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GIRARD — While growing up in Boston, Massachusetts, Marc Rubin’s mother told him he would become an electrical engineer and that is exactly what he did.

Rubin, who turned 80 in December, said he hitchhiked to Youngstown one year after graduating from high school to attend the engineering school at what was then Youngstown College. While enrolled in full-time classes there, he also worked full time at Kessler Products.

He graduated from Youngstown College five-and-a-half years later with a degree in electrical engineering. Rubin achieved his professional engineer designation in 1968 and is registered in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Arizona.

Although employed at CR Electric, which is owned by his son, Jason, Marc Rubin has a varied work history, starting at Valley Electric upon graduation, then opening his own business, Steel Valley Electric and Compass Systems and Sales.

His work has taken him to many states and countries around the world, including England, Mexico, Turkey and Japan.

After a busy career working on projects around the world, Rubin said he retired for a day. Then he called his son and said “get me out of here” and went to work at CR Electric the following day. “It is such a plus to have a professional engineer right here in the office,” Jason Rubin said about his dad.

One of Rubin’s favorite projects was working with Vallourec Star. He designed the layout for conduits buried in the ground that fit around the conveyors there. He still consults with Vallourec as needed.

Another large local project he worked on was designing the electrical system that City Concrete uses to unload railcars at its large concrete silos in Youngstown.

When Rubin attends continuing education classes (he has a continuing education teaching license), he is often at the classes not to teach, but because the instructors call him to be sure he will be available to answer questions.

“How cool is that? In front of big-wigs and business owners, they are asking, ‘Marc, is that correct?'” Jason Rubin said.

Marc Rubin has electrical codes memorized and gives his opinion to contractors and building inspectors.

“He is smart. He knows his stuff,” Jason said about his dad.

Rubin enjoys collaborating with other companies. It is important to him to address issues and identify ways of doing a project. He said he is up front with the people he collaborates with, noting, “people respect you when you are up front.” If he has made a mistake, he acknowledges it, learns from it and works to correct it.

Most days, before anyone else is in the office, Rubin is there talking to customers on the phone or working on a project. Not only does he consult with other companies for their electrical needs, but he also is available to the staff of CR Electric to advise on ways of doing things or solving problems.

“He designs and we install,” Jason said, adding, “it is a dream to work side by side with my dad. He is respected.”

Rubin enjoys working at CR Electric.

“I wish I had done it sooner, it’s a fun place to work,” Rubin said.

He enjoys the atmosphere at the office, collaborating with the staff and meeting with contractors and electricians. He said he has fun there, and there is a lot of laughing and good-natured joking around, but everyone works hard.

He said he likes the electrical field because “electricity is an ever-changing field, always evolving, always something new to learn.”

As much as Rubin is engaged in his work, he also is a family man. He instilled a strong work ethic in his children, so much so that as they grew, he had each of them working on the weekends at his own company, Steel Valley Electric and Compass Systems and Sales. Jason related how when he was 11, his job was to wash the company trucks on the weekends.

Rubin and his wife, Karen, have resided in Liberty for more than 50 years. They raised their family, Jason, Brady, Brigitt and Judd in Liberty. The family enjoys each other’s company. In fact, Rubin proudly said the whole family, “including 13 grandchildren” have gone on vacation together to Ocean City, Maryland, for 50 years.

Being involved with CR Electric is a family tradition. Karen bakes all the cookies for the CR Electric Christmas party every year.

After 56 years in the electrical engineering field, Rubin has no intention of slowing down. Retirement is not a concept he entertains. At 80, he plans to continue doing what he loves. “There’s no magic age or specific number of years I plan to keep working,” he said.

For now, he plans to continue doing what he has done for most of his life — working in a field he excels at and enjoying his family.