LYNNFIELD — When they aren’t installing ultramodern building controls, JM Electrical Company, Inc. employees, beginning with Principal Matthew Guarracino and his brothers, display a passion for charity.
“It makes you thankful for what you have. We are a family company,” said JM Human Resources Manager Whitney Mugford.
JM (an amalgamation of Guarracino’s and brothers, John and Andrew’s first names) is also a Lynnfield company to its core. Paul Guarracino, a Windsor Estates resident, founded the firm in 1985 and JM occupied officers around town before settling two years ago on Broadway in the former Sports Medicine North building.
Matt Guarracino and wife, Angie, live with their children on Chestnut Street where he changes from work clothes to running wear daily in preparation for running the 2020 Boston Marathon.
That commitment reflects the Guarracino family’s long-standing support for St. Jude, the organization dedicated to fighting cancer in children.
“It was my grandparents’ favorite charity. My father took it on and increased our giving,” Matt Guarracino said, adding, “We take social responsibility seriously. We are nowhere where I want us to be.”
Giving back is at the center of JM’s corporate philosophy. Employees raised $2,000 through the end of last December to support Salem-based Clothing Connection and donated clothing.
Mugford heard about the charity through a family friend and coworkers donated jackets, hats, boots and other cold weather clothing.
“Quite frankly, it’s our obligation. We’ve been fortunate and realize a lot of people out there aren’t that fortunate,” said Matt.
Specializing in installing basic building controls for heat, lighting and other necessities, JM has kept abreast of technology, increasingly tuning in to energy efficiency and computer monitoring. The firm’s Massachusetts client list includes Millennium Tower in Boston and 121 Seaport. A union contractor, JM has 20 office employees and 150 electricians working various expertise levels.
“We’ve more than tripled in size in six years. We feel that strongly about the market,” Guarracino said.
The firm and its parent family also feel that strongly about Lynnfield and its business-friendly perspective.
“It’s been nothing but a great experience,” he said.
The firm enjoys a strong reciprocal relationship with Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston with involvement in school fundraising and a Wentworth hiring track record.
Mentoring future electricians and striking a work/life balance for employees is a JM commitment that is growing with Mugford helping to bring in a yoga instructor and strength trainer to work with employees.
“We have a host of talented people who make us a success,” said Guarracino.