Rosevear Electric
By Mary Runser

Jessica Rosevear decided early that she wanted to be a Marine Biologist and geared all her education into the sciences. After spending one summer at the University of Michigan North Campus, counting plankton and protozoa, “somehow,” she said, “I got sidetracked by art.”
           
Art stuck with her so she attended Eastern Michigan University, earning her bachelor of fine arts degree in Textile Design. “I wanted to go into fabric design for clothing and home décor.” Jessica said.
           
Jessica worked as a secretary and installer for AA Alarms while attending EMU, and was asked to go out to help on a job. Since she had been installing burglar and fire alarms for the last eight years, she knew what she was doing. While there, after observing her good work habits and ethics, one of the electricians encouraged her to become an electrician. “It wasn’t something I’d thought about doing before, so you could say that I came by my career by accident.”
           
Jessica received her electrician training and certification through the National Joint Apprenticeship Committee in 1996. “I was the only female in the class.” She said, “So I dealt with a lot of machismo, and had to work twice as hard as any of the men in the class just to prove myself capable.”
 
In need of a good pair of work boots, she went to Redwing Shoes, after hearing about their reputation for manufacturing and selling good quality shoes. “Can you believe they only had two styles of women’s work boots? I was astounded, honestly. Are men the only people on the planet who wear work boots?” She eventually went to Sears and bought a pair of men’s work boots.  

After receiving her certification, Jessica went to work for DRW in Whitmore Lake, Michigan. She worked her way up into a foreman position heading up multi-million dollar projects. She remembered one day, a customer had a question about the work that was being done. He passed by Jessica to talk to her male apprentice. “It was one of those enjoyable moments to watch as the apprentice, speaking to the customer and pointing to me, explained that I was the foreman and the person he needed to speak with. These are the kinds of attitudes that women in non-traditional jobs continue to have to deal with.”

After 15 years in the field, she left to raise their son, Anthony. Three years later, they were blessed with their second child, a daughter named Alexis. Now, she is ready to get back into the field, and is being met with some challenges. “Six years is a long time to be out of the work force.” Jessica said. With the current state of the economy, there not enough work out there for her to contract with an existing company. Rather than waiting for work to manifest, Jessica has decided to take a proactive approach by opening her own business, Rosevear Electric, which she established this year.

“I have 15 years experience as an electrician, have kept up with the certifications, and I’m really good at what I do. Why wait for business to come from someone else? I’ll just find it myself.” Her husband has been supportive throughout her career, and continues to be supportive in this endeavor.
Jessica has also had the opportunity to speak to high school girls, through the Women’s Center of America, Ann Arbor, about being a woman in a non-traditional career. She explains the difficulties and challenges to the students but adds that “I have a definite sense of accomplishment when I walk into a bare-bones frame, wire it, and then watch the lights come on when I flip the switch. It’s a huge satisfaction because I’ve helped bring this house/building to life.”

If you have found this story interesting, informative, or inspiring please let Jessica know! You can contact her at 734-355-8294, or via email at jrosevear.electric@gmail.com.