Jeff Strong
Engineering a Competitive Advantage in a 50-Week Supply Chain World
How deep field experience turned into manufacturing innovation
Jeff Strong built CORR Solutions Electrical by refusing to accept 48–80 week supply chain delays as “normal.” In this episode, he shares how decades in the electrical trade led him to engineer and manufacture low-voltage switchgear in-house—cutting delivery times dramatically and creating a scalable, U.S.-built solution for the EV infrastructure boom.
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About This Episode
Jeff Strong didn’t start out planning to manufacture electrical switchgear. After 40 years in the electrical trade—installing systems across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico—he saw firsthand where projects were failing: long delays, rigid suppliers, and little flexibility from major manufacturers.
When delivery times for low-voltage switchgear ballooned from 6–8 weeks to 48–80 weeks, Jeff made a founder-level decision: build it himself.
Today, CORR Solutions Electrical designs and manufactures U.S.-built switchgear serving EV infrastructure and utility applications, delivering in 12–14 weeks. Every product is engineered in-house, laser-cut, powder-coated, and assembled using a lean model that balances outsourced specialty services with internal control.
Jeff also shares the entrepreneurial realities behind the scenes—managing organic growth, navigating commodity constraints like copper shortages, and even temporarily shutting down marketing after overwhelming inbound demand.
This episode is a case study in operational strategy, disciplined scaling, and the power of domain expertise. Jeff’s approach blends craftsmanship, engineering, and practical business leadership—building products that installers actually want to work with because he’s been in the trenches himself.
Key Insights
Deep field experience creates manufacturing insight competitors often miss.
Long supply chain delays create opportunity for agile, specialized manufacturers.
Engineering in-house allows rapid iteration, better fit, and long-term IP control.
Outsource strategically—retain core value creation, leverage local industrial partners for efficiency.
Organic growth reduces financial risk but requires disciplined production capacity management.
Too much demand can be as dangerous as too little—control marketing inputs to protect operations.
Family business structure works best when roles are clearly divided by strengths.
Focus on mastering one scalable product line before diversifying into adjacent innovation.
Episode Transcript
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and readability. Filler words were removed, sentence structure improved, and formatting adjusted while preserving the original meaning and conversational tone.
Henry Harrison:
Welcome to Entrepreneurs, Business and Finance. We’re fortunate today to have Mr. Jeff Strong, founder and owner of CORR Solutions Electrical.
Jeff is an electrical engineer and longtime industry professional. Jeff, welcome.
Jeff Strong:
How you doing, Henry?
Henry Harrison:
Really good—glad to have you on. I’ve got your website pulled up—it’s impressive.
Let’s start with where you are today. What is your company doing?
Jeff Strong:
We shifted from electrical construction into building low-voltage electrical switchgear.
There’s a big market for it right now, especially driven by EV infrastructure. We’ve been manufacturing it for about five years.
Originally, we started because we couldn’t get switchgear for our own construction projects. Now we also supply contractors across the country.
Henry Harrison:
For someone unfamiliar, what does switchgear do?
Jeff Strong:
It’s essentially the utility connection point.
Utility power comes into the switchgear, and it provides breaker and overcurrent protection.
In EV projects, this is where power starts before being distributed to charging systems.
Most EV work right now is heavily concentrated in California.
Henry Harrison:
And you’re based in Longview, Washington?
Jeff Strong:
Yes—born and raised here.
Henry Harrison:
You’ve helped customers deal with major supply delays. What changed in the market?
Jeff Strong:
Five years ago, lead times jumped from 6–8 weeks to 36–48 weeks.
After COVID, it got even worse—48 to 80 weeks with major manufacturers.
We created a solution delivering in 12–14 weeks.
The big manufacturers haven’t shortened timelines because margins are still strong. We stepped in to fill that gap.
Henry Harrison:
You’re manufacturing these in-house?
Jeff Strong:
Yes.
Everything is engineered in-house:
CAD design
Laser cutting
Powder coating
Assembly
All U.S. labor.
We prototype, revise, and refine. Once a design is dialed in, we catalog it so it’s repeatable and precise.
Because we’ve installed switchgear in the field for decades, we understand what works and what doesn’t.
Many manufacturers don’t have that installation experience—we combine both.
Henry Harrison:
You’ve been in the trade for 40 years. How did you get started?
Jeff Strong:
I started welding at 13.
By 16, I was working as a production welder in a machine shop. That taught me fabrication and problem-solving.
Right out of high school, I entered the electrical field. Over time, I combined welding and electrical skills—which has been a huge advantage.
Henry Harrison:
Did you always plan to start your own business?
Jeff Strong:
Not really.
I didn’t like being tied down, but when you work hard and see owners building something while you’re earning wages, your mindset changes.
At 25, I started my own company. I had my master’s license at 24.
I also had experienced mentors who gave me advice—and I listened. That made a big difference.
Henry Harrison:
Listening is underrated.
Jeff Strong:
It is. Advice often challenges what you think you know.
Henry Harrison:
You’ve also developed mobile reverse osmosis systems.
Jeff Strong:
Yes.
We helped design mobile water purification trailers that can convert lake water—or even questionable sources—into potable drinking water.
They produce about 30 gallons per minute.
States like Oregon and Washington are buying them for emergency response—fires, earthquakes, natural disasters.
A company was close to abandoning the project due to packaging issues. We redesigned it and got it to market.
That’s part of our R&D passion.
Henry Harrison:
You now run the company with your son?
Jeff Strong:
Yes.
There are challenges—father-and-son dynamics—but it works well.
He handles business operations and field projects. I focus on engineering and R&D.
That allows us to create new products and opportunities.
Henry Harrison:
How do you structure operations?
Jeff Strong:
We outsource:
Laser cutting
Powder coating
Bringing everything in-house would require millions in capital.
By partnering with local industrial companies, we stay capital-efficient while maintaining control of engineering and assembly.
Right now, copper bus is our biggest supply constraint. Commodities are still a challenge.
Henry Harrison:
You once had to turn marketing off because demand was too high.
Jeff Strong:
Yes.
After launching our website and outreach, we were flooded with inquiries—including from companies like Tesla.
Demand overwhelmed production, and it started slowing us down.
We had to dial marketing back to stabilize operations.
Now we understand how to manage that balance.
Henry Harrison:
That’s a rare but real entrepreneurial problem—too much demand.
Jeff Strong:
It creates stress quickly.
We focus on controlled, organic growth.
Henry Harrison:
What’s next for the business?
Jeff Strong:
There are a lot of opportunities for innovation, but execution takes time.
We’re focused on what we do best—low-voltage switchgear—and refining it.
If we bring new R&D products to market, it will be done carefully and responsibly.
Henry Harrison:
Jeff, thank you.
If viewers need low-voltage switchgear, they can contact CORR Solutions Electrical at CORRSE.com.
Jeff Strong:
Thanks, Henry. I appreciate it.
Connect with Jeff Strong
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