Few electrical contractors in the United States can point to more than a century of continuous operation, but M. L. Schmitt, Inc. has reached that milestone while remaining rooted in the same community where it began. Founded in 1923 and still based in Greater Springfield, Massachusetts, the company has spent 103 years adapting to changing technologies, shifting markets, and economic uncertainty, while holding fast to the principles that built its reputation.
Today, M. L. Schmitt is a full-service electrical contractor whose work spans everything from new construction and university dormitories to hospital emergency room fit-outs, wastewater treatment plants, assisted living facilities, housing complexes, schools, and large-scale solar photovoltaic installations. As Jean Pierre Crevier, Owner and Vice President, put it simply, “If it has electrical in its scope, we do it. Everything.”
That breadth of capability reflects both the longevity of the firm and the mindset that has sustained it. While many companies narrow their focus over time, M. L. Schmitt has expanded deliberately, adding new services as technology and client needs evolved, without abandoning the fundamentals of craftsmanship, reliability, and long-term relationships.
The company was founded by Mansuit L. Schmitt, the first of three generations of leadership to guide the business. For decades, it remained a family-owned operation .. That continuity created a deep connection to the surrounding community and a client base built on trust rather than transaction.
In a significant moment in the firm’s history, ownership transitioned to Pete Coppez and Jean Pierre Crevier, who became the first non-family owners in more than 100 years. Both had worked their way up through the company from apprentices and had been with M. L. Schmitt for roughly 25 years before assuming ownership. Their long tenure reflects not only loyalty, but an intimate understanding of the company’s culture and expectations.
Jean Pierre sees that transition not as a break from tradition, but as stewardship. “I’m just glad to be able to continue the legacy of the company, continue to service the clients that we’ve had over all the years, develop new relationships and embrace new technology as it becomes part of our working tools to offer better solutions to our customers,” he said.
That sense of responsibility was tested almost immediately. Pete and Jean Pierre assumed ownership just as the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the construction industry. “Something that Pete and I were not prepared for at all was surviving the pandemic right at the beginning of our ownership stage,” Jean Pierre explained. “For us it was under the mindset of ‘nothing is going to change, we have been operating the company in the shadows for a while, now we’re just stepping towards the front, and nobody will ever even know the difference.’ And then the world changed.”
While many competitors reacted by chasing low-margin work simply to keep crews busy, M. L. Schmitt chose a different path. “We stayed the course, we stayed true to our principles for estimating and work procurement, and we didn’t take on any bad jobs during that time,” Jean Pierre said. “We took on good jobs. We didn’t get as many jobs as we would have normally had, but we had jobs that we were able to still be profitable with.”
That discipline proved decisive. As other firms struggled under unprofitable contracts, M. L. Schmitt emerged from the pandemic intact and positioned for growth.
In recent years, the company has delivered a number of high-profile projects that reflect both technical complexity and civic impact. One of the most significant is the Fort River Elementary School in Amherst, a new facility combining two older schools that had fallen into disrepair. The project is notable not only for its scale, but for the workforce required to deliver it. “We’re in the process now of building it, and that’s a pretty exciting project for that town and for the workforce because it requires quite a few electricians on that site,” Jean Pierre said. “It’s one of our larger project sites at the moment, as far as the number of employees on a given site.”
The school also incorporates advanced technology intended to enhance the learning experience, aligning with M. L. Schmitt’s growing role in integrating modern electrical systems into public buildings.
Another technically demanding project was the Shutesbury Library. The narrow footprint of the building created challenges for routing circuitry and coordinating underground conduits. “We had to be very concise in our conduit layouts and doing our 3D modelling of the building to be able to figure out where our pathways were going to be,” Jean Pierre explained. The project required careful planning to ensure all systems were precisely located before walls were constructed. It also included rooftop and parking-structure solar installations, highlighting the company’s experience in renewable energy systems.
Residential and infrastructure work has also featured prominently. M. L. Schmitt is currently working on the Curtis Apartments in Worcester, a 120-unit project that involves replacing an older complex with a more modern, technologically advanced community. In Boston, the firm completed five solar projects on public schools and facilities, including a police station and a library. “It reminds me that a lot of the projects that we do are in service of the general public,” Jean Pierre said. “It gives us a lot of pride that the projects that we do are really being used by the communities that they’re being built in and they’re enhancing and enriching the lives of the people within those communities.”
That community focus extends beyond job sites. M. L. Schmitt sponsors a local American Hockey League team, supports youth sports organizations, has hosted charity golf tournaments, and donates to multiple non-profits. These efforts reflect a belief that longevity in business is inseparable from engagement with the people and places the company serves.
The company’s offices reinforce that sense of history. Old ledgers dating back to the early years sit alongside a bicycle that served as the firm’s first delivery vehicle in the 1930s, and the original hand-carved wooden sign that once hung outside earlier buildings. These artifacts serve as daily reminders of the responsibility that comes with carrying a century-old name.
For Pete Coppez, reaching the 100-year mark brings both pride and pressure. “[Reaching 100 years] is exciting and puts smiles on all our faces, but it’s also a lot of weight on our shoulders,” he said. “There’s so much history behind us to make sure we excel and succeed at what we do every day so that the next 100 years are even better than the last 100 years. We’re not settling for ‘good enough.’ We want to be better than everybody around us.”
That commitment is reflected in how the company approaches its clients. Rather than relying heavily on price-driven public work, M. L. Schmitt prioritizes long-term relationships with repeat customers who value quality, collaboration, and trust. “We’re trying to focus on relationships and how we can help customers instead of depending on public work,” Pete explained. “Good partnerships are worth having.”
The people behind the work remain central to that philosophy. Jean Pierre emphasized the importance of securing steady work to support long careers for employees. “We want to be able to secure the work to enable the people that work for us to have the same kind of longevity in their careers that we have had,” he said. Strategic bidding, careful forecasting, and disciplined growth help the company avoid the layoffs that plague much of the industry.
“We want to be able to secure the work to enable the people that work for us to have the same kind of longevity in their careers that we have had.”
Elizabeth Coppez, who works in marketing and communications at the company, summed it up simply: Jean Pierre and Pete are “very much invested in it and they really care for the people who work with them and for them.”
Looking ahead, M. L. Schmitt is not chasing rapid expansion. Instead, the focus is on steady, manageable growth, embracing new technologies where they add value, and continuing to refine what the company already does well. “Nice and easy,” Pete said. “Slow and steady growth, manageable. Keep doing what you’re good at, do a little bit more of it and get better at it.”
After more than a century in business, M. L. Schmitt, Inc. stands as a reminder that endurance in construction is rarely accidental. It is built through discipline, relationships, respect for craft, and a willingness to adapt without losing sight of where you came from.
