Dickey Electric grounds expertise into Champion emergency care center
The new Mercy Health – Champion Emergency Center is taking shape, and Dickey Electric is helping power the progress.
Ground was broken on the project in August 2025, and Dickey Electric has been working at the site since September. The facility is located on Educational Highway – near Trumbull Career and Technical Center and Kent State Trumbull campus.
Establishing power
Chris Pearce, foreman for Dickey Electric, said his crew has been focused on groundwork and setting the infrastructure in place.
“We’ve been out here around four months doing all of the site power,” he said. “The crew has been drilling pole bases. There are 48 on-site.”
Electricians are handling the drilling themselves, as long as the ground conditions are favorable. The process includes prep and pouring concrete – even in winter weather.
“When it’s this cold, we’ve been wrapping the bases with heat blankets and insulated tarps. Concrete generates heat as it cures, so keeping that heat in is critical. If it freezes, it doesn’t cure correctly,” Pearce said.
The power setup is being extended from a nearby tap box all the way to the project site. A generator currently powers the temporary trailers, while a permanent transformer pad is in place for the full buildout.
The current transformer (CT) cabinet and main metering cabinet are mostly complete. These systems will eventually support a 1,600-amp, three-phase power service to the building.
“All those black devices in the cabinet measure the amperage and how much power flows through,” Pearce explained. “That’s how the service is billed.”
Planning in 3D
A key piece of technology driving the project is a full 3D model used to coordinate every trade on site.
“It’s an interesting part about this job. The entire project is modeled out from start to finish. All the trades are using it to mark exactly where their equipment is going.”
Pearce noted that crews are already using a laser-guided positioning system that works with the 3D model to mark exact installation points throughout the building.
Dickey Electric will be using the same system to accurately locate and mark where electrical components, like rod hangers and conduit supports, need to go before the ceiling is closed in. That level of precision keeps everything aligned with the model and helps avoid costly conflicts between trades later in the build.
“Once the fireproofing is sprayed on the steel, we’ll come in and start hanging our prefab conduit racks. It makes everything move a lot faster,” he said.
Pearce has seen 3D modeling on other large-scale projects in the region and said it’s a valuable tool in a complex, high-traffic build.
“There’s so much mechanical equipment, electrical and med gas systems all packed in limited space. The model keeps everything aligned and makes the coordination possible.”
Looking down the wire
The 30,000-square-foot emergency center will be open 24/7, include 25 beds, a helipad and critical spaces like CT and MRI scan rooms, radiology and standard care areas.
Pearce said the site was designed to accommodate future growth, with plans for additional buildings and roadways over time.
“This is just the start of what could grow into something bigger,” he said.
The facility is expected to be open in late 2026 or early 2027.
Dickey Electric is a member contractor of NECA-IBEW Electricians, an association consisting of IBEW Local 64 in Youngstown, IBEW Local 573 in Warren and signatory electrical contractors throughout the Mahoning Valley.
