CE Pro October 2022 - 26

CE PROFILE | Tri Star Electric & Automation
Electric Evolution
Tri Star Electric & Automation personifies the
transformation of the custom installation business,
merging electrical, commercial and residential
integration (with an emphasis on lighting) into one
company. By Jason Knott
Quick Stats
Company: Tri Star Electric
& Automation
Location: Malibu, Calif.
Website:
tristarelectricCA.com
Revenue (2021): $4 million
Years in Business: 23+
Number of Employees: 15
Specialty: A full-service
luxury lighting
controls, automation,
consulting, design/
build and electrical
contracting boutique
firm specializing in luxury
residential, commercial
and hospitality projects.
Top 5 Brands: Lutron/Ketra
Lighting, Buster + Punch,
Savant Systems, Bowers
& Wilkins, Coastal
Source
FYI (One piece of
advice to another
dealer): " Be curious.
Asking questions helps
the client, the design
team, the construction
team and the
integrators to all be on
the same page. "
IF YOU WANT to know what the
future looks like for custom integration,
look no further than Joe Borress of Tri Star
Electric & Automation. Indeed, Borress and his
Malibu, California-based company, characterize
both the past evolution of custom
integration and the future of the industry;
thus, perhaps providing a blueprint for what
other integrators can aspire to be in terms of a
diverse business mix that covers line-voltage
electrical, hospitality lighting controls, and residential
integration with a holistic and
lifestyle-based approach to all projects.
The company's evolution mirrors CEO
Borress' progression, migrating from line-voltage
electrical work in New York City to
commercial low-voltage to high-end luxury
residential work, first in toney Greenwich,
Conn., and later in posh Malibu. Today, the
company's business is on the cutting-edge of
the exploding lighting fixtures segment, while
still performing high-voltage electrical and
low-voltage integration installations in both
the commercial and residential worlds. The
result is a $4 million consulting, design/build
and electrical contracting company that is a
go-to specialist in luxury lighting controls and
design/consulting for luxury residences, highend
retail and hospitality projects.
Three Generations of Evolution
The transformation of the company and Borress'
own personal evolution is rooted in its
history, which arose from three generations of
electrical contracting.
26 | CE Pro October 2022
" I grew up in the industry. My grandfather
was an electrical contractor, my father was an
electrical contractor, my cousin is an electrical
contractor, my uncle is an electrical contractor,
and my brother, who is three years older
than me, is an electrical contractor, " says Borress.
" So as a young kid if you had asked me
what I wanted to be when I grow up, I would
not have said the typical 'fireman, policeman,
baseball player or teacher' - I was always
planning to be an electrical contractor. "
Even after Borress started college, he had
his sights set on being an electrician.
" So, I dropped out of college in 1992 and
came to live in New York City with my brother, "
he says. " I called my dad and said, 'The
bad news is that I dropped out of college.
The good news is that I want to come work
for you.' My dad said, 'It's your decision, but if
that's what you want to do you are starting
tomorrow at 5 a.m.' "
Immediately Borress was literally in the
trenches at his dad's company, which was
called Star Electric at the time. He recalls being
in manholes and on ladders and scaffolds
in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Harlem, Queens and
the Bronx as he learned the trade, primarily
working on large commercial projects. Over
time, Borress earned his journeyman license
and eventually became a general foreman.
" I'm proud to say I was one of the youngest
general foremen in the Local 3 Union in
New York City that's ever been. I was in my
late 20s overseeing 50 men doing three or
four floors at a time, " he recalls. Among the
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CE Pro October 2022

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