Open for Business

During the desperate hours-and days-following Hurricane Charley, some electrical contractors fled town. Others, like Fort Lauderdale's Hypower Inc., bunkered in and worked around the clock. Now Hypower has brought that resourcefulness across Alligator Alley to its first office in Fort Myers.

Hypower has illuminated hundreds of major airports in eight states-including seven in Florida-positioning the company as a leader in the industry. "We take pride in keeping current with industry standards, especially staying on the leading edge of airfield technology," says Richard Paul-Hus, who owns the company with brothers Bernard and Eric.

Specializing in electrical and communication jobs that other companies consider too difficult or complex, Hypower employs experts in systems design, engineering and construction. The company handles commercial and residential projects of various scopes and sizes through four divisions: airfield electrical services, telecommunications services, power services and the newly formed electrical services group.

After completing hundreds of multimillion-dollar airport contracts, Hypower sought jobs in intelligent transportation systems, telecommunications and utilities. It also designs and builds underground and overhead power communications for highway systems. And its latest projects are in homeland security.

The post-hurricane experience illustrated how the current inventory of electrical suppliers in the area couldn't meet demand in a disaster situation. "After Charley, some people waited up to three weeks for an electrician. We can do better than that," says Paul-Hus.

During the crisis, Hypower mobilized hundreds of generators, kept them hooked up and fueled, and made them instrumental in helping cellular and utility companies restore operations. Crews left in the morning, armed with a change of clothes, for a day that routinely stretched from 18 to 24 hours. "Productivity is a direct result of good planning and design. We have the resources to mobilize a project in less than a week," Paul-Hus says.

-Carol J. DeFrank