Bailey Electrical & Security Services Named National Finalist in the 2026 Electrical Industry Excellence Awards
Bailey Electrical & Security Services (BESS) has been named a National Finalist for New or Emerging Business of the Year in the 2026 Master Electricians Australia Electrical Industry Excellence Awards, alongside BESS apprentice Noah Duggan, who has been named a finalist for Apprentice of the Year.
For a business established just over two years ago, it is a milestone we are incredibly proud to reach.
From a One-Man Operation to a National Finalist
Bailey Electrical & Security Services, trading under EB Electrical Services Pty Ltd, was established in 2024 by Ethan and Ashleigh Bailey. The beginnings of BESS were considerably smaller than the business you see today. Ethan initially began sourcing electrical work himself through AirTasker, building a customer base one job at a time. Quality workmanship, reliability and good old-fashioned customer service quickly led to repeat customers, referrals and new industry relationships. As demand grew, our first apprentice joined the business and BESS began transitioning away from platform-based work into the residential, commercial and industrial electrical contractor we are today. Our team has since grown to include qualified electricians, apprentices and dedicated office support, servicing clients throughout metropolitan Perth and regional Western Australia.
While the growth has been fast, our priorities have remained largely unchanged: look after our customers, look after our team and do work we're proud to put our name on.
Growing Beyond Residential Electrical
One of the things we're particularly proud of is the diversity of work our team now undertakes.
What began primarily with residential electrical work has developed into projects spanning residential, commercial and industrial electrical services, including electrical maintenance and installations, switchboard upgrades, lighting and power, air conditioning, CCTV and security, data, EV chargers and emergency breakdown work. Along the way, we've had opportunities to work with some incredible organisations across Western Australia.
Our nomination highlighted ongoing relationships and projects involving businesses and organisations including Racing and Wagering WA, WA Limestone, Reclab, Winchester Industries and LMS Energy, as well as ongoing service agreements with Bartter Enterprises and Thornlie Senior High School. Our team has also been involved in complex industrial and infrastructure works, including supporting LMS Energy with critical infrastructure upgrades and commissioning activities, and completing electrical and generator works for a Synergy activation as part of Perth Festival.
They're opportunities we certainly didn't imagine we'd have when BESS first began.
Building the Business Behind the Electrical Work
Being selected as a finalist isn't something we see as recognition of growth alone. A significant part of our journey has been building the systems and processes behind the scenes that allow BESS to grow without losing the standard of service we started with. As the business has expanded, we've invested heavily in job management, safety documentation, quality control, scheduling and communication systems. Our field team extensively documents works through photographs, job notes, forms and checklists, while our office team reviews completed jobs to ensure they meet the standards we've established for BESS and sometimes that standard really does mean sending someone back because we noticed a dirty GPO in a completion photo!
We believe the little things matter. Ethan and Ashleigh also remain heavily involved in the day-to-day business, with Ethan leading technical operations, safety and field development while Ashleigh oversees operations, customer experience, marketing and business development. Despite the technology and systems we've introduced, we've deliberately tried to retain the personal service of a family-owned electrical business. Sometimes picking up the phone and speaking to someone is still the best system there is.
Investing in the Next Generation of Electricians
Perhaps one of the most meaningful parts of this year's awards is that BESS won't be heading to the national awards with just one finalist. Our second year apprentice, Noah Duggan, has also been named a finalist for Apprentice of the Year.
Developing apprentices has become an important part of the culture we're building at BESS. Our approach goes beyond simply helping apprentices complete their trade. We want them exposed to different areas of the electrical industry, supported by experienced tradespeople and given opportunities to develop their technical skills, confidence and professionalism. Mentoring and apprentice development formed an important part of our New or Emerging Business of the Year submission, alongside evidence of our team's training and development. Having Noah independently recognised at a national level makes that particularly special.
We're incredibly proud of what he has achieved and can't wait to see where his career takes him.
Thank You to the Businesses That Backed BESS
Our award submission wasn't something we could put together entirely on our own.
Several businesses and clients generously took the time to provide testimonials supporting our nomination, including:
MEP / ARA Electrical
Sigma Power Services
REC Labs
Racing and Wagering WA
Tradezone
Those testimonials formed part of a much larger submission demonstrating our work, safety systems, customer feedback, team development, projects and community involvement.
Having businesses we've worked alongside willing to put their name behind BESS means an enormous amount to us.
Thank you.
Representing Western Australia on the National Stage
Being named a finalist doesn't mean we've suddenly become a perfect business.
We're still learning. We're still improving our systems. We still have difficult days, make mistakes, solve problems and occasionally wonder how we're going to fit everything into one week. But perhaps that's also why this recognition means so much. In a little over two years, we've built something from the ground up that now supports a growing team, trains the next generation of electricians, services customers throughout WA and delivers projects we once could only have imagined being involved in.
Now, somehow, it's taking us to the national stage.
We'll be heading to the 2026 Master Electricians Australia Electrical Industry Excellence Awards incredibly proud to represent Western Australia as finalists for New or Emerging Business of the Year, and even prouder to have Noah there representing BESS as an Apprentice of the Year finalist.
Whatever happens when the winners are announced, getting this far is something our entire team can be proud of.
Melbourne, here we come! 🎉🥳
