our History
As a lifelong resident of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, George Joseph Hayden graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1960 with a degree in Electrical Technology. He served with the United States Coast Guard as an Electrician – 1st class and the United States Navy Reserves. His early employment with Atlas Chemical Industries and later, as Plant Engineer for Barrett Haentjens & Co., provided Hayden with the skills necessary to set the course for his future plans.
In 1975, while working as a Plant Engineer for Barrett Haentjens & Co. in Hazleton, George Hayden began his electrical business in his home with a small crew of electricians and with his wife, Florence, who managed the financial records and frequently made lunch for the crew. Reinvesting all the profits into his new venture to purchase tools and equipment and hire more employees, Mr. Hayden worked diligently to realize his dream of starting his own electrical business.
From these humble beginnings at the kitchen table, Hayden Electric grew to become a major provider of superior electrical services in Hazleton and the surrounding region, as well as nationally and internationally.
The passion for the electrical trade continued with the next generation. Following in the footsteps of his father, George Francis Hayden (Junior) graduated from Penn State in 1983 with an associate’s degree in Electrical Engineering having worked since the age of 12 in the family electrical business.
In 1989, George Jr. left his job as electrical engineer technician at Carpenter Technology stainless steel mill in Reading, Pennsylvania, to work side by side with his father, George Sr., in the family business for half the wages as a project manager/estimator and, eventually, Vice President of Operations. But not before the necessary grooming by Hayden Senior to ensure his son had the skills, stamina and work ethic to support a business and its valuable employees and customers. During the years in the business, George F. completed a Pennsylvania state-approved certificate of industrial electrician apprenticeship training, received his journeyman and master electrical license in Pennsylvania and other states.
In 2009, George and Florence Hayden sold the business to their son, George, Jr. and his wife, Karen. Under George Jr.’s leadership and, with a team of more than 75 professionals, George J. Hayden, Inc. celebrates 40 years in business and continues to be synonymous with high-quality electrical construction, a safety-first philosophy, and first-class customer service.
