In 1954, Bert E. Ballard, Sr., with fellow electrician Norm Knott, formed the partnership of Ballard Electric. Their company was incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois in 1960 as Ballard Electric, Inc.

Ballard Companies, Inc Board of Directors left to right
Carl Ballard, Roxann Burren, Dave Boettcher, Kay Nelson, and Scott Hangartner.

In 1977 Bert’s sons Carl and Bert, Jr. ( Ed ), together with partners Larry Branch and Ronald Anderson, took over company ownership. In 1987, Joseph Sinclair became a partner; and in 1988, to reflect the company's growth and diversification, the corporation was renamed Ballard Companies, Inc. In 1995 Scott Hangartner became a partner.
The transition of ownership has continued over the years so today the company’s full owners include the individuals pictured above along with David Martindale, Dan Raasch, Chuck Johnson, and Larry Spitzmiller.

Departments within Ballard Companies are Ballard Electric Inc., Ballard Engineering and Pro Com Systems. Related companies are S.C.E. Inc., Energy Consulting and Investing, Inc., and Ballard Engineering, Inc.

Ballard has evolved from its beginnings as a provider of residential wiring into a corporate family of diverse companies providing commercial, industrial and institutional electrical contracting, integrated control systems, power generation, co-generation and internal communication systems. Its capabilities include design-build and turn-key projects, joint ventures and specialty work in energy, consulting and investing.

The Ballard Companies primarily serve the northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin area. However, many projects have been successfully completed in more distant areas within the continental United States and as far away as Caracas and Valencia, Venezuela.