Maxivolt: A Family Legacy of Leadership and Innovation

Maxivolt has been a leader in surge protection and transient voltage mitigation for over three decades. As Cris Wingate prepares to step into the role of CEO, the family business continues its commitment to reliability and safety in electrical systems. Founded by Cris’ parents, Mark and Jeanette along with three others, in Amarillo, Texas, Maxivolt has built its reputation on innovative surge protection solutions that prioritize safety and performance.

The Maxivolt Difference

Maxivolt’s surge protectors are designed to mitigate the impacts of transient voltage, which costs businesses $26 billion annually in downtime and costly equipment maintenance and replacement. As Maxivolt’s Marketing Director Maggie Moon describes it, “Transient voltage is like a party crasher—uninvited and disruptive. We take an approach to mitigating those dangers from within.” With a strong emphasis on safety, Maxivolt’s integrated safety fusing, ground independent design, fine-tuned clamping voltages, and custom hybrid surge suppression circuits, soldered connections, and durable enclosures provide unparalleled safety and performance, all while keeping systems running smoothly.

Beyond manufacturing, Maxivolt dedicates time to educating its clients. “There’s a huge educational gap when it comes to transient voltage,” Cris Wingate says. “We bridge that gap through client interactions, web calls, and in-person trainings, making sure our customers understand how to make their systems as reliable as possible.”

Shaping the Future of Standards and Innovation

Maxivolt views itself as more than a manufacturer—the company is an advocate for the consumer, fighting for safety while allowing flexibility for industries to innovate. “We swim upstream and do things a little differently,” Wingate says. “We want people to be able to accomplish their goals safely, without being boxed in by unnecessary limitations.”

This holistic, customer-centric approach has led Maxivolt to solve complex issues for clients. For example, when an industrial facility began experiencing failures in their LED lighting system, technicians quickly diagnosed the problem, found the weak link, and developed a tailored solution to prevent future issues.

Maxivolt is also shaping industry standards, balancing regulatory compliance with delivering client value. As regulations continue to evolve, the company is committed to working with their counterparts to push the industry forward and credits NEMA with facilitating that. “NEMA provides a forum for us to collaborate with other people in the industry and makes our voices louder,” says Wingate.

Future Growth

At the heart of Maxivolt is a commitment to doing the right thing, even when it doesn’t directly benefit the company. “Doing the right thing is more than a slogan—it’s how we operate. We’re transparent with our team and clients,” and that includes fostering a team that shares these values. “We want people who are in it for the long term, who believe in our mission,” Wingate says.

The company focuses on retention, ensuring that employees understand and embrace the mission from the start. “We actually almost undersell the role to make sure they really want to do this,” Wingate notes. “We’re looking for people who want a long-term career here.”

As Maxivolt moves into its next chapter, the focus remains on innovation, safety, and reliability. Wingate and his team are poised to lead the company through the evolving landscape of energy transition and electrification. With an unwavering commitment to its core values and an eye toward growth, Maxivolt remains a trusted leader in surge protection, offering solutions that keep businesses, from utilities to manufacturing running smoothly and safely.