Power Profile: BBC Electric
James Farrar, operations manager with BBC Electric, testifies in support of House Bill 569 during the bill's hearing before the House Utilities committee.
Since 2019, BBC Electric has played a key role in Ameren Missouri’s Smart Energy Plan. The Joplin-based company has helped implement critical infrastructure upgrades that have strengthened service and improved resiliency throughout the state.
James Farrar, a longtime BBC Electric employee, said the company has been deeply involved in deploying distribution automation switches, a key technology that allows the grid to self-correct and reroute power during outages.
“The work that has been done, especially through the Smart Energy Plan, has made the system significantly stronger,” said Farrar.
In addition to automation upgrades, BBC Electric has rebuilt aging infrastructure to improve service to hospitals, universities and neighborhoods while replacing outdated underground cables with modern, more reliable alternatives.
Farrar, who has worked in the electrical services industry since 2002, recalled major storms in the mid-2000s that left hundreds of thousands without power for weeks. Today, those same types of storms, with similar intensity, cause far fewer outages and are restored much faster thanks to the infrastructure improvements made under the Smart Energy Plan.
“We had storms back then where 600,000 people were out of power, and it took weeks to restore,” Farrar said. “Now we have the same storms, but the outages are significantly less. And the outages that are created are corrected and fixed significantly faster because of the distribution automation, because of the stronger poles, the composite poles, the new conductors.”
As the demand for stronger, more resilient energy infrastructure has grown, so has BBC Electric’s role in supporting Ameren Missouri's Smart Energy Plan. The partnership has fueled significant growth for the company. When BBC Electric first began working with Ameren in 2019, just six employees were assigned to its projects. Today, nearly 100 employees focus exclusively on Ameren’s work, while the company’s total workforce has grown to approximately 260 people.
Much of that expansion has been driven by its deep-rooted connection to Missouri, where about 98% of its workforce lives, said Farrar. Many employees work in their own communities, improving the power systems that serve their families.
“Many of our employees are Ameren customers, and some have even worked on projects in front of their own homes,” said Farrar.
Beyond construction and implementation, BBC Electric has taken an active role in legislative advocacy, engaging with policymakers to highlight the Smart Energy Plan’s benefits and encourage continued investment in Missouri’s infrastructure.
“To work in the community, to be a part of the community, we have to reach out to our community leaders,” said Farrar. “We tell them our story, we tell them what we see and what we experience in the field.”
He said direct engagement has helped build support for infrastructure improvements that benefit both businesses and residents.
That advocacy also has played a role in advancing long-term infrastructure planning, Farrar said, including the integration of advanced technologies, ensuring Missouri’s power grid remains reliable in the years ahead.
With the Smart Energy Plan continuing to shape the state’s energy landscape, BBC Electric remains focused on stability, growth and long-term sustainability. The company is also working to address industry-wide challenges, including the need to attract and retain skilled workers in an increasingly competitive job market.
“We take pride in being a Missouri-based contractor and working in the communities where we live,” Farrar said. “As demand for infrastructure projects grows, we’re committed to expanding our workforce and maintaining the high standards that Ameren and Missouri customers expect.”
To learn more about BBC Electric, please visit bbcelectrical.com.