When the war ended in 1945 and American servicemen came home, growth in the United States skyrocketed, and Arizona was no exception. We needed houses, we needed factories and we needed stores to keep up with the population boom. That's when two young engineers stepped in to help. Ernest Cannon and Joe Gross formed Cannon & Gross Electric Company to provide for the Valley's commercial and residential electrical contracting needs.
It was just a couple of years later when Albert Wendt joined the electrical service team as an apprentice electrician. Six decades later, he serves as president of what is now known as Cannon & Wendt Electric Company, which has made considerable contribution to the growth of the Valley by its integral involvement in commercial, healthcare, high-tech, industrial, Public Works, and sports and entertainment electrical construction projects.
Timeline of Growth for Cannon & Wendt
1945 - Cannon & Gross Electric Company is formed
1947 - Albert Wendt joins Cannon & Gross as an apprentice electrician
1948 - Ray Watson joins the firm, and the name is changed to Cannon & Watson Electric
1955 - Cannon & Watson completes the Uptown Plaza, the area's first shopping center
1957 - Company name changed to Cannon & Wendt Electric Company when Wendt becomes a partner
1964 - Cannon retires and Wendt becomes President
1968 - Cannon & Wendt shifts its focus to larger construction projects
1980 - Continued experiencing phenomenal growth
1992 - Arizona Business Journal declares Cannon & Wendt one of the state's top 100 privately-owned corporations
1999 - Arthur Anderson declares Cannon & Wendt one of Arizona's Top 100 privately-owned corporations
2001 - Cannon & Wendt provides Arizona's first NECA Electrical Project Supervision (EPS) training to all of its field supervisors as developed by the Center for Academic Excellence and sponsored by the Electrical Contracting Foundation
2001 - Cannon & Wendt Technologiesa> is formed
2001 - Albert Wendt awarded the 2001 Arizona Construction Pioneer Award as presented by the Valley of the Sun Chapter CFMA
2002 - Cannon & Wendt awarded the contract for the Glendale Arena, home of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes
2004 - Cannon & Wendt selected to be part of the team as a design/build contractor for the TSA/Cardinals Multipurpose Facility, home of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and largest single construction project in Arizona in over two decades
2005 - Cannon & Wendt celebrates its 60th Anniversary
2006 - Cannon & Wendt forms an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
If you have questions, comments or project requests for Cannon & Wendt Electric Company, please Contact Us.