While summer signals a season of fun—days at the beach, trips to the mountains, family vacations, and a calendar full of activities—it also serves as a reminder that we have entered warm-water storm season, bringing with it the possibility of tropical storms and the ever-dreaded hurricane. 

Most Scenic 98 Coastal stories have at least one of three life events that have shaped memories for those of us who have lived along the Gulf Coast for any length of time: The BP oil spill (2010) when the beach was literally closed for a year, the Covid pandemic, which lit the area up with visitors and new arrivals, (once people figured out they could live and work remotely), and, of course, multiple hurricanes.

The other day, Linda and I watched an old documentary on Hurricane Camille. It brought back memories of growing up in Mobile and the devastation it brought to our homes. Weather radar systems at the time were just entering a new generation of technology capable of better prediction of emerging systems, but they were not as fully developed as the storms themselves.

About three weeks after Camille, Highway 90 along the Mississippi Gulf Coast was cleared enough for our family to go for a look-see. The amount of damage was incredible, with roads, bridges, homes, and buildings destroyed. Landmarks had been erased from sight. Ships.. Yes, ships had been tossed ashore like moon pies at Mardi Gras. Warnings to evacuate that were heeded saved lives. Many others were not so fortunate.

Many hurricanes have come and gone since Camille. It wasn’t the first, or the last that I remember. Stories of past hurricanes take on a life of their own, deeply embedded into our ancestors' recollections. Fortunately, technology has greatly improved our ability to predict and gauge weather systems. Even so, hurricanes are no fun, and it’s not a matter of if, but when.

When Hurricane Sally struck in 2020, we were living in a new home equipped with a grinder pump sewer system. Guess what? No electricity, no grinder pump (or refrigerator, air conditioning, television… even the overhead fans couldn’t create a breeze). Those astute homeowners who had in-home generators never missed a beat. Linda and I headed to New Orleans until we received word that the power had been restored. 

The other day, I met two gentlemen who have started a new business called Jubilee Generator. Appropriately located in Daphne (the Jubilee City), they both attended the same preschool; they showed me a photo of their class dressed up in clown suits. “That was Miss Grable’s class, and we’re still clowning around,” they said together.

As they grew up in Baldwin County, Steve Dukes and Tim Ikner’s lives kept intertwining. Steve’s dad was a Marine based in Quantico, Virginia, where Steve was born. His family moved to Daphne when he was four years old after his dad’s commission was over. That’s when he met Tim at Miss Grable’s preschool.

Steve’s dad started with Coastline Supply, a heating and air supply house located in Bay Minette, where the family moved from Daphne. He then started AB Heating & Air with a partner. Steve began working for his dad at age 13, graduated from Baldwin County High School, and enrolled in Bishop State College’s 18-month HVAC program. He then began working full-time for his father. In 2007, he bought the business from his dad.

Tim Ikner has lived on the Eastern Shore his whole life. After Miss Grable’s “Clown School,” he tells me he graduated from Daphne High School and earned his electrical and instrumentation degree, also from Bishop State. Tim’s father worked at Scott Paper Company in Mobile for 32 years. Tim eventually started Shoreline Electric doing service calls and primarily new home construction electrical installation.

Tim and Steve tell me that the two have always been friendly, but after Steve’s family moved to Bay Minette, they weren't as close anymore. “We have a lot of friends in common,” says Tim, and he began subbing electrical services to Steve’s HVAC business around 2016. In 2018, Steve began selling In-House generators as part of his offerings, and Tim provided the electrical service for the installation.

As the two men talk about their backgrounds, both are quick to tell me the role their wives and children have played in their lives. 

Steve’s wife, Natalie, is the Dean of Allied Health at Coastal Community College. With four kids, the family is heavily involved in community service. The oldest daughter is a nurse, another is a physical therapist, and the youngest is studying social work at the University of West Florida. Steve is a member of the Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department, and his son is a volunteer firefighter as well.

Tim and his wife, May, have three boys and a daughter. May is on staff at Haley Dermatology in Fairhope. I enjoy hearing their stories and am entertained by their sense of humor.

Why generators, I ask? “It’s outside,” says Tim. “I’ve spent 25% of my time in people’s attics. I’m not going to be hot anymore.” He laughs, “Like doctors, every social event I go to, the host has some electrical issue they want me to look at since I'm already there. I end up sweating in the attic while everyone else is enjoying the party.”

In 2019, Steve was approached to sell his business. He and Tim had both been separately installing generators in some capacity since around 2004. “We have about 40 years of combined experience,” says Tim. “After launching Jubilee Generator a year ago, Steve says, “We only do generators. We recently spent 3 months getting recertification training and service for every brand of in-home generator on the market.”

He goes on, “We understand that an in-home generator is a want, not a need. It’s a luxury. Our first goal is to service existing generators. Maintaining and understanding every brand is what we are trained and experienced to do. Like a classic car, you must take care of it so it starts when you need it.”

They tell me the motivation is to get ahead of any storms and to afford customers an opportunity to deal with somebody whose job is fixing generators, regardless of brand or age. “That's all we do. We don’t do commercial property, just residential.” Launched in May 2025, Jubilee Generators is doing well and just beginning to market via social media. “So far, it’s going great. Beyond our expectations. We don’t do any advertising. Most of our referrals are word of mouth.”

I asked why they decided to start Jubilee Generators. “It’s something we know and have been doing a long time. We don’t want to run a big business as we did before. Since COVID, it’s just harder to find good, reliable people, and this is something we can do ourselves, and do it well. A lot less headaches.”

“We are the only folks in the area that sell, service, maintain, and provide warranty service for Generac, Kohler, Briggs and Stratton, and Cummins generators. Most generators are pretty much the same, but you have to have special training and tools for each brand. When your generator won’t come on, who are you going to call?”

Tim tells me about a 16-year-old Cummins generator that a customer called about. “At the time, there were only 3 of the parts they needed available in the U.S to repair their generator, and a 70-day wait, so we ordered it on the spot and got them back up and running. It may be knowing which is the right battery for that specific model generator. We keep parts in the truck that we might need regularly, and bigger parts back in the shop when needed.”

Jubilee Generator is a distributor for all four brands. A new in-home generator can cost between $13 thousand and $20 thousand, depending on the load calculation and what the customer wants. It is about a three-week process to install an in-home generator from start to finish. “We’ve been around long enough to know all the inspectors and permits needed to move quickly through the process,” says Steve.

“We want to keep it local. We serve Baldwin County. When people call, we don’t want to say no.” Their years in the HVAC and electrical business have solidified their reputation as good people to do business with. “Our reputation has opened a lot of doors. We had about 300 calls in our first year. We’d like to do about three calls a day for service, maintenance, and warranty work. When you can’t get anyone to come service your generator, give us a call.”

At the end of the day, both guys tell me that a generator simply turns natural gas or propane into electricity when you need it. It’s not just for hurricanes, but for medical situations when it’s critical to have power to run equipment. And grinder pumps, air conditioning, televisions, or ceiling fans, as I can attest…

We ended our conversation by discussing AI and job security. Trade school has proven to be good job security for Steve and Tim.  For all your in-home generator needs, call Jubilee Generator.

Best of luck!