusion of East Cooper Regional Medical Center, Adams also continued to grow in the Charleston market with the Welcome Center and Delivery Center projects for Boeing.
Also in 2010, Adams Electric performed the electrical, emergency power supply system for the 23,000 SF replacement central energy plant project at the Carolinas Medical Center in Pineville, NC. The replacement central energy plant was designed and installed to support a total of over 700,000 square feet of existing and future critical care hospital growth. This project along with the CMC Main Surgical Expansion & Renovations project solidified our on-going partnership with Carolinas HealthCare System.
2011
Adams continued to perform work with Boeing for their Interiors Responsibility Center (IRC) project. This project was a large and fast-track industrial project and continued our growth in the South Carolina market.
2012
Adams Electric completed the Syngenta project in Durham, NC. Syngenta’s project goal was to create the most high-tech greenhouse in the world. The project consisted of Phase I of a multi-phase project including a Central Utility Plant (CUP) that will serve the entire campus and the GE1 building that consists of 29 Greenhouses, a Head house and 12 Environmental Growth Chambers (EGC).
2013
In May of 2013, Adams finished the Moses H. Cone Memorial North Bed Tower Expansion. The project consisted of 96-acute care private patient rooms, new pre-surgical preparation area, new post-surgery recovery area, 14-large open heart operating rooms, 2-Hybrid modern operating rooms, an expanded emergency department, an expanded laboratory and many other new features. The six story addition/renovation is the single, largest investment Cone Health has made in the Triad, offering many new services to this market.
The Charlotte Adams Team completed the Design-Assist project for CMC Morrocroft and the first Design-Build project with CHS for CMC Harrisburg. Adams’s Healthcare experience led to being selected as the electrical contractor for the NSICU project with Novant Health and the Veterans Affair Medical Center in Fayetteville, NC.
Also in 2013, Adams Electric was awarded the first of three projects for the Bank of America Stadium. The first project consisted of major renovations and upgrades to the AV system, escalators and signage.
2014
In 2014, Adams has three ground-up hospitals under construction simultaneously: VA Fayetteville Medical Center, Kernersville VA Health Care Center and Charlotte VA Health Care Center.
The Adams Industrial Team completed a 3,000,000 SF project for Ashley Furniture launching their Manufacturing & Distribution Facility in the Southeast.
Adams Electric was awarded ABC Carolina’s Project of the Year for Excellence in Construction for the Bank of America Stadium Upgrades.
2015
Adams Electric successfully completed 725,000 SF Open End Spinning Manufacturing Facility in Salisbury, NC and 800,000 SF Ring Spinning Manufacturing Facility in Mocksville, NC. Both projects solidified a great partnership with GILDAN, G.L. Wilson Building Company and brought Adams back to its rich experience and history with textile manufacturing.
Adams assisted Caesarstone, luxury quartz surface manufacturer, open its first manufacturing facility in the United States. This new state-of-the-art factory was a 286,000 SF Design-Build project.
