Naperville man opens Mister Sparky franchise in Downers Grove

Instead of preparing for retirement, Clark Smith decided to work even harder.

An electrical engineer, he’d worked with companies including First Alert, Midtronics, Chamberlain and Samsara. For about the last 15 years, he was managing a team of engineers rather than being one.

“I felt like I was filling out form after form,” said Smith, 55, of Naperville. “I felt like I was doing it for someone else.”

Despite the ability financially to retire early, after discussing it with his wife, Adrienne, Smith decided to stay in the workforce.

After diligent vetting by both parties followed by six months of preparation, on Jan. 2, Smith opened Mister Sparky of West Chicagoland, his own franchise under the umbrella of Authority Brands, which has 15 home service franchisers.

Mister Sparky of West Chicagoland, 5408 Janes Ave., Downers Grove, is among more than 150 Mister Sparky locations nationwide providing electrical work.

“I like to get my hands dirty and do stuff,” said Smith, who studied engineering/physics at the University of Illinois-Chicago involving lots of theory, but also lots of laboratory application.

“I’ve been out a few times with my electricians, I like to use my hands and go out and help them,” he said.

The company provides a wide range of services, including circuit breakers, wiring, electrical panels, generators, smoke detectors, indoor and outdoor lighting, outlets and switches, “smart home” work, and emergency service all day, every day.

Originally from Rugeley, England, with dual citizenship, Smith said business has gained momentum.

The Downers Grove shop’s two electricians, Tom Baxter and Adolfo Ramos, and the two Mister Sparky vans have become fully booked with jobs.

One of Smith’s goals is to have availability on the daily schedule so there’s still room for customers who call in for service.

Nearly any job can be quoted and handled on the spot, he said, due to fully stocked vehicles. If not, Mister Sparky of West Chicagoland works with area parts distributors and “can turn a job around in a couple days,” Smith said.

By the end of the year, he plans to have four to six vans on the road.

Although Smith became disenchanted working for corporations, he appreciates the corporate framework that supports Mister Sparky.

Twice-annual company conventions allow him to gain contacts with other franchisees for troubleshooting. The company provides greater buying power and discounts on parts than if he had gone strictly independent. It offers training for technicians and ownership training in aspects perhaps outside his managerial experience such as finance and marketing.

“All of that I would have to do on my own if I didn’t have corporate (support),” he said.

Smith also is using a healthier life balance and his position as a new business owner to become more involved with Little Friends, the Warrenville-based nonprofit that helps people with autism and intellectual and emotional abilities.

Mister Sparky of West Chicagoland will be a sponsor of Little Friends’ 47th Benefit Auction on Saturday in Naperville.

It’s a cause literally and figuratively close to home, as Clark and Adrienne Smith have an autistic child.

“I want to be very moral in the way I run my business, and I feel that Mister Sparky is very moral in the way it runs its business, so it was just a good fit,” Smith said.