[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 31, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN HONOR OF THE CENTRAL ELECTRIC COMPANY OF WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 31, 2012

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Central Electric 
Company of Watsonville, California, on the occasion of its centennial 
anniversary. For 100 years, the Central Electric Company pioneered and 
improved safe electrical installations for residential, commercial, and 
agriculture customers around our beautiful Monterey Bay region.
  In 1912, starting with just a bicycle, $100.00 in cash, and a 5-foot 
ladder, John Stanovich and Edith DuFour Stanovich began selling 
fixtures and appliances, and installing electrical wiring. At that time 
the demand for electrical work was very limited, but with the growing 
acceptance of the Edison light, plus John and Edith's hard work, the 
business grew. The next generation joined the company in 1926 with the 
addition of Edith's son, Alfred DuFour. The Central Electric Company 
survived the great depression and the shortages of World War II by 
supplementing their contracting business selling products such as 
irons, washing machines, and toasters, also china and crystal.
  With the end of the war, the Central Electric Company focused on 
growing communities and industries in need of electricity. The next two 
decades would see the continuation of that post-war growth and the 
introduction of the company's third generation with Steve DuFour, who 
joined the company in 1958 after serving as a lieutenant in the United 
States Navy.
  The seventies, eighties, and nineties saw continued growth and 
changes to the electrical industry, many of which were driven by the 
digital boom. Growth and change also came when Steve and his wife Joan 
were joined by Tony Kulich, Patty (DuFour) Kulich, Mark Jurach, and 
Sharon (DuFour) Jurach in the daily operations at Central Electric. In 
1989, the company survived the Loma Prieta earthquake and rallied to 
aid the surrounding communities in their recovery. In 1999, Tony and 
Patty Kulich and Mark and Sharon Jurach, the son-in-laws and great 
granddaughters of John and Edith, purchased the Central Electric 
Company from Steve and Joan, passing the torch to the fourth 
generation.
  The turn of this century saw the Central Electric Company's enjoyment 
of unprecedented growth, including the completion of a $3.5 million 
contract for a local college campus. This was the largest contract in 
the company's 100 year history. This new century has also ushered in 
the fifth generation, when great, great-grandsons Matt and Mike Kulich 
joined Central Electric as electricians.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to hold up the Central Electric 
Company as an example of the American Spirit. Enduring the hardships of 
war, economic downturns, and natural disasters, they have shown that 
people are more important than profit. They have shown us that when 
communities and families work together in difficult times, we can 
continue to face the challenges that have made this Nation great. May 
Central Electric's continued success inspire many more generations to 
enter the business arena, and in doing so, secure our Nation's 
posterity and its bright future.

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