Former electrician begins foundation with wife to pay back to industry

By Jeff Wendt
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Mike Greenawalt grew up in Sunnyslope off Third Street and Hatcher Road. He was 19 and messing around working on cars when a neighbor approached him one day.

“You need to be an electrician,” the neighbor told Greenawalt.

“I knew nothing about it, and I thought, ‘Hey, I don’t know anything about it. How much do they make? Obviously, my first question?’” Greenawalt said. “We had a conversation, and he spoke with my parents about it. That afternoon, my mom said, ‘You’re going to have dinner with Ed and Margaret.’”

That dinner that evening with the Krugs led to a 45-year career in the electrical industry.

Now Greenawalt and his wife Dena founded the Greenawalt Foundation to help those looking to get into the electrical industry with scholarships for high school seniors to pursue skilled trade careers, to support pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship skilled training programs with grants, and to support community organizations that help women, children, families and animals.

High school seniors can apply now for $2,500 scholarships to be paid directly to approved skilled trades apprenticeship programs for tuition, tools, books, or supplies. U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, accredited skilled trades educational institutions, trade schools and apprenticeship programs can apply for the 2026 Skilled Trades Grant.

“There’s a career out there,” Mike Greenawalt said. “The industry is starving for people right now, and we need to open their eyes and just give them a chance to take a look under the hood, right?”

After the years spent in an apprenticeship, then working at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, followed by time working on projects at the Denver Airport, Cupertino Electric and finally Rosendin Electric, where he became the CEO before retiring, the Greenawalts believed it was the right time to begin the foundation.

“I had been working with the apprenticeship program in Arizona,” Mike Greenawalt said. “I sat on the apprenticeship committee. I was on labor management committees. I’m working through it. We’ve seen this labor crisis coming at us for probably the past 15 years. And we’ve struggled with a strategy of contractors are usually using lagging indicators for everything.

“And I have some ideas on how to get people in, and we just kept going through the same process, especially on the union side,” Greenawalt added. “You put an ad out for so many, you get so many, you bring them in. No growth plan. No scaling. We are going to follow the work you know. As work increases, we will increase our numbers.”

Mike Greenawalt remembers a conversation he had with Grand Canyon University President Brian Mueller about an apprenticeship program.

“In September 2021, they had no idea why I was even there,” Mike Greenawalt said. “And within 60 days after that, I was sitting in President Mueller’s office. Allowing this exciting conversation about opportunities.”

That meeting has led to a pre-apprenticeship for electricians program at Grand Canyon. Apprenticeships are also seen with the city of Phoenix sponsoring a program with the Maricopa County Community College District and GCU partnering with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. on an apprenticeship program as well as a CNC Machine Tools program, which makes pieces that are selling on the open market.

Dena Greenawalt started in production with the Arizona Republic before moving to the Rocky Mountain News in Denver. She was asked to return to the Republic, and worked in advertising and IT before becoming the director of projects and planning, and was on the team that began Buyer’s Edge and then also worked on the company’s “Season for Sharing” initiative.

The Greenawalts got everything lined up last year in the first year of the foundation.

The organization gave out $169,000 in funds during its first year, which includes $85,000 to the Phoenix Electrical JATC, which is near and dear to Mike Greenawalt because that is where he began his apprenticeship training.

“So now we’re paying it forward,” Mike Greenawalt said. “I’m sharing my story with kids, teachers and school counselors, while supporting the programs that develop our future workforce and pave the way for life-changing careers.”

The goal is to go over $250,000 in money granted towards scholarships to high school seniors and organizational grants to various organizations.

“It’s a starter,” Mike Greenawalt said. “There you go. The industry, the demand is there, and the money is out there. It’s just getting the money into this place and flowing in this direction to get these young men and women into our business. We’re just the start.”

“We know we will have to fundraise at some point, vs just self-funding.” Dena Greenawalt added. “While our goal is the $250,000, I’d love to be able to grant more than that – say $500,000 or 1,000,000. The $250,000 is our starting point. It would be great to if we’re able to give out 100 scholarships as some point. We have to start somewhere, and this is just the beginning. It’s where we are today."

Jeff Wendt
Reporter | Phoenix/Cave Creek

jwendt@iniusa.org

Meet Jeff
Jeff Wendt started at Independent Newsmedia in January 2023, after 25 years working for Gannett and The Arizona Republic. Started as a high school sports scoretaker, worked up to reporting high school sports and then became an associate high school sports editor in 2002. Also worked in the Design Studio as a copy editor.

Community: Jeff serves on the Board of Elders at his local church.

Education: Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication

Random fact: Attended Game 2 of the 2001 World Series.

Hobbies: Playing video games (yes still the kid in me), watching reality TV, playing poker.