About Grassroots Electric
Grassroots Electric LLC is a licensed (License # 1128429), bonded, and insured electrical contracting shop serving the communities of Santa Clara County, Alameda County, San Mateo County, and surrounding areas. Call or text now to discuss your electrical project and schedule a free estimate: (650) 661-1100
Meet The Founder
James MacKenzie, Licensed Electrical Contractor
James joined the electrical union as an apprentice in 2013 with a dream to start a mission-driven electrical shop. In 2024, his dream is becoming a reality with Grassroots Electric. To his core, James is a builder and a helper, and he can't wait to meet you and hear about your needs.​
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James earned a degree in Automation and Robotics from Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis, MN before completing a 5-year union apprenticeship with IBEW Local 292 to earn a journeyman license. Outside of his union jobs, he always gravitated toward projects that were community and environmentally focused. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he built an off-grid tiny home with reclaimed and upcycled materials. He donated the house to a Native American homeless shelter in Minneapolis (pictured below). In 2022, James purchased a severely damaged foreclosure home in Minneapolis and poured his heart into rebuilding and restoring it using energy-efficient practices (pictured throughout the site).
James and his wife Shreya moved from Minneapolis to California so that Shreya could finish her PhD in Clinical and Developmental Psychology. As a bonus to marrying a psychologist, James aims to use the knowledge he picks up to make his customers feel safe, seen, and supported. James, Shreya, and their dog Rosie now call the Bay Area home and hope to foster a sense of community in as many ways as possible.
Our commitment to community
At Grassroots Electric, we are committed to community through improving life for people in the most dire of situations. We believe in housing and food security as avenues to making the world a better place for everyone. The photograph above shows James presenting the tiny home he built as a gift to Homeward Bound, an American Indian community organization.