CTS Electrical
“It’s a domino effect.” That’s how Mike Hust describes the way Convention Technical Services Electrical (CTS Electrical) has grown over the past 29 years. One satisfied client talks to another, then another. One successful show leads to the next. Every connection, every event, every handshake are the dominos: setting up the next.
But before those dominos could fall, they had to be carefully placed.
In 1996, Hust was handling electrical for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta when friend and mentor Norm Yahraus asked him to partner in a new tradeshow company. For Hust, who had started in the industry with Greyhound Electric and later GES at Tradeshow Electric, working with Yahraus was a no-brainer. “The smartest man in this business I’ve ever met in my life,” Hust says of Yahraus, with affectionate reverence. “Norm Yahraus was a father figure to me, he was my mentor, and one of my closest, closest friends.”
Together with David Paulsen, another friend and trusted colleague, they founded CTS Electrical.
That foundation was built not just on experience, but on something deeper: trust, relationships, and an absolute commitment to the client’s success. “If the company that hires us doesn’t succeed, then we don’t succeed,” Hust says. “What do you need, let’s make this thing work. That’s been our philosophy from day one.”
CTS Electrical started small and focused on Las Vegas and Southern California. But the dominos started to fall, clients came, stayed, and spread the word. Today, CTS Electrical powers everything from the Carwash Show and Dreamhack to EVO USA, Neuroscience, and Distributech, working events across the West Coast with offices in Las Vegas and Anaheim, and active connections reaching into Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and San Diego.
Who Is CTS?
CTS Electrical is a regional powerhouse in tradeshow electrics; a service based company that provides electrical services for tradeshows, corporate events and live productions. Quietly built on reputation, repeat business, and a deeply personal touch, Hust says, “We’re not a big marketing company, so it’s always been word of mouth for us. General Service Contractors have used us and then told other service contractors about us, and they subcontract business back and forth all the time.”
His pitch is simple: “Give us one show, and we’ll prove it.”
CTS Electrical sees clients not just as customers, but as partners, and often as friends.
“We’re the ultimate team player,” says Hust. “We’re here for you to succeed, and we’ll do whatever it takes.”
And it’s a mindset that’s helped the company not only survive, but grow, even through turbulent times. “Covid kind of turned things around for us. The big companies had to downsize and that opened up things for other service contractoring companies, the smaller companies that we work with.” Since then, they’ve seen consistent growth, about 20 percent per year.
More Than Electrics: CTS Production
That momentum also led to expansion. With the launch of CTS Production, a new division headed by general manager Sean Jackson, CTS Electrical has stepped into live event production. The newest arm of CTS Electrical helps clients who need lighting design, video and sound reinforcement for booths, and for meetings or client events. As a full service one-off audio firm, CTS Electrical will craft and design custom events. They help produce corporate concerts for over 10,000 fans or as small as 50 attendees.
“It goes hand-in-hand when you’re doing power for a stage,” Hust says. “It just made sense.”
Still, electrical remains the heart of the business. And the real strength of CTS Electrical? Their team.
“Our success—it’s not me or Dave,” Hust says. “It’s our frontline. It’s our foremen, our electricians—the people the clients actually see and work with. They’re the ones getting it done, meeting the deadlines, solving problems.”
And that kind of dedication doesn’t shut off when the workday ends. As Hust likes to say, holding up his phone: “This doesn’t turn off at 5.”
A Company That Feels Like Family
You could say CTS Electrical isn’t just in the business of power, they’re in the business of people. And for Hust, Paulsen, and the entire CTS Electrical crew, that’s not a tagline, it’s personal.
“We feel like we’re more of a team player. We’re very flexible with our pricing. But more than that, our clients become family to us,” Hust says.
That sense of care and commitment, paired with nearly three decades of industry expertise, is why CTS Electrical remains one of the most respected electrical partners in the Western tradeshow scene.
“We want that long-term relationship,” Hust says. “Your business grows, we grow too. It’s a domino effect.”
Need electrical? Just call Mike.
This story originally appeared in the Q3 2025 issue of Exhibit City News, p. 76. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/exhibit_city_news_-_jul_aug_sept_2025/76.
