Award-winning combination

Talking with Steph Gee, one half of Gee Electrical, you could assume she’s been an electrician her whole adult life given her knowledge of the industry.

Steph has a rich pedigree in the electrical industry, but despite this took a different path to her electrician father and siblings. And it had nothing to do with her gender.

“I’ve had every opportunity to learn the trade over the past 20 years – even dad 30 years ago had girl apprentices,” Steph said.

“I don’t have this inspirational story where I’ve always wanted to be an electrician and stood on a hill with my bra on fire – nothing like that at all.”

Steph enjoyed working in administration and had a busy career for many years before she decided to “dial it back a bit”. That decision led her to a part-time role with a wholesaler where she met Chris.

The couple had built their dream home and welcomed a baby daughter when a shock redundancy forced them to look for other job opportunities.

Chris took on a contract installing electric fencing two-and-a-half hours away in Hobart’s Mary Hutchinson Women’s Prison, while Steph kept the home fires burning.

“He was away all week and missing milestones,” Steph said.

“I think a lot of small businesses start out of necessity because there aren’t any other options. So, we made the leap (starting Gee Electrical) in 2016.”

In the beginning, the Gee Electrical partnership was traditional with Chris on the tools and Steph handling administration. It wasn’t long before business starting booming and the couple needed to explore options to manage the workload.

Their solution? Taking on an apprentice. But not just any apprentice.

“I was trying work out the best way to value-add without putting on another person,” Steph said.

“We’d experienced firsthand the human side of redundancy, and I wasn’t comfortable expanding and having someone’s life and financial stability as a responsibility. So I said ‘why don’t you put me on’?”

Steph hit the books at TAFE for the first time in 20 years and the rest, as they say, is history. She is now a fully qualified electrician and was recently named National Mas Ambassador for Women in Trades in Tasmania.

Gee Electrical was recognised by Master Electricians Australia in 2022 and 2023, winning four awards including 2023 Project of the Year less than $1 million for their work on the Optimal Gaming centre in Launceston.

The accolades prove that a business doesn’t have to be big to be successful, according to Steph.

“Perceived success to someone starting out can look like the man with six vans but success to me is just being happy,” she said.

“If you can reflect that in your work then you’re going to produce work that is of a greater standard because you’re there and present – and showcase it because you’re proud of it.”