NJ Shaum & Son, Inc

Company History

N.J. Shaum & Son, Inc. began as a family business in the early years, a tradition which continues to this day. Born during an era of war and difficult times, the company has experienced hardship as well as prosperity during its first 62 years in the business world.

Nelson J. Shaum, Sr., founded his company in the spring of 1941 after a long winter in Flagstaff, Arizona, had left him with many hours to think.

Taking his encouragement from some of the older businessmen of Flagstaff, he decided to go into business for himself. Originally, the company was based in Holbrook, Arizona, where George Herrington, the manager and part owner of the Holbrook Power Company told young Shaum that the power company would turn over all of their electrical work to him once he began business in Holbrook.

By the fall of 1941, the war effort of World War ll was starting to make supplies hard to come by, so Nelson Sr. closed up shop in Holbrook and relocated to Phoenix to make his contribution to the defense effort.

In the summer of 1944, N.J. Shaum & Son was re-established in Flagstaff. The company had found its home in the Northern Arizona community that Nelson J. Shaum Sr. and his family loved. In addition to electrical construction jobs and service work, the company also offered appliance repair services. This was an important contribution to the community at the time because during the war years appliances could not be replaced as they were not being manufactured.

After the end of World War ll, Nelson J. Shaum, Jr. returned from the Navy and took up his role in the business along side of his father. In the early 1950's, Frank Patton, who was a cousin of Nelson Jr's wife, joined the company and later became a partner, close friend, and brother in the Lord. Frank Patton's many years of service and contributions to the team were key to the long -term success of the business. Projects successfully completed during this era included electrical work on houses, small commercial buildings, sawmills and planing mills.

By the mid 1960's, the company was working on most of the larger electrical projects in the Northern Arizona area, including projects at NAU, Ralston Purina, various sub- stations and the Page Power Plant. The 1960's and 19?0's saw the company grow to become the largest electrical contractor in Northern Arizona.

During the 1980's and 1990's, the company grew under the guidance of Nelson J. Shaum, Ill (Jake), as the third generation of Shaums worked at continuing the tradition of excellence the public has come to expect from N.J. Shaum & Son, Inc. In the early 1990's, Frank Patton Jr. joined the company as an electrical engineer with experience in the high voltage field. With him, the company was able to enter into a new area of the electrical field. Frank Jr. and other valuable employees of the younger generation also moved the company into the computer-age. In 2001, Todd McKenzie, great-grandson of the Company founder, rejoined the firm after a tour of working as a commercial airline pilot, representing the fourth generation of Shaums. Todd has since decided to focus on controls work by starting Summit Controls. In 2003, Jeff Patton joined N.J. Shaum & Son Electric, Inc. to develop and increase the civil side of the company, as well as grow it to where it is today.