One business lights the way...

PINE PLAINS — Forget about old stereotypes when you walk into Douglass Electric, because when you do you’ll find electrician Sandy Douglass — a skilled, eager electrician who also happens to fit one other description — she’s female.

“I make a good living at it and I don’t know why there aren’t more women in the business,†she said.

“It’s weird, the only other women you run into are painters or landscapers in the construction field, I don’t know why,†Douglass added. “A lot of it is dirty and occasionally it’s hard and heavy, but for the most part I do use brain more than muscles.â€

Douglass has been working in the field for more than a dozen years; she’s had her own business for two. She’s originally from Ohio. When she lived there her father, who was an electrician, used to advise her against going into the business.

“I thought it was cool but he always said it wasn’t something his little girl should get into,†Douglass remembered, adding that as a result she entered the electronics business, which she quickly got bored with.

After her father passed away Douglass wound up in Florida. It was there that she began training and working as an electrician, “for survival.†She said there were many women working in the field down south. It was after her younger sister married, had children and moved to Pine Plains that Douglass and her husband decided to move up to the area as well.

“In the beginning when we first moved up here I was scared to death,†she said. “But a lot of contractors up here cut me a break and once I proved myself they were OK. It was the younger ones who were tougher on me, rather than the older guys, who saw I could do the work.â€

Douglass proved her worth and soon was hired by Ginocchio Electric, where she worked for nine years. That relationship eventually ended, but Douglass said she “appreciated the fact that job got my name out there.â€

She still deals with some skepticism because of her gender once in a while. In fact just last week she was taken aback by a phone call addressing that very issue.

“The other day somebody asked to talk to my husband and I said my husband is a plumber and I’m the electrician, that I own the business, and the guy hung up on me,†Douglass said. “I thought it was hysterical. It was the first time that happened since I had my own  business. I’m not offended by it. If they can’t handle the fact that I’m a woman, then I feel sorry for them.â€

In fact, she said there are some advantages to being a woman, including the fact that housewives feel comfortable with her working in their homes, as do the elderly. Meanwhile, she’s still able to do the “big stuff,†like farm work, commercial work, apartment buildings and of course residential work, new services, service upgrades, TVs and telephones, generators and basically anything else that has to do with electricity.

“I can do it all and I do it better and cheaper than anybody else,†she said.

In light of the tough economic times, Douglass offers discounts to senior citizens and also works with customers who want to buy their own supplies and only hire her for the labor.

“You’ve got to be willing to work with people,†she said, adding that her typical rate is $50 an hour, but noting that can vary. “I want to tell the world, ‘Hire me, you won’t be sorry.’â€

Douglass Electric is located at 344 Stissing Mountain Road in Pine Plains. It can be reached at 518-398-0360 or at douglasselectric@yahoo.com.