In the early 1940’s Merle McMullen, a young man in Puyallup, Washington had a dream. He believed a career in the electrical field would bring a good income for his young family. He found a job in the local shipyards were he sharpened his skills as an electrician. In 1946, with a wife and three sons he broadened his dream and started McMullen Electric.

In the meager beginnings, Merle worked in the residential field from the back of the family’s 1939 Chrysler. Soon a 1936 Dodge panel truck took the place of the family car. His first commercial accounts were Lynn’s Hatchery and Piggly Wiggly stores. The company’s workforce increased to three full-time employees and Merle’s three sons. As lifestyles were changing, oil heat became electric baseboard heating. Soon, the growing business was asked to wire it’s first of many banks. 

In the late 1960’s, McMullen Electric moved from a family, home-based business to downtown, where his two oldest sons, Jerry and Tom, were working for the company. In the early 1970’s, Merle’s third son, Len, joined the firm, providing the first outside salesperson. 

In 1974, Merle made the decision to retire, turning his dream over to his three sons, thereby becoming McMullen Electric, Inc. These three sons fulfilled Merle’s dream by becoming one of the leading electrical contractors in Washington State. The projects became more varied and included food processing plants, assisted living facilities, the complete remodel of the Railto Theater, medical surgery centers, multiplex cinemas, hi-rise condominium projects, mixed-use buildings, complete shopping centers, many Northwest auto dealerships, and local area hospitals. 

Merle McMullen’s dream has come full circle through his son’s, who are on a constant mission to make lives better in their community. In early 2006, McMullen Electric Inc. was honored with an invitation to be a part of a local family’s dream come true on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. As the years have passed, one man’s dream really came true and continues to grow today.