Matt and Lara Bruhn met while in graduate school at Harvard. He served as an officer and F-15C pilot with the U.S. Air Force. She became a marketing and finance whiz in the worlds of publishing, higher education, human resources, business consulting, and more.
Neither are electricians. Yet, they now co-own Mr. Electric of San Antonio/Austin, and they couldn’t feel more at home. What’s their secret? The backstory involves cake, so let’s dig in.
The Bruhns spent their early years together living the Air Force family life. When Matt separated from the military after 11 years (during which time Lara was wrapped up in the corporate world), the couple found themselves in Pittsburgh with an itch to go into business for themselves. A fascinating opportunity presented itself: The chance to purchase Pittsburgh’s iconic Prantl’s Bakery. They modernized the business and revived its financial health and stability by introducing practices like nationwide shipping and creating fresh buzz, including a national media outlet declaring the bakery’s Burnt Almond Torte “The Greatest Cake America Has Ever Made.”
When it came time to either invest in the bakery’s continued growth or start a new adventure, the Bruhns opted to switch things up once more. A management position with USAA for Matt brought the couple and their two boys to San Antonio. By 2018, Matt and Lara were seeking out an opportunity to grow a business together once more. At the time, Lara was helping people buy and sell businesses of the size the bakery had been. Mr. Electric entered the picture and fit the profile of the type of business they felt confident they could grow.
“We’re business people, not electricians. But I think we’re all better off that way mostly. Our electricians can focus on what they do best, and we focus on what we do best, which is running the business,” Lara told us. The Bruhn’s philosophy on partnering with top talent in their field—from bakers to electricians— and trusting them to work their magic extends to taxes and, thus, working with Steven Bankler, CPA, Ltd.
“We brought Steve in as we were considering the purchase of the business, which meant we could take full advantage of his guidance. We started with a business structure that included multiple LLCs, which gave us more flexibility to grow,” Lara explains. And grow they did. By early 2020, the Bruhns added the Austin service area and now also serve Round Rock, San Marcos, Boerne, and beyond. Learn more about Mr. Electric of San Antonio/Austin at mrelectric.com/san-antonio and mrelectric.com/austin