Innovation Overload

“Innovation in our organization means staying on the forefront of what is yet to come.” Michael Deaton, President of Laibe Electric in Toledo, Ohio, shares his experience in peer groups and how they help facilitate personal development and camaraderie. Listen to how teamwork and a growth mindset play important roles in running a family business.

“You can never grow if you don’t realize what your mistakes are.” Josh Sabatino, Owner of Paul’s Electric, New Ulm, MN, shares how he approaches new ideas and the resources that he uses to learn in order to keep up with the pace of innovation. Listen to Paul’s Electric’s perspective on bringing in a prefab shop and instilling a strong company culture.

“Stay hungry and be willing to learn and push yourself outside of your comfort zone.” Jeff Restine, Vice President and CFO of Fuller Electric, San Diego, shares his outlook on electric vehicle charging stations and the exciting opportunities for future work due to our current infrastructure. Listen to how Fuller Electric engages its employees and adopts new communication strategies.

“From a business standpoint, diversity of ideas and diversity of people, actually makes a stronger company.” Josh Wheeler, President of Wheeler Electric, Idaho Falls, Idaho, shares his experience in a family business and the importance of how to approach the topic of succession planning. Listen to how Wheeler Electric pushes innovation in their people through education, culture and goal setting.

“You have to be looking for what is going to happen, not so much of what is happening.” Nick Dobbs, President of River Town Electric, Gallipolis, Ohio, shares how his company positions itself for future innovative opportunities and predicts future market changes. Listen to his journey of becoming an electrical contractor and how he learns to stay up on future trends.

“Innovation is something that should be thought about, talked about, planned in great detail, and ensure that it brings value back, to who? The customer.” Perry Thompson, Executive Lead Director of Parsons Electric, Minneapolis, shares his experiences with lean construction and how the principles of lean are designed to help improve processes while eliminating waste. Listen to his perspectives on...

“It wasn’t until we created a process, made it better, made it better, and made it better with the input from the field.” Tom Adamson, Vice President of Custom Electric, Manchester, Conn., shares his experience with forming a prefab department and the lessons learned along the way. Listen to his journey in the electrical industry and the importance that communication has on running a company effic...

“Innovation can exist in a lot of different formats, but in my world, it’s taking great ideas and making them useful for every home, every company, and every life.” Stephen Duhon, MRO Key Accounts for 3M, Austin, Texas, shares his perspective on the importance of leveraging data and technology to prospect and reach more people. Listen to his take on how to increase your network with a captive audi...

“When I have an idea about something and someone comes from a different background that has a different way of thinking of it, that only creates value.” Brian Morales, CEO of ProCal Lighting, Vista, Calif., shares his journey as a minority small business owner and the importance he places on company culture. Listen to how ProCal Lighting innovates when developing and implementing cost-effective so...

“Innovation to me is not a technology. It’s not a piece of equipment that you can buy. It’s free.” Sean McCarthy, Estimator for Regent Electric, Toledo, Ohio, shares how he innovates for “free” and the value that Regent Electric puts into their company culture. Listen to his perspective on the practical applications of innovative ideas and how he leverages outside influences to formulate processes...

“Innovation means the opportunity to take off every limit that the world and your mind has placed on you.” Veronica Rose, President of Aurora Electric, Jamaica, NY, shares how she maximizes Aurora Electric’s opportunities through innovative solutions and workplace place culture. Listen to how she faced adversity on her journey as she went from an apprentice to a business owner in the electrical co...

“Be open to the innovations out there in order to accelerate the deliverables to your customer.” Rodney Schultz, President of A&A Electric Services, Tampa, Fla., shares his rich history in the electrical contracting industry and how A&A Electric approaches training within the company. Listen to his perspective on process improvement through lean production and discuss the concept of the Ka...

“Innovation means embracing change, exploring your creativeness and striving for improvement.” Phil Santoro, Electrical Contractor Segment Manager for Schneider Electric, Nashville, Tennessee, shares his perspective on IoT trends and the importance of training to monitor facility systems. Listen to how Schnieder Electric supports our contractors through their online contractor portal, which has de...

“As technical as our business can get it’s all about dealing with people, leading people and engaging with people.” Ed Witt Jr., Executive Vice President and Chief Construction Officer for Miller Electric, Jacksonville, Fla., shares his experience as a safety coordinator and the importance of standardization around documentation in the industry. Listen to his perspective on how important the roles...

" You should really think about how you can leverage technology in your business.” Kris Lengieza, Senior Director of Global Partnerships & Alliances at Procore in Carpinteria, Calif., shares his perspective on the importance of key performance indicators and how data can inform contractors on the health of projects. The discussion  also touches on dashboard analytics and the value for cro...

“Transparency, be willing to collaborate, and work together with your partners up and down the chain earlier in the process.” Todd Reed, National Construction Market Manager at Graybar in Clayton, Missouri, shares his perspective on supply chain optimization and some key steps you can take to improve your operations. Listen to how Graybar uses data to help improve catered contractor experiences an...

“We are constantly emulating and reiterating our core values, which generates our culture.” Angie Hart, VP of Operations of Rosendin, San Jose, Calif., shares her experiences with recruitment and training programs in the trades with a focus on company culture and catered intern experiences. Listen to her journey from start to present and her passion for this industry, as well as how she stays invo...

“Innovation is more of an aspiration and a compass that you set out there to guide your actions.” Corey Dickert, Senior VP of Product Management and Construction Technology at Milwaukee Tool, shares his perspectives on the role that data mining, IoT, and predictive analytics play in the construction industry, especially in terms of asset management. Listen to the benefits of Milwaukee’s ONE-KEY sy...

“You’ve got to innovate through your people and find the right champions at all levels.” Todd Grossweiler, Executive Vice President of Allison Smith Company in Smyrna, Georgia, shares how buy-in from your team and incorporating prefabrication processes go hand in hand. Listen to his experience on evolving and scaling offsite construction while overcoming hurdles. 

“You have got to be able to change within this industry because change will happen, and it’s fast.” Nick Rol, Project Manager, Electrical Construction, at Thompson Electrical Construction, Sioux City, Iowa, shares how important transparency is from top to bottom when it comes to communication. Listen to his perspective on innovating through technology solutions to help combat the overload that all...

“Every VDC professional out there experiences the crunch behind the design deliverable and the field needing the VDC output.” Adam Davis, Virtual Design Construction Manager of Lighthouse Electric, Canonsburg, PA speaks about the importance of proactive project coordination, establishing strong VDC goals, and the concept of evaluating a project through Labor by Volume. 

“Peer groups allow us to work together as a team to solve bigger issues and improve the overall industry.” Sonja Rheaume, President of Christenson Electric, Portland, Oregon shares her perspective on peer groups and how impactful they have proven to be while being an industry leader. Listen to her experience with ELECTRI International and how the research has been an important resource for her and...

“Trusting the leads that you have in place.” Rilo Stephens, President of Eckardt Group, Atlanta, shares his experience of overcoming challenges within the industry and how support from management can make an important difference in operations. Listen to his perspective on the tools of success and keys to market share growth.

“It’s only a failure if you don’t learn from it. If you learn from it, it’s a lesson.” Jared Christman, VDC Manager of Big State Electric, San Antonio, Texas, shares his perspective on the digital transformation of building information modeling (BIM) and how impactful it has been on efficiency. Listen to his BIM philosophy and how he has overcome challenges within his field.

“If you’re not willing to step out of the comfort zone, that’s when irrelevancy comes in.” Greg Padalecki, President & CEO of Alterman, San Antonio, Texas, shares his experience running a large company and his keys of success on managing employees and dealing with challenging situations. Listen to insights on how to keep learning and giving back as an electrical contractor.