Meet local electrician, Neil Fewtrell
For Gympie electrician Neil Fewtrell, sometimes the smallest jobs demand the most care.
Neil and Jessa from JNF Electrical.
“We’re big on attention to detail and that means delivering quality work and getting the job done properly.”
Not every electrical job is a major renovation. Sometimes it’s a light that needs replacing, a fault that needs finding, an old Queenslander that needs updating without losing its character, or a small improvement that will make a home work better after dark. Each job gets the same care and attention from JNF Electrical.
After more than two decades in the trade, Neil decided to finally step out on his own last year. Rather than chasing large commercial projects, you’ll often find him on smaller jobs that larger companies may not always have the capacity or interest to take on.
It’s a simple approach, and one that Gympie residents need: if the job matters to the person who lives there, it matters to Neil.
The decision to work for himself had been a long time coming. He had always considered starting his own business, but spent 15 years working around Brisbane , building his experience in industrial electrical work before eventually returning to Gympie and working for his uncle.
“As soon as I came back to the domestic market and was working in this sort of sector, that pushed me to want to do my own thing, especially when my uncle retired,” he says.
Running the business alongside Neil is his partner, Jessa. While Neil is on the tools, Jessa manages the accounting, admin and social media. Keeping the business small allows them to work flexibly while maintaining a direct relationship with every customer.
Most people have experienced the frustration of waiting for a tradesperson who never shows. And it’s this experience that Neil is keen to change.
“If we say we’re going to get there, we’re going to get there,” he says.
Neil also places a high value on the quality of the finished work. He describes himself as a perfectionist when it comes to the details, whether that means using timber moulding around cabling where appropriate instead of simply running plastic through an older home, or simply taking the time to keep jobs neat and make sure the work is completed correctly.
“We genuinely take extra care when working in homes and businesses because we believe that’s how every job should be approached,” he says. “We’re big on attention to detail and that means delivering quality work and getting the job done properly.”
One recent job came about after Neil was called to rectify electrical work that had previously been completed incorrectly. Once he had brought the work up to compliance, the job led to another through the neighbour next door.
Other recent projects have included ‘Project M’ and a new shop for Woolooga Farm Kitchen.
For Neil, running a small electrical business isn’t about taking on the biggest projects or growing as quickly as possible. It’s about doing good work, being there when he says he will be, and leaving every job knowing it has been done properly.
