Rocky Coastal Electric Sets a Community Standard for Skilled Trades Mentorship in Lewiston-Auburn
Corey Hunt, owner of Rocky Coastal Electric, is formalizing a mentorship track inside his company for anyone in the Lewiston-Auburn area who wants to learn the electrical trade from the ground up.
LEWISTON, ME, September 23, 2026 -- Rocky Coastal Electric has grown for three years in the Lewiston-Auburn area under Corey Hunt, a Master Electrician who built his own path through the trade before starting the company in March 2023. Hunt is now putting a name and a structure to something he has already been doing informally: bringing people onto his crew who are new to electrical work and teaching them the job the way he learned it, on site and hands-on.
The commitment is simple. Rocky Coastal Electric will keep a standing spot on its crew for someone starting out in the trade, with Hunt or a senior team member overseeing their day-to-day learning until they are ready to work toward licensing on their own.
Why this, and why now
Hunt started as a helper on solar installs in Massachusetts back in 2014. He later worked for a company called ESM before earning his Master Electrician license and transferring into the IBEW, where he traveled the country working with different union locals. Every step of that path involved someone letting him learn by doing.
"I got where I am because people ahead of me were willing to show me things instead of just handing me a task list," Hunt said. "That's the same reason I keep a spot open on my crew for somebody starting out. It costs me time up front. It pays back for years."
The structure Hunt is putting in place is not a classroom program. It is a work assignment. New team members shadow licensed electricians on real jobs around Lewiston-Auburn, from panel work to service calls, and take on more responsibility as they show they are ready.
What the mentorship track includes
Rocky Coastal Electric's approach has three parts.
Paired job assignments. New hires are placed directly with an experienced electrician on every job, not just for a training period, until they can run smaller tasks on their own.
A path toward licensing. Hunt tracks each mentee's hours and skills against what Maine requires for advancement, so the work they do on the job actually counts toward their progress.
Regular check-ins. Hunt meets one-on-one with anyone in the program to talk through what is working and what needs more attention, rather than leaving that to chance.
"I don't think you can build a good electrician by just letting them figure it out alone," Hunt said. "You also don't build one by keeping them off real jobs too long. The balance is putting them next to someone who will correct their mistakes before those mistakes cost a homeowner money."
Built around the crew he already has
Hunt has said before that leadership in this trade means showing up and working harder than everyone else, and creating solutions for people with problems. That standard now extends to how he brings new people in. Rather than treating apprentices as a temporary labor source, Hunt is structuring their time on the crew the same way his own early years were structured: with a clear line from helper to tradesman.
Rocky Coastal Electric is not a large company, and Hunt is direct about what that means for this program. There will not be a large class of trainees at once. The commitment is to keep the door open, consistently, for the Lewiston-Auburn area, rather than to run a big hiring push once and stop.
"I'd rather do this slow and do it right," Hunt said. "One person who actually becomes a good electrician is worth more to me than filling seats."
Looking ahead
Hunt plans to keep the mentorship slot filled as Rocky Coastal Electric grows, adding a second mentee position once the company's workload supports it. He has said the goal is not just a bigger business, but one that gives other people in the area the same kind of start he had.
Corey Hunt is a Master Electrician and the owner of Rocky Coastal Electric, an electrical contracting company based in the Lewiston-Auburn area of Maine. He founded the company in March 2023 after working in solar installation, with ESM, and with the IBEW across multiple union locals. Hunt lives in the Lewiston-Auburn area with his family.
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The commitment is simple. Rocky Coastal Electric will keep a standing spot on its crew for someone starting out in the trade, with Hunt or a senior team member overseeing their day-to-day learning until they are ready to work toward licensing on their own.
Why this, and why now
Hunt started as a helper on solar installs in Massachusetts back in 2014. He later worked for a company called ESM before earning his Master Electrician license and transferring into the IBEW, where he traveled the country working with different union locals. Every step of that path involved someone letting him learn by doing.
"I got where I am because people ahead of me were willing to show me things instead of just handing me a task list," Hunt said. "That's the same reason I keep a spot open on my crew for somebody starting out. It costs me time up front. It pays back for years."
The structure Hunt is putting in place is not a classroom program. It is a work assignment. New team members shadow licensed electricians on real jobs around Lewiston-Auburn, from panel work to service calls, and take on more responsibility as they show they are ready.
What the mentorship track includes
Rocky Coastal Electric's approach has three parts.
Paired job assignments. New hires are placed directly with an experienced electrician on every job, not just for a training period, until they can run smaller tasks on their own.
A path toward licensing. Hunt tracks each mentee's hours and skills against what Maine requires for advancement, so the work they do on the job actually counts toward their progress.
Regular check-ins. Hunt meets one-on-one with anyone in the program to talk through what is working and what needs more attention, rather than leaving that to chance.
"I don't think you can build a good electrician by just letting them figure it out alone," Hunt said. "You also don't build one by keeping them off real jobs too long. The balance is putting them next to someone who will correct their mistakes before those mistakes cost a homeowner money."
Built around the crew he already has
Hunt has said before that leadership in this trade means showing up and working harder than everyone else, and creating solutions for people with problems. That standard now extends to how he brings new people in. Rather than treating apprentices as a temporary labor source, Hunt is structuring their time on the crew the same way his own early years were structured: with a clear line from helper to tradesman.
Rocky Coastal Electric is not a large company, and Hunt is direct about what that means for this program. There will not be a large class of trainees at once. The commitment is to keep the door open, consistently, for the Lewiston-Auburn area, rather than to run a big hiring push once and stop.
"I'd rather do this slow and do it right," Hunt said. "One person who actually becomes a good electrician is worth more to me than filling seats."
Looking ahead
Hunt plans to keep the mentorship slot filled as Rocky Coastal Electric grows, adding a second mentee position once the company's workload supports it. He has said the goal is not just a bigger business, but one that gives other people in the area the same kind of start he had.
Corey Hunt is a Master Electrician and the owner of Rocky Coastal Electric, an electrical contracting company based in the Lewiston-Auburn area of Maine. He founded the company in March 2023 after working in solar installation, with ESM, and with the IBEW across multiple union locals. Hunt lives in the Lewiston-Auburn area with his family.
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Corey HuntCorey Hunt Lewiston
Lewiston, Maine
United States
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