May 21, 2006 – As a child growing up in Christiansted, Charles N. King already had a career path by the time he reached high school. "In my neighborhood was a mechanic and an electrician, so I would do apprenticeships with them," said King, owner and president of Delta Electric and Construction Inc. in Peter's Rest.
King said he chose the vocational path when he attended Christiansted High School, building on the skills that he'd learned working with the neighborhood mechanic and electrician.
When he graduated, he said, he was ready for the workforce but chose the Army instead.
That was 1963. Two years later he got out of the Army and returned home to open Delta Electric in 1966. He would add "Construction" to the business name in 1995, the year one of the worst hurricanes hit the Virgin Islands.
While Hurricane Marilyn did not do as much damage on St. Croix as it did on St. Thomas, King said there was enough work to keep his company busy, with so many people having lost their roofs and needing electricity restored.
In fact, he said, his company gets busy around hurricane time.
"We have had a tremendous amount of work after hurricanes when people need to have their electricity restored," King said, adding that as licensed electrical contractors he and his employees – four of them – can do jobs that most other companies can't – such as certifying that homes are ready to have electricity restored.
"We do general construction and all types of electrical work, from installation and maintenance to repairs," King said.
The job locations are diverse (from residential homes to office buildings), and a lot of the jobs are what he describes as "house calls."
"That is the most important part of our work. The jobs cannot come to us. We have to go to the jobs," he said.
King said his company is one of several electrical companies on St. Croix, but his remains one of the longest operating businesses for the following reasons: "Determination, honesty. promptness and goodwill," he said.
Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays. To reach Delta Electric, try 773-9525.
Back Talk
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Mr. King is rude and very bad at communicating effectively. While he may be the cheapest service in the Virgin Islands, he treats his customers unprofessionally and unkindly. I will never use his service nor recommend his service to anyone, because regardless of cost, everyone deserves to be treated with respect.