You could say Logan LaHaie had an enlightening moment during his Construction Trades class at Petoskey High School during his senior year.
In the class, students learn about every aspect of construction, from framing and drywalling to roofing and electrical wiring. As he worked through the various aspects of building a house, LaHaie said he began to realize becoming an electrician was the most appealing path.
“I knew I wanted to do something hands-on and in the construction field,” said LaHaie, 19. “The class is very hands-on, so you get to work on many different aspects as we build an actual house. I started to realize the things I did not want to do long-term, and began to think about becoming an electrician.”
LaHaie, who graduated in June 2025 from PHS, told his instructor, Jake Giffin, about his aspirations. Giffin was able to continue giving LaHaie more opportunities to work on the electrical components of their home building project.
“Mr. Giffin is so great about helping students work more in their areas of interest,” said LaHaie.
That made the difference for LaHaie. Since graduation, he has been working for the former Muller Electric, which the LaHaie family recently purchased and have renamed L&L Electric.
LaHaie was recently celebrated by Char-Em ISD at a “Career Tech to Careers” signing event. Career Tech to Careers events were established by Char-Em’s Career and Technical Education Department to recognize high school students who pursue careers after graduation based in part on their enrollment in career tech classes in high school.
LaHaie spent two years in the construction program at PHS, and he said the skills he learned helped prepare him to enter the workforce. In addition, during his senior year LaHaie participated in the co-op program, or “work-based learning,” that has been reignited by Char-Em ISD career and technical education staff, along with Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates (JMG) specialists from Northwest Michigan Works. JMG specialists work in every Char-Em ISD school district in Emmet, Charlevoix, and northern Antrim counties.
Co-op allows students to work in career fields of interest with local employers for part of the school day, earning wages and credits toward graduation and honing work skills for after graduation. LaHaie was able to work for his dad’s construction company, L&L Contracting, to gain even further experience before graduation.
The recent signing event took place at Luxury Garages Hearthside Grove, a new high-end storage facility next door to Hearthside Grove motorcoach resort on U.S. 31 in Petoskey. The towering garages, 28 feet tall inside, are made for storing the luxury coaches that visit the resort and are also open to the public for any type of storage rental need. LaHaie, working with Muller Electric, worked on the electrical components for the recently completed facility.
“Logan is a sharp young man and I knew he was going to continue to do well,” said Chuck Muller, who sold his business to the LaHaies.
While he’s now a working electrician, LaHaie said there is a long way to go to become fully certified in the field. Countless hours of safety training in particular are necessary due to the hazards that come with electrical work. He’s currently taking required, self-paced, online classes through Michigan State University while working full-time, about 40 hours a week.
The next steps include working toward the necessary 576 hours of class time, plus 8,000 hours to become a journeyman, followed by another two years to become a master electrician – for a total of 12,000 hours of experience required to get there.
Since completing the luxury garages project, LaHaie is currently working at a new residential build with his dad, Matt LaHaie. He is working under master electrician Lee Chapaw, who is teaching him everything he needs to know for residential projects such as roughing out electrical needs and running wires for outlets and lighting cans.
“I like to stay busy, and every day is something different,” he said. “I never wanted to sit in a cubicle all day.”
Looking ahead, LaHaie said he plans to work toward his journeyman’s license and take on more responsibilities of running the business, including bidding on projects. He said he would encourage other high school students to enroll in career and technical education classes to open up opportunities for them post-high school.
“It was such a fun class, and I was never bored,” he said. “If you like to work hands-on, these classes are definitely for you.”
Upon graduation, his teacher, Giffin, was able to use some career tech funding to provide him with an electrician’s toolkit that included items like wire strippers, lineman’s plyers, side cutters, battery and charger and more – a full starter kit, LaHaie said.
“It was a huge help getting started in this field,” he said.
As part of the ISD’s Career Tech to Careers events, LaHaie received a $200 gift card to Tractor Supply from the Mansfield Family Foundation, which has generously supported the ISD’s signing events and career tech initiatives for many years.
Photo caption:
Pictured with Logan LaHaie (center, standing) during a recent Career Tech to Careers signing celebration are (from left) Matt LaHaie, Logan’s father and owner of L&L Contracting and L&L Electric (formerly Muller Electric); Jim Rummer, Char-Em ISD Career and Technical Education Director; Tory Thrush, Career/College Readiness Consultant for Char-Em ISD; Tracy Beckley, Youth Services Regional Director, Northwest Michigan Works!; Tamara Kolodziej, PHS counselor; Chuck Muller, former owner of Muller Electric; and Cathy Schanski, JMG Specialist.