Boggs Inspection Services spends much of their time helping home buyers know if their dream home is sound and in good repair. From foundation checks and roof inspection to door knobs and electrical outlets, the inspectors at Boggs ensure a home is in good shape from top to bottom and provide suggestions for repair when it isn’t quite right.
However, there are hundreds of real estate transactions in Thurston County that have nothing to do with buying a residential home. Commercial real estate sales are up, just like residential sales, and for each property sold an inspection must be performed. And while the Boggs team is top-notch, they know that complex commercial electrical systems require an expert eye. That’s when they call in the expert – Patrick Thoren, owner of Thoren Electric, LLC.
Originally from Cheney, near Spokane, Patrick Thoren made Olympia his home in 1993. He comes from a family of electricians and says, “I followed in their footsteps, really, when choosing my career.” Thoren completed the four-year IEC (Independent Electrical Contractors) apprenticeship program, the most rigorous training program offered in Washington State, including over 200 classroom hours and 8,000 on-the-job training hours. With this type of training under his belt, he was in high demand upon completion of his apprenticeship.
He began working exclusively in the commercial construction industry as a journeyman foreman with a local company. “I worked in schools, city hall, banks, and warehouses – pretty much any and all types of commercial buildings,” Thoren shares.
In November 2009 he decided to go out on his own and launched Thoren Electric. “It wasn’t the best timing,” he laughs, at the decision to start his own company at the start of the recession. However, his skills and reputation saw him through the lean times and business has begun to ramp up dramatically.
“I now do about half-and-half, commercial and residential,” he shares but sees an increase in commercial work in the summer months. With his extensive background in the unique electrical systems in commercial buildings, Thoren has become a valued resource for the team of inspectors at Boggs Inspection Services.
“I met Dwayne Boggs initially at a Gateway Rotary Club meeting. We are both hunters and made a connection talking about our dogs and hunting trips,” recalls Thoren. The men exchanged cards and shortly thereafter, Thoren began getting referrals from the inspector.
“Dwayne started referring me to do electrical jobs following inspections he’d performed. These were mostly residential,” he shares, and included upgrading electrical panels, outlets, and smaller code related issues. “It’s a great relationship, as it often leads into a customer situation where I return to help the homeowner down the road,” Thoren shares.
As the two worked together more, Boggs reached out to Thoren, knowing his experience with commercial electrical systems, to assist him during the actual inspection process. “I’ll walk through a building with Dwayne, working together to inspect more complex commercial buildings and will include my findings in his reports to the buyer,” explains Thoren. The process of working side by side helps the inspectors on the Boggs team become more educated about the unique code requirements and layouts common in commercial buildings. And, it’s helping buyers gain valuable piece of mind that their significant investment has been thoroughly inspected by an industry professional.
“Working with Boggs Inspection Services is great,” says Thoren. “He is great about getting information to me about a job and gives me good lead time to schedule an inspection into my schedule.” Plus, the two just enjoy each other and the joint commercial inspections give them a chance to spend a little time together and relive their latest hunting trips and tips.
While Thoren Electric keeps him busy, Patrick also makes plenty of time to be home with his wife, Kerry, and their three children, ages eight, five and two. Kerry “holds down the home front,” says Thoren as well as doing the books and managing customer requests from their home office.
When he’s not working, Thoren loves nothing more than being a dad to his kids, playing in the yard and being outdoors with them as much as he can. And, of course slipping in as much hunting as he can.
You can reach Thoren Electric, LLC at 360-264-7453 or via email at thorenelectric@comcast.net. You can reach Boggs Inspection Services at 360-480-9602 or through their website.
