Jeremy Ratliff
Editor
On Tuesday, May 5, RTL Electric of Merrill celebrated a quarter-century of proud service to the Merrill community and surrounding areas.
Owned and operated by Dan and Meredith Prebeg of Merrill, the couple cite hard work and their strong belief and pride in providing dedicated service, as the pillars which have supported the business over the last 25 years. “Hardwork, hard work and more hard work!” Meredith explains with a smile.”We feel a great deal of pride in being able to be a part of this community that continues to humble us. It’s that pride and the level of community support we feel, which makes us strive to continue to do our best in providing quality customer service on all the projects we are involved in.”
Established in 1995, RTL’s first employee was hired the following year. The Prebegs later built a shop near their home to accommodate the expansion of not only the business, but their family as well. Then in 2006, the couple purchased the building at their present-day location at 107. E. First Street. Since the early days of just Dan, Meredith and a single employee operating RTL Electric out of their home, success and growth over the last 25 years has since led to a staff of nine, including Dan (Master Electrician) and several field employees with certifications ranging from Apprentice to Journeyman and Master Electricians. In addition to Meredith taking the lead on office and clerical duties, RTL employs three office-staff members.
RTL’s fleet of equipment has also enjoyed considerable expansion. Beginning with a 1974 GMC cargo van which was purchased when the company was first established, the fleet now features four service vans, a bucket truck and a line truck, as well as a mini excavator, trencher, scissors lift and many other pieces of equipment.
When asked of his motivation for pursuing the electrical field as a career and ultimately owning and operating his own electrical contractor service, Dan cites childhood experience with his grandfather.
“While spending a lot of time with my grandpa when I was younger, I developed a strong mechanical background. Then in high school I worked through the school-to-work program to begin developing more skills in the electrical area.”
Following high school graduation, Dan went on to complete his apprenticeship before returning to Merrill and opening RTL Electric. In addition to being licensed as a Master Electrician, Dan also holds a Commercial Electrical Inspectors License.
RTL Electric serves not only the Merrill community, but also that of Wausau and Tomahawk; offering a wide variety of services including 24-hour emergency service, licensed electrical design, complete electrical wiring for commercial, industrial, residential & agricultural projects, whole home generator installations and manual transfer switch controls for portable generators as well as outdoor lighting; including parking lot, sign, canopy, area, and security lighting.
RTL Electric has twice garnered accolades as Small Town Business of the Year (2011 and 2015), continues to be a “Focus on Energy Trade Ally.” and an Eaton Certified Contractor.
For more information, RTL Electric can be reached at (715) 536-7927.