Now the purveyor of electrical systems and lighting design for many of Santa Barbara’s most exquisite custom homes, Turner Electric had the humblest of beginnings. In 1981, Paul Turner opened shop in his backyard on the Westside. He had already developed a strong taste for the trade overseas as he picked up work during a bit of traveling after college at UCSB.
A few years later as business grew — back then he was mainly wiring up tract homes — Brian Frederick came aboard. They’d met at Graybar Electric Company supply shop in Goleta, where Frederick was working at the time. Frederick wanted to get out from behind the counter. Turner needed another set of hands in the field. An apprenticeship was born.
By the mid-'80s, they’d opened shop in Goleta. About a decade later, they moved downtown. Back then, Turner Electric did a few jobs with a young and growing Giffin & Crane, but they really hit it off professionally about 15 years ago on an extensive, high-end project in Montecito called Cima del Mundo.
