Our History Waco Electrical Company “Waco” was founded by William C. “Bill” Autry in 1975. Autry’s goal was to provide residential, commercial and industrial electrical work in the Raleigh, NC area. Waco was incorporated in 1979. Bill’s son-in-law, James H. Council, joined Waco in 1980 and took over the day-to-day operations of the company. In 1993 Bill retired, and James became the sole owner. In 1994, Mark Pleasant, Oscar “Rusty” Pruitt, and R. Sterling Barbour became business partners with James. After James retired in 1998, Mark, Rusty and Sterling became co-owners together. In 2003, Mark and Rusty acquired Sterling’s shares. Waco Mechanical was formed in 2004, but since has been dissolved. Waco Plumbing got it’s start in 2007, and Waco Fire Alarm in 2015. Both additions have been very successful at Waco. In 2020, Mark A. Pleasant became the sole owner of all Waco entities. Quality, dedication and integrity are what made this company successful for nearly 50 years. After graduating Garner Senior High School in 1985, Mark Pleasant joined Waco as an electrical apprentice. Through hard work, he was quickly promoted to electrical estimator. He obtained his unlimited electrical contractors license in 1992. His determination and great work ethic lead to his promotion as co-owner in 1994 and president in 1998. As president of Waco, he managed the sales, estimations, and day-to-day operations. In 2015 Mark became the CEO of Waco. As CEO he provides the vision, passion and culture that leads the diverse Waco management team in commercial construction. In 2019, Mark became the sole owner of Waco. His passion and dedicated leadership help Waco provide their customers with the highest quality skills and customer service. Waco is honored to have such a devoted and driven leader that supports his team and customers on and off the clock.