From Electrician to Business Owner, Powered by Union Training

Photo credit: Tonya Hicks

Tonya Hicks was one of the first Black women to become certified as a Journeyman Inside Wireman Electrician in Mississippi-and she's paving the way for more women to follow her lead.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 3% of electricians are women, which means Hicks has often been the only woman in her workplace. She was the first woman to complete a 5-year apprenticeship with International Brotherhood of Electric Workers (IBEW) Local 917.

Her apprenticeship completely altered her career trajectory and eventually led her to found her own business, Power Solutions Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia. Her company specializes in building automation, clean energy, and electrification while providing electrical contracting services and manufacturing products for EV charging solutions and battery energy storage systems (BESS).

"I am where I am because of unions. To learn a trade, not have any student loans, to take a skill that I love and form a business... if it wasn't for the IBEW, I would not be here," said Hicks.

Leaping Hurdles to Success

In college, Hicks pursued her love of math with a dream to one day work in the Pentagon cracking codes. But this dream was met with disapproval by college staff.

"My professor said they don't hire women to do that and that I needed to focus on becoming a math teacher," said Hicks. "My grandmother told me, 'That man doesn't know what he's talking about. Women do everything!'"

Hicks decided to keep her options open and took a summer job at a paper mill in Alabama. She was fascinated by how the electricians on the site integrated math into everything they did. One of the electricians, a member of the IBEW, told her how to sign up for an apprenticeship.

As a single mom, the opportunity was a great fit: She was offered consistent hours, felt well-compensated for her time, and built a well-paying career based on the skills she learned.

"It's a commitment, but it's a consistent commitment, and you're able to build your life around it," said Hicks, who has worked as an electrical contractor in the construction industry for 20 years. As of 2023, union members get paid around $400 more in median weekly earnings than nonunion members in the construction field, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Photo credit: Tonya Hicks

New Opportunities Through the Inflation Reduction Act

Hicks began focusing more heavily on renewable energy manufacturing and electric vehicle charging in 2020, but it felt like a leap of faith to pursue providing renewable energy services in the Southeast, where there weren't many clean energy projects at the time. She expanded her work across the country and internationally, hoping to bring in enough clients to stay in business.

For Hicks, the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022 was a game changer. As the influx of incentives and rebates for installing clean energy equipment improved market conditions in her area, she no longer had to search far and wide for opportunities. They were growing in her own backyard.

A recent report ranks Georgia second in the nation for clean energy projects, with $23.12 billion in investments in new clean energy projects since the passage of the IRA.

"It has been Christmas every day with the IRA," said Hicks.

The infrastructure created through the IRA is also stimulating demand for more apprentices in the clean energy workforce, kickstarting opportunities for more workers to find fulfilling and successful careers.

A Path Forward for Women in Clean Energy

With the clean energy economy booming, Hicks is hoping she'll no longer have to face being the only woman in the room. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's U.S. Energy and Employment Report 2023, more than half of net new energy jobs in 2022 were held by women.

Hicks' Women Do Everything Initiative aims to help women break into male-dominated fields like she has. Inspired by the hands-on experience she received through her apprenticeship, Hicks provides internships to women to expose them to potential jobs in several trades.

"Some women don't even know that these jobs exist," said Hicks. "I just try to show women their superpowers and how they can use them in a male-dominated industry."