Nevada minority-owned business choked by Trump reforms

A Latina-led construction company has run into hard times as a result of Republicans’ federal agenda.

Allegiant Electric, a Latina-owned construction business established in Southern Nevada in 2015, is struggling to keep pace with President Donald Trump’s economic and social agenda.

The company, which specializes in electrical contracting, solar battery storage, and EV charging stations, was hit hard by the deportation of an electrician this summer, causing a week-long project delay. The worker, on his way to a jobsite, was detained and deported to Juarez, Mexico.

“He got pulled over for a traffic violation and was taken into custody,” said Andrea Vigil, the chief operating officer at Allegiant Electric. “And he was picked up by ICE, and ended up getting deported.”

Then came tariffs.

The burden of their costs has contributed to significant price increases in the company’s operating expenses. One contract saw a $125,000 rise in price for a lighting installation for a home in the luxury Ridges mansion complex. With tariffs and additional electrical expenses, the project’s budget increased from $1,397,241 in February to $1,543,564 in July, based on an email passed on to The Nevadan-El Nevadense.

Vigil said the cost of imported components from Mexico has doubled, including items like electrical breakers, which went from $18 to $38. On top of that, shipments are taking longer to clear as they go back and forth through US Customs at the border. This comes after tariffs went through a number of changes earlier this year following a February executive order that imposed an additional 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada.

“We have to rethink how to pivot our business, with regards to tariffs,” Vigil said. “Homeowners are pulling back, and they’re reluctant to spend money on any new projects.”

She said projects that were already under contract now require renegotiation because of price increases. 

Then came a third blow. The Trump administration’s termination of the Solar for All program halted their expansion plans in the solar industry. 

In addition to lighting and electrical work, Allegiant Electric installs solar charging stations for residential and commercial clients and was looking to expand in the industry. That outlook was changed when earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency terminated all Solar for All grants, pulling a $156 million federal award from the Nevada Clean Energy Fund.

The grant supported businesses and households’ access to financial and technical assistance for solar and clean energy, including Allegiant Electric, but that came to an end. It also blocked a pathway for Allegiant to involve youth and disadvantaged individuals in skilled labor opportunities.

Vigil said her company partners with Employ NV Youth Hub to provide paid job training for projects in the Las Vegas Valley with a focus on building pipelines in the construction industry. She said that the industry is experiencing a shortage of skilled workers.

“Once they pulled the [Solar for All] funding, we had to give [Employ NV] a call back and let them know that as a result of the program terminating, we were no longer going to need to bring on board additional people at that time,” she said.