‘We were too big to be small, and too small to be big’Astoria’s Wadsworth Electric, the North Coast’s largest electrical contractor, and one of the most community-oriented businesses in Clatsop County, has merged with E C Company, a large, Portland-based electrical construction firm.

Growing regulatory and financing pressures, his own fast-approaching retirement, and the need to secure continued employment for his staff led long-time Wadsworth owner and manager Rod Gramson to seek out the merger, which formally took effect Monday.

Gramson will stay on as local manager of the new company, now called E C Wadsworth Electric. Two administrative employees were released because of the merger, but most of Wadsworth’s approximately 50 employees will remain with the company.

Although described as a merger, the

much larger E C Company acquired Wadsworth, but neither party would disclose the financial terms of the deal.

Gramson, along with many of his employees, is active in several community projects, including the Astoria and Warrenton Crab and Seafood Festival, the Silver Salmon Festival and Hospice House.

E C Company has a similar tradition of community involvement, according to Vice President Dave Curtis.

“We may be a big company, but we

definitely have the same cultural and

philosophical values,” he said.

And the community service will continue as E C Company takes over, according to Gramson.

“I researched this company and found out that they are a perfect fit for what we are doing,” he said. “This company will add to the community. It will not take away.”

Gramson, who has owned Wadsworth since 1976, sought out the merger because his mid-sized business was becoming difficult to manage. Safety regulations aimed at large companies were pushing him to add a full-time safety director. But it was hard for his relatively small company to secure the necessary bonding for large jobs, such as the multimillion dollar electrical projects slated for upcoming school construction on the Long Beach (Wash) Peninsula.

“We were too big to be small, and too small to be big,” said Gramson.

The merger will also ensure the viability of the business after the 59-year-old Gramson retires in a few years. He now has a two-year contract with E C Wadsworth Electric, with an extension option.

“This whole thing was 90 percent driven by my need to ensure employment for the people who have been loyal to me over the years, and loyal to this community,” said Gramson of the merger. “These people deserve the continuity of the business, and now they’ll have it.”

With approximately $126 million in annual revenues for 2004 and about 500 employees in offices from Seattle to Albany, E C Company dwarfs Wadsworth’s $6 million in annual revenue. And Gramson will try to leverage that financial heft to his advantage.

“This area needs the strength of a larger contractor to compete for bigger projects,” he said.

In turn, E C Company will gain Wadsworth’s core of electricians and its market share and experience on the North Coast. Wadsworth has wired dozens of residential and commercial buildings over the 40 years Gramson has been with company, including the Fred Meyer in Warrenton and The Daily Astorian.

“We always wanted a presence at the coast that we didn’t have before, and Wadsworth was always the premiere at the coast, so Wadsworth was just ideal for us,” said Curtis.