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About Con J. Franke

We have grown our commercial electrical services and experience from our 1925 humble beginnings as an appliance shop specializing in “everything electrical,” to now providing a broad range of electrical solutions for fresh water and wastewater treatment, commercial and industrial facilities, marinas, hospitals, and educational institutions, and more.
Con J Franke Old Storefront

Our reputation is built upon being committed to providing high-quality, well-priced electrical services and innovative solutions through top performance and trusted relationships.

Our home union shop is the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 595, which encompasses Alameda County and San Joaquin/Calaveras Counties.

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Business Timeline

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Pre 1925

Constantine James Franke and C.D. Bass started Commercial Electric, specializing in “everything electrical.” C.D. Bass eventually sold his share of the business to Constantine, who then changed the name of the company to Con J. Franke Electric. In addition to running the electrical business, Constantine served as Mayor of Stockton in the 1930s, and was instrumental in building the Port of Stockton.

1946

Bill Frain started at Con J. Franke as an electrician.

1951

Constantine sold the business to Bill Frain and Al Massa.

1967

Bill Frain became sole owner of the company; his son, Lew Frain, was a design draftsman for Sandia.

1969

Lew Frain was drafted into the U.S. Army.

1971

Lew Frain went to work for his father, Bill Frain. At this time, Con J. Franke Electric had one full-time employee and one part-time employee.

1975

Lew Frain completed his 4-year apprenticeship training; business started to transition to Public Works projects

1981

Bill Frain retired; business ownership transferred to Lew Frain who also became company president. Lew’s involvement and efforts increased the company revenues and peaked the field staff to over 200 wiremen.

2001

Design/Build electrical engineering services brought in house when Barry Frain (3rd generation) joined Con J. Franke as a Project Manager after working as an Electrical Engineer at Intel.

2007

Barry Frain became company president; Lew Frain became vice president.

2020

Electric vehicle charging certification; attained California certification for public electric vehicle charging projects through EVITP (Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program)

Today

Con J. Franke specializes in a broad range of projects from water and wastewater treatment and industrial facilities to marinas, hospitals, and educational facilities, and more.

Pre 1925

Constantine James Franke and C.D. Bass started Commercial Electric, specializing in “everything electrical.” C.D. Bass eventually sold his share of the business to Constantine, who then changed the name of the company to Con J. Franke Electric. In addition to running the electrical business, Constantine served as Mayor of Stockton in the 1930s, and was instrumental in building the Port of Stockton.

1946

Bill Frain started at Con J. Franke as an electrician.

1951

Constantine sold the business to Bill Frain and Al Massa.

1967

Bill Frain became sole owner of the company; his son, Lew Frain, was a design draftsman for Sandia.

1969

Lew Frain was drafted into the U.S. Army.

1971

Lew Frain went to work for his father, Bill Frain. At this time, Con J. Franke Electric had one full-time employee and one part-time employee.

1975

Lew Frain completed his 4-year apprenticeship training; business started to transition to Public Works projects

1981

Bill Frain retired; business ownership transferred to Lew Frain who also became company president. Lew’s involvement and efforts increased the company revenues and peaked the field staff to over 200 wiremen.

2001

Design/Build electrical engineering services brought in house when Barry Frain (3rd generation) joined Con J. Franke as a Project Manager after working as an Electrical Engineer at Intel.

2007

Barry Frain became company president; Lew Frain became vice president.

2020

Electric vehicle charging certification; attained California certification for public electric vehicle charging projects through EVITP (Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program)

Today

Con J. Franke specializes in a broad range of projects from water and wastewater treatment and industrial facilities to marinas, hospitals, and educational facilities, and more.

Vision

Our vision is to be known as the Premier Electrical Contractor in Northern California by business owners, general contractors, and our employees.

Our Mission

Our mission is to be excellent at:
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Delivering the highest-performing team and highest-quality electrical contracting services
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Providing specialized electrical services along with an experienced knowledge base for Public Entities and Contractors
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Using innovative problem-solving for the most-challenging projects
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Creating the best team of professionals who are highly trained, skilled, enjoy coming to work, and take pride in the ownership of their specific roles and responsibilities

Core Values

Our core values are safety, integrity/honesty, quality, work/life harmony.

Safety

Safety is our primary focus; we train our employees to constantly evaluate and minimize the risks within the work environment. Our zero-accident goal is part of our culture and a value considered with each decision made.

Integrity/Honesty

Developing and supporting long-term trusted business relationships with owners, contractors, and suppliers is key to our long-term success.

Quality

We stand by and ensure that all Con J. Franke products and installations meet or exceed the highest standards of performance and satisfaction of our customers.

Work/Life Harmony

Positive energy and harmony in our home and work lives result in each person being a better partner, employee, and colleague.