Mr. Electric of Queensbury

Many entrepreneurs set out knowing exactly what goals they wish to accomplish… But for Air Force veteran Sean Dion, this was not originally the case.

“The business wasn’t really my plan. I planned on retiring working for people,” he said. However, his plan changed for the better when he and his wife decided to take a leap of faith and become the franchise business owners for Mr. Electric of Queensbury.

Mr. Electric is a well-known franchise with over two-hundred locations worldwide, providing electrical installation and repair services to its customers. Sean opened Mr. Electric of Queensbury in 2017 and, since that day, his hard-work and commitment to serving his community has led to immense success for the business.

Sean’s entrepreneurial career began when he was only 16 years old selling newspapers in his community. By saving the money he made, it allowed him the opportunity to obtain an associates degree at Vermont Technical College. “I had one uncle, who was also a Vietnam veteran in the Army, that went to a technical trade school and got a degree in electronics and instrumentation and I just followed his lead to go to school and learn engineering. I didn’t really have a good idea on what I wanted to do so I thought I’d give it a try,” he said.

It was also during this time that Sean met 14 year old Jeanne, who shared his entrepreneurial spirit and was selling newspapers herself. The two shared an adjoining route and, as they spent more time together, their relationship grew. After four years of dating, the two were married.

In addition to his business drive, Sean had a strong desire to serve his country. He came from a long line of military involvement —his parents, grandparents, and uncles all served— and Sean wanted to carry on the legacy: “Two months after my 17th birthday, I enlisted in the Vermont Army National Guard as a mechanic for generators,” he said. “It was an in-the-blood type desire to serve my country like my family had.”

In 1991, the Vermont Army National Guard was activated, and Sean served in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he supported three air traffic control platoons. A year later, Sean transferred to the National Guard and worked as an electrician.

After a little over ten years working for IBM, Sean left and started a career at Global Foundries. It was during this time that he received a solicitation on LinkedIn for an opportunity with Mr. Electric. “I thought to myself, I’ve always worked for somebody but then again always had the entrepreneurial spirit with my wife,” he said. The two traveled to Mr. Electric corporate headquarters in Waco, Texas for an interview, and were eventually offered the position.

After thinking everything over, Sean and Jeanne decided to accept and began building their business. Jeanne, having a background in real estate, took on the office end of the business while Sean focused on the technician aspect. The two made a great team and within just a few months, they were expanding faster than they had planned. “Within eight months of opening we had three vans on the road,” said Sean.

During this period, Sean was still working full time at Global Foundries, and was struggling to manage both jobs. He decided to ask his director to go part-time… However, that same week Sean found out that he was getting laid off. This gave him the opportunity to put all his effort into his business and really invest in what he was passionate about.

“There was a true need for what we’re being commissioned to do and taking that we build a culture where we’re contributing to the community,” he said.

Jeanne and Sean’s hard work paid off because within only three years, Mr. Queensbury made it to Top Gun, an award given to the top franchise owners, ranking number 22 out of more than two-hundred locations.

When asked how he achieved so much success in such a short amount of time, Sean explained: “(I have) a spirit to win. I don’t take no for an answer, I’m very stubborn, very motivated, very focused, but not just that… It’s recruiting good talent and retaining good talent. Instead of focusing on making money, focus on the customer, and focus on taking care of your employees.”

Outside of work, Sean and Jeanne have extended their commitment to the community within their own household by becoming foster parents for several years. At one point, the two were caring for seven kids under the age of seven, while also housing and caring for a World War II veteran they befriended at church: “They actually didn’t call us a foster home, they called us a group home for a period of time,” said Sean.

The two also share two children of their own, Aaron and Meghann. Both of their biological children carried on the legacy of serving their country, and Aaron is currently still serving to this day.

In terms of their business, Sean and Jeanne have big plans for the future – their goal is to expand into Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. Additionally, they are working on opening an office in Plattsburgh that would extend their borders all the way to Canada.

“We’re already starting to get work up there without even advertising,” said Sean.

It’s clear that their success is far from over!

For more information, please visit their website at mrelectric.com/queensbury