Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Rogers.
Hi Alex, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my career in the electrical field right out of high school in 2008 – all thanks to my brother, Derik, and his father-in-law, Dave. I was living with Derik and his wife Mandy during my senior year of high school. While I was still 17, Derik brought home an application for me to fill out to join the union apprenticeship program. I was accepted for the next step, the aptitude test. This test was scheduled the day after my 18th birthday. The next few months seemed to take forever. On November 10th, 2008, I received my Apprentice Electrical license through the state of Utah, which meant that I could start working.
As an apprentice, I had the opportunity to work with a few different electrical contractors. Some of them were close to home and others provided me the opportunity to travel as far as 2-3 hours away from home. At the time, I was not too happy to be driving so far for a job. Now, as I look back, I am grateful for that opportunity. I got to see how different contractors handle different jobs and situations and I learned a lot during those experiences.
The apprenticeship program at that time was a 5-year program. During my Apprenticeship, I set a goal to have my Journeyman license before I turned 23. If you passed your classes and had 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, you became eligible to take your electrical journeyman test. I passed all three of the tests the first time I took them and received my Journeyman license in June of 2013, one month before I turned 23.
The requirements that I met to be eligible to take the Master’s Electrical Test were 8,000 hours experience as a licensed Journeyman, in addition to passing two other tests. As soon as I had the required hours, I scheduled and took the tests. I remember being super sick during one of the tests but pushing through and barely passing it. I received My Masters Electrical License at the age of 28 in September of 2018.
To have an Electrical Contractor’s license in the state of Utah, you are required to have a Master Electrical License. I have held my Masters License just so I could keep my options open in case I ever wanted to open my own business. Throughout most of my career I wasn’t really interested in opening my own business. As I progressed in my career, my wife, Sydni, my brothers Derik and Ben, and many of the colleagues that I worked with told me I would be a great contractor. I ignored them all at first because I was comfortable where I was working. Over the years, I outgrew where I was working. After lots of conversations with Sydni and my brothers, I made the decision to use my Masters License and go out on my own. I would not be able to do this without their continued support.
I had no clue what I needed to do to start a business. I knew the electrical side of the industry very well, but not the business side. Luckily, Derik and Ben have each started their own businesses and have been amazing help to me. Derik set up a lunch with me and a potential business partner in November of 2024. Through lots of long evening phone calls, meetings, and research, I felt that having a parter is the way to go if I want the type of success I am shooting for.
Finally, with the love and support from Sydni and my kids I quit the job I had worked for the past ten years and went out on my own full-time on June 2, 2025. My Business partner and I were not quite ready for the jump yet; there were other reasons why I had to do it when I did. But he also supported my decision. It was a breath of fresh air to be starting a new chapter in life. Over the next few months, I worked doing small jobs during the days, and spending evenings, nights, and weekends working on bids for bigger commercial projects. Through all of this I worked to fit in time to attend my children’s activities, attend family dinners, and squeeze in an occasional date with my wife. The last 8 months have had their ups and downs. I have been awarded some great projects already and I am climbing to the top and plan on making Luminary Electric and Solar the best that it can be.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing in life is a smooth road. It’s the rough patches and learning how to overcome them is what builds the character. You have to have hard times before you enjoy the smooth patches.
Life in general has been a huge obstacle. There is a reason I lived with Derik and Mandy my senior year of high school.
As far as Luminary goes, it hasn’t been smooth by any means but it hasn’t been really rough. Lots of different stress and worry compared to what I was used to working for someone else. There are always going to be hurdles to overcome, once you get over that hurdle it is on to the next.
I would say the worst thing so far is Myself and my 3 employees showed up to our job trailer in Harrisville the Monday after Christmas to find that it has been broken into and $17,000 worth of tools and materials has been stolen.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Luminary Electric and Solar is a proud IBEW Union Electrical Contractor serving Northern Utah and Southern Idaho. We specialize in electrical service, installations, remodels, and tenant finishes for commercial, industrial, and agriculture buildings. For residential we specialize in remodels, service / panel upgrades, service work, LED retrofits, and solar.
We haven’t been operational for very long, so our name is well-known. All of the feedback from customers so far is great and the reviews are awesome.
What sets me apart from others is my big-picture plan. My goals include:
Paying my employees a good wage with retirement, health care, and 7 paid holidays
Providing the proper tools and adequate materials needed so employees can be productive
Building good relationships with my employees so that they enjoy coming to work
Teaching my employees how to be the best electricians they can be
Building relationships with our customers, so they feel like they are hiring the right organization for the job and not just a random company trying to make a dollar
Communicating with employees and customers, so everyone is on the same page
Help my local community
Teaching younger generations that the TRADES are a good career choice
Brand wise, I love that my daughter comes home from school wearing shirts or hoodies that I gave her and people from school tell her that they have heard good things about Luminary, or that my kids look at my google reviews and think that we are famous.
I want the readers to know that we are here to provide employees with a great work environment that is enjoyable to come to everyday. We really care about our employees’ families life, health, and well-being. I think that going home everyday is a great goal to have, and I want my employees to know that we want to communicate with our customers and make sure we are understanding what exactly their needs are so that we can better serve them.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
People can support me by giving me the opportunity to wire their projects.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://luminaryelectricandsolar.com/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/LuminaryElectric
