• Posted: January 13, 2021
• better construction, Chatham Walmart Store, Integrated Electric, Taylor Electric

Back in May, during the unrest following the murder of George Floyd, a Chicagoland Walmart on the city’s South Side was set ablaze. The Chatham Walmart is a staple of the community and an essential store for residents to get the things they need, but for four months the store was closed as repairs were going on inside. This meant that Chicagoans in the area had to venture elsewhere for what they needed, which was only made worse by the ongoing pandemic.

To help with the store’s repairs and reemergence, Powering Chicago’s Integrated Electric and Taylor Electric were called in to help. From mid-September through mid-November, Powering Chicago electricians and contractors worked tirelessly to reopen the store.

“The original scope of work was to just do electrical where it was ripped out,” explained Nevin Cottrell, the Integrated Electric Foreman on the job. “But then Walmart decided it wanted to do a full remodel of the store.”

That full remodel of the building would include a new medical center inside, a larger pharmacy, and a new vision center as well. All of this work needed to be completed in roughly 60 days to ensure the store opened in mid-November like previously planned.

To make matters more difficult for the Powering Chicago electricians, there were upwards of six separate fires that were set within the building in May that triggered the sprinkler system and resulted in two feet of water throughout the entire building. The existing drywall had to be cut four feet up off the ground and thrown out and the building was basically gutted.

With the building gutted, it did provide an opportunity for Walmart to move things around and for the Powering Chicago electricians to run new wiring throughout the building. The team of around 25 IBEW Local 134 electricians installed nearly 40 new power poles to feed the new checkout registers, added new power to the fitting rooms, and redid the entire in-store electronics section where TVs and other hand-held electronics are placed. Everything but the existing overhead lights were replaced.

“What was pretty cool was seeing the grand opening,” Cottrell explained. “It showed me how much the store meant to the community. Lines were wrapped around the building on grand opening day. I was back there for a few little odds and ends, and this store is so busy. And to find out what the medical center means and what it gives to this community is incredible. It was really great to see that our efforts and running as hard as we did that it does get to your heart.”

Thanks to the tireless work of the Powering Chicago electricians and contractors, those in the Chatham neighborhood now have a store that brings the community together, provides needed medical services and allows for one-stop shopping which is especially critical during the ongoing pandemic.