Every summer for the last 35 years, food vendors, musicians, and thousands of hungry people have filled the streets of downtown Lafayette for the annual Taste of Tippecanoe. With this year’s construction, setting up the 33 vendors and 4 music stages could have been quite difficult. Fortunately, Huston Electric rose to the challenge and got the job done.
Huston Electric has been setting up the power for the Taste of Tippecanoe for the last eight years. This year, Matt Huston was added as a committee member, and was able to have a more hands on role in planning the event. Frequent communication prevented delays, and his knowledge of downtown Lafayette was indispensable when determining the layout of the booths and stages. Utilizing the available hook-ups and strategically placed generators, they were able to balance the flow of power in a way that prevented power outages or any other major issues.

That’s not to say setbacks didn’t happen. One of the unique attractions at this year’s Taste of Tippecanoe was a live art demonstration, put on by the Twin Lakes High School welding program. Students set up a portable welding machine in the Crossroads Art Zone (located at 3rd and Colombia Street) and welded a sculpture while the crowd watched. A snag in getting power to the welding machine could have prevented the students from showcasing their talents, but thanks to quick thinking from Huston Electric, the power was restored and the demonstration was a success.
Chris June, marketing and events director of Tippecanoe Arts Federation, is thankful to have Huston Electric’s support. They are “a great partner, helping to make sure behind-the-scenes pitfalls are at a minimum”. The Taste of Tippecanoe is the largest single-day fundraiser for the arts in the state of Indiana, and June said he was surprised there weren’t more issues. With the help of Huston Electric, the event was “fun to figure out. They got it done, they really took care of business.”
In all, it took the Huston Electric crew close to 100 hours and 20,000 feet of cable to power vendor booths, music stages, a welding demonstration, and air conditioning for a VIP area. It may seem like a daunting task, but for the hard working guys at Huston Electric, it’s all in a day’s work. “I think it’s good for the community, good for the vendors, and I think it’s a good place for people to enjoy their city” said David Klopfenstein, Huston Electric employee, to WLFI about volunteering the electrical needs for the event. He certainly voiced the sentiments of everyone here at Huston, who believe that using our time and talents to help those around us is one of the most important things we can do as a company. Business support is essential for the continued success of community events and we are proud to be invited to participate!
Huston Inc. was founded in 1939 and has divisions specializing in electrical contracting and service, home and business automation, smart boards, lighting retrofits, telecommunications, visual communications and signage, generators and compressors. Huston Electric has four locations including Lafayette, Kokomo and Westfield, IN. To learn more about Huston’s products and services, please visit www.hustonelectric.com.
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Matt Huston was born and raised in Lafayette, IN. During the summers beginning at age 13, Matt worked for the family electrical business, Huston Electric, first as a warehouse helper and then truck driver delivering material to jobsites. After graduating from Harrison High School, Matt attended Purdue University and finished at Indiana University-Purdue University (IUPUI) in 2013. Matt started his career as the Electrical Service Manager in Huston’s Lafayette location. Hitting the ground running, Matt built countless service-based relationships and has grown and morphed Huston Electric’s service division and market offerings. Matt was promoted to Director of Electrical Services in 2019 and was the driving force behind Huston’s solar division that launched in 2020. Currently, Matt serves as President of Huston Electric and is leading the company into its 85th year in business. Matt is excited and humbled to be able to follow in the steps of his father (Jon), grandfather (Dave), and great grandfather (Don) and looks forward to carrying on the legacy and growth at Huston Electric. Matt is an active member in many industry peer groups, community events, and trade conferences. He is a member of the Region4 Workforce Board and is Huston Electric’s appointed representative to ELECTRI International.