Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Bregenzer.
Hi Michelle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Stella Electric began in 2016 with a simple but meaningful goal: to build an electrical company that delivered on its promises while creating opportunity for people who are often overlooked in the trades. As a 100% female-owned Small Business Enterprise, Stella has always been about more than electrical work. We have made it a priority to hire, train, and create pathways for women, inner-city youth, first-generation immigrants, and hardworking people who simply need the right opportunity.
The company started with Michelle’s vision and Rich’s field experience. Michelle drew the original Stella Electric logo on a bar napkin, determined to put her business degree from the University of Baltimore to work. Rich had the electrical licenses, industry knowledge, and hands-on experience to help bring that vision to life. Together, they built the business before they built their marriage, and eventually their family. Stella has always been a family business in the truest sense — not only for Michelle and Rich, but for many of the employees whose own family members now work alongside them.
The timing of Stella’s beginning was deeply personal. In 2016, Rich had been working for Blueprint Robotics when the division he led was shut down. Just before Christmas, he had to lay off his entire team, and then fill out his own pink slip when he was finished. That experience shaped the way Stella would operate from that point forward. It made clear how important it is to treat people with dignity, communicate honestly, and build a company where employees are valued. Rich became Stella’s Vice President of Business Development, and we are proud to say that under his leadership, and later alongside Jay’s, Stella has not had a layoff in nearly 10 years.
Over time, Stella grew through grit, relationships, and a commitment to doing things the right way. In 2023, our lead technician Jay was promoted to Vice President of Operations. His leadership has been instrumental in the company’s year-over-year growth, and we truly would not be where we are today without him. In 2024, Jhelly joined our team and transformed our office operations. The systems, processes, and standards she created from the ground up gave us the structure we needed to grow beyond a small family-run operation and into the company we are today.
The name Stella also carries personal meaning. Michelle spent many years following jam bands, and Stella pays homage to Jerry Garcia’s ballad “Stella Blue.” To us, the song reflects the passing of time, the fragility of life, and the grit it takes to keep believing in things that may once have felt out of reach.
Today, Stella Electric is proud to serve clients throughout the DMV with the same values we started with: keeping our promises, taking care of our people, building lasting relationships, and delivering work we can stand behind. We believe that when you give the right people real opportunity, that gratitude and pride show up in the final product — and ultimately, in the experience our clients receive.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Rich got started with $500 and a 1991 Chevy Astro van. In the beginning, he ran every call himself, often relying on day laborers, spray paint, and sheer determination to keep up with the contracts he was servicing.
One of our first major opportunities came from Rich’s former employer. They trusted us to finish the housing development Rich had previously been in charge of, and they gave us payment terms that allowed us to breathe instead of breaking us before we ever had a real chance. That cushion gave us the ability to take bigger risks.
The development was in Philadelphia, while Rich was still living in Maryland. For the first year, we worked 10-hour days, six days a week, and drove nearly five hours a day. Eventually, that work helped us transition into commercial retail.
For the next few years, we renovated 7-Eleven coffee bars. The money was good, but the work was brutal. A typical store could easily turn into a 12-hour day, and there was no flexibility. You could not shift the schedule or cancel. When you had to be there, you had to be there.
At the time, we had six people working here. One Saturday, an employee quit without notice. That Sunday, his friend quit. That Monday, Rich’s helper quit. Rich and one remaining helper completed two stores that day in 18 hours. That was grit.
Another defining moment came during a Tractor Supply remodel. A technician who was on his way out the door had been in charge of the project, but when Jay stepped in, he discovered the job had barely been started — and turnover was due in two weeks.
Jay took over, built temporary structures to access areas that had become unreachable because we were behind schedule, and worked 20 to 30 hours at a time to get the project back on track. We lost a lot of money on that job, but we learned a lot of valuable lessons.
At the end of one 20-hour stretch, Jay was told the cash wrap still had to be completed that night. He asked for help, and nobody came. Jay completed the entire thing by himself, overnight, alone and exhausted. He is the definition of grit, and one of the principal reasons he was promoted.
These days, we have learned a lot more about scheduling, phasing, and making sure we have enough of the right people in place to properly meet our obligations. Construction is still hard, but when you are just getting started, it can feel almost impossible.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are most proud of our ability to deliver real value to both our general contractor partners and our residential customers. Our goal is to build relationships with clients who can afford to come back to us again and again, because they know we are looking out for their best interest.
We believe in solving problems, not just selling replacements. When something can be repaired, reworked, or approached in a smarter way, we take the time to find that solution. Because of our background and experience, we are able to rework electrical drawings, provide design-build services, and offer in-house value engineering options that help our clients get the job done without going broke.
Delivering value is not just part of what we do — it is at the core of our purpose.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
We like Jordan Peterson’s 12 rules for life and Chris Voss’s never split the difference.
We like the “calm” meditation app to decompress from the stressors of construction and schedule keeping
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stellaelectricllc.com
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/gostellaelectric
