Powering Futures: How This Firm Ignites Generations Of Black Tradesmen

Spurlock and Son has provided many Black men in South Chicago with this opportunity in the electrical trade.

Spurlock and Son’s Electrical Firm does more than supply power. As a Black, family-owned company in the electrical trade, it offers the opportunity for a stable career for generations to come.

Terrell Spurlock knew that his business would stand out in South Chicago. He provides these services to residential and commercial properties throughout the area as an electrical contracting firm.

More than that, he is changing the landscape for this sector by encouraging other Black men and women to pursue the trade. His passion stemmed from childhood curiosity, as he often wondered how the street lights that illuminated his neighborhood were turned on.

“I always liked the electrical trade,” explained Spurlock to The Tribe. “Even when growing up, it was something about seeing lights come on from nothing. How does that work?”

Now, his whole family plays a role in the operations, including his son Terrell Spurlock Jr. While he and his junior complete the on-site work, Spurlock’s wife, Kim, keeps the business’ financials intact. Although she never intended to stay in the position for long, she has been a mainstay at the company for almost two decades.

“I think we inspire a lot of our people in the community to do or want more or better,” said Kim Spurlock. “We try to set an example and show people that college isn’t for everyone, but you can still take care of your family [with a career in] a trade.”

While not everyone on the payroll is a Spurlock, that family-style feeling keeps its employees and certified electricians on. For fellow electrician John White, it is also about Black tradesmen sticking together.

“The key word is family,” said White. “Each one of us is hand-picked. We all got a relationship with him. Some already look at an electrician as a powerful trade, but for a Black man to teach and show another young Black man, that’s powerful.”

Another electrician with Spurlock, Wendell Williams, added, “It’s very necessary because young Black men don’t get the opportunities they need. So if you get a chance, you stick with it.”

Even Spurlock started through a longer-owned Black-owned electric company founded in Chicago. Carrying that legacy forward for the next generation remains pivotal to his work, especially as Black men only make up around 7% of the industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Spurluck realized his vision for his company came into fruition when the employees he brought on began to reap the benefits of a lucrative career. Now, he continues moving the needle for Black tradesmen in electrical work and hopes to always offer a new pathway to support oneself and a family.

“You don’t often see Black faces doing that kind of work,” said Spurlock Sr. “There’s kind of a disconnect. All of our employees started out from the South Side [and are] people that we met along the way. It’s been very interesting to see where our employees started and where they are now.“

He added, “I often tell my employees that you helped me send my kids to college. When they started buying houses, I’m like, ‘okay, this is a real company.’”