Fisk Electric by North American Constructors Journal

Fisk Electric | 2

Fisk Electric :

Augmenting the

Electrical Construction

Experience

Now in its second century of operation, Fisk Electric of Houston, TX continues its evolution into an elite national and international electrical contractor and building technologies integrator. Written by Kevin Doyle Produced by Stephen Marino

www.fiskcorp.com

Fisk Electric | 3

www.fiskcorp.com

s it nears the end of the first decade of its second century of operation, Fisk Electric remains fresh and innovative while expanding its brand and continuing its evolution into a premier national and international electrical contractor and building technologies integrator.

Fisk Electric | 4 SVP Operations: Cory Borchardt

It would be hard to imagine a company founded with more modest means – John Fisk, then 21, borrowed $25 in 1913 and started the company in the shed behind his father’s garage. Safe to say he wouldn’t recognize the industry juggernaut his idea has morphed into. Today, as a publicly traded entity under the guidance of President/CEO Orville M. Anthony Jr., the company maintains its headquarters in Houston, TX, working across an array of industry sectors for which it provides the design, installation and maintenance of electrical systems, structured cabling applications, integrated electronic security systems, and building technology solutions from project concept to completion. Depending upon the time of year, the company employs between 1100 and 1500 individuals. It maintains membership in a

www.fiskcorp.com

number of high-powered industry associations, most notably the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Cory Borchardt brought 20+ years of experience to the company when he joined Fisk as Vice

“We’re just not seeing enou construction across all of the trad as contractors and trade organizat that they can make a good livin - Cory Borchardt,

Fisk Electric | 5 President/CEO: Orville M. Anthony Jr

That just translates into a better customer experience. Our guys build relationships with building owners, the developers and the general contractors and that puts us in position in the market to be successful long term,” Borchardt notes. Creating a culture of inclusion and a top-down support system has been paramount to the company’s long-term and continued success.

President of Operations in 2019. He observes that it is highly unusual for a union shop to have retained workers for more than 30 years. “We have individuals who have worked for us for their entire careers. That’s pretty remarkable for a union contractor to retain employees for as long as we have.

ugh young people get into des. We have to do a better job ations to market to young people ing by going into the trades.” SVP Operations

“Culture is king in any organization and you want to build and foster a culture of entrepreneurs, a culture that lets the good ideas come from the people who are doing the work in the field,” Borchardt stresses. “Whether it’s an idea of doing things a better way, or of installation of software that will make the job easier, as a manager you’ve got to find ways to encourage that type of behavior. “Having that culture that encourages a way to do it better really creates a fun environment for people and a sense of ‘I can make a difference.’ If you can create and foster that culture, you’re going to see a lot of longevity with your employees and you’re going to find people who have far more capabilities than the job they were hired for and that’s what it’s all about,” he adds.

www.fiskcorp.com

Fisk Electric | 6

High-Profile Projects The company’s deep and diverse project portfolio stretches across the country, with the largest at this time being in transportation in and around Los Angeles with The 2028 Summer Olympics looming. “The LA Metro Purple Line has a four- to eight-year life cycle and will increase the transportation footprint of Los Angeles and take priority for us in order that the city will be ready and able to move people,” Borchardt notes. L.A. METRO PURPLE LINE EXTENSION, SECTION 2: Fisk is the electrical contractor for the $156m project designed for the city by STV Incorporated. Section

www.fiskcorp.com

Two of the three sections will deliver 2.55 miles of twin-bored tunnels and two new stations at Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City Constellation with a 2025 target date for completion. Once finished the three-section extension will add nine miles of track and seven new stations. NORTHEAST WATER PURIFICATION PROJECT: This ongoing project in Houston will ensure the requirement that clean drinking water consist of at least 60 percent surface water by 2025. A new Intake Pump Station constructed in Lake Houston will transfer lake water via two 108-foot pipelines to treatment facilities more than a mile away. A new treatment facility built next

Fisk Electric | 7

www.fiskcorp.com

Fisk Electric | 8 to the current plant will treat 320 million gallons of water each day, increasing total capacity to 400 million gallons. PORT OF MIAMI SCFT CARGO YARD DENSIFICATION PROJECT: This $8.6m project for the Port of Miami/Miami Dade County is also nearing completion. As EC, Fisk installed underground infrastructure to power reef rack structures that allow the use of electric rubber tire gantries. The project also included construction of two new Florida Power & Light (FPL) vaults, 7,000 feet of 126” HDPE directional boring and 4,000 feet of utility duct banks, along with installation of 10,000 feet of owner-provided bus bars, secondary power distribution system and supportive ancillary items necessary.

www.fiskcorp.com

Additionally, the company is involved with projects such as Center City Las Vegas, the Hermann Hospital Sarofim Pavilion in Houston, the Nancy and Rick Kinder Museum Building in Houston, and the Third Street Light Rail Project, Phase Two in San Francisco. The company’s history timeline is chock full of key historic milestones. “It’s very rewarding to be on a team that is considered a front-runner on every project. When you look at the long-term employees in our organization one of the reasons many have migrated to, flourished at and stayed with Fisk is that we do these projects. You get a certain sense of accomplishment when you start with a pile of sand on an empty lot and by the time

Fisk Electric | 9

you’re done there’s a casino or a water treatment plant or something that’s important for the community,” Borchardt says with undeniable pride. Interestingly, he notes the advent of COVID-19 and other events of the past two years have fast-tracked projects that “have certainly become more important than when they were first envisioned, being designed and put out to bid because transportation has become such an important part of the economy to address the supply-chain bottleneck.”

Safety Procedures And Protocols Safety is top of mind – 24 hours a day, every day and is woven into

the company’s value proposition. “It’s simple – be your brother’s keeper. That’s always at the forefront of our presentations to our craft workers that we’re in this together. It’s not ‘Us vs. Them,’ it’s not ‘Management vs. Employee.’ We all want everyone to be safe so we try to relate safety to home life. What’s meaningful (to workers)? Why do they work safe? It may be for their kids, their wife, a new puppy. Our approach is to watch out for the person next to you – whether it’s an electrician or a pipe-fitter doesn’t matter,” Borchardt says. To that end, the company now relies heavily on technology to deliver and update its message as often as needed to keep everyone on the same page.

www.fiskcorp.com

Fisk Electric | 10

www.fiskcorp.com

Fisk Electric | 11

www.fiskcorp.com

“

Fisk Electric | 12

“The people now at retirement age built their careers on relationships. The younger group struggles with making human connections sometimes, so we’re really trying to teach it as well as leading by example.” - Cory Borchardt, SVP Operations

“Safety all boils down to training and awareness, so we’re using technology for access to training videos, resources and records, QR codes, iPads and iPhones to get the information to the people doing the work, so it’s more individualized,” Borchardt says. The approach has paid off, Borchardt says, noting positive feedback and results by providing

www.fiskcorp.com

information to those doing the work. “You know the old way you did all these training sessions once a year but when it came time for your job to get to the scaffold, it might’ve been 10 months since you had the training. With the technology we can put that video on in the morning for the guys getting ready to do the work that day. It’s fresh

Fisk Electric | 13 in your mind,” he says. “Having that information empowers them to share it with others on the job.” According to its website, the company has earned more than 20 NECA Safety of Excellence awards.

Day To Day Borchardt is responsible for day-to-day operations of all of the company’s operating units across the country. That entails researching everything and anything about technology, machine learning, software and modeling that translates into

electrical installation. “We’re on software overload right now. There is a lot of cool technology that has come out and it all works and it all has merit. We’re always trying to figure out the right ones, how they fit into our organization and whether or not they make sense for us,” he says. Business development requires continual attention to help select the right partners, vendors, subs, and general contractors. “Flat out, you’ve got to get to know who they are, understand how they operate, what their

www.fiskcorp.com

Fisk Electric | 14 limitations are, what their strengths are. When you start learning that about companies you start forming some great relationships, understanding how they work, how they operate and what’s important to them,” Borchardt says. “When it comes down to it, you’re relying on them to deliver for you to be successful and it’s really a big percentage of your project, We really have to understand what makes them go.” Over time, Borchardt says vendors and subs understand the value of establishing long-term relationships. On those occasions when a sub contractor comes up with a new approach to doing

something, Borchardt says “that is someone you also have to be talking to; you don’t want to miss the opportunity to provide a service when it becomes available.” The company derives great benefit from its association memberships. NECA is where we spend most of our effort and our time. It is a great tool for a small contractor that doesn’t have the means to get access to training, advice and best practices. For some of the larger contractors, NECA is a good voice to make meaningful change to policies and procedures at the state and federal level and also gives us a unified way to negotiate

Proud Partner of Fisk Electric Smart Construction Solutions to Drive Efficiencies to Your Bottom Line

With material and skilled labor in short supply, you need a partner who can help you improve productivity. WESCO|Anixter helps Fisk Electric improve productivity by providing solutions that can increase efficiencies and profitability. Reduce Operating Expenses

Increase Productivity

Optimize Working Capital

DISCOVER MORE+ SOLUTIONS TO BENEFIT YOUR BOTTOM LINE

www.fiskcorp.com

Maintain Safe Operations

Fisk Electric | 15 with IBEW on issues that matter and what we need to do to meet the demands of our customers and clients,” Borchardt says. Similarly the AGC’s powerful legislative voice is aligned with the company’s needs and its vision of how the industry is evolving.

Meeting Key Challenges As is the case with most companies – from the behemoths to the mom-and-pop shops and everyone in between – across every sector of the industry, dwindling manpower remains a vexing problem. Retiring Baby Boomers take

irreplaceable expertise and tricks of the trade with them. Additionally, the industry lost a large portion of the next generation in the 1970s and ‘80s when they opted for a college degree as the road to a comfortable lifestyle, skipping the trades altogether. Playing catchup has not been easy. “We’re just not seeing enough young people get into construction across all of the trades. We have to do a better job as contractors and trade organizations to market to young people that they can make a good living by going into the trades,” Borchardt asserts.

www.fiskcorp.com

Fisk Electric | 16

CED HOUSTON 850 Greens Parkway Houston TX. 77067 281.873.4233 www.cedhouston.com

CED Houston is an electrical wholesaler providing quality distribution and lighting equipment to electrical contractors throughout the greater Houston area. Our main hub resides in Houston along with five additional satellite locations in Humble, Katy, Tomball, Stafford and coming soon – Pearland. We employ approximately 150 dedicated individuals delivering best in class service to our customers and are firmly committed to community outreach in the markets we serve.

Paradoxically, the industry’s fasttrack approach to implement technology to close the manpower gap has also been problematic. “The people now at retirement age built their careers on relationships. The younger group struggles with making human connections sometimes, so we’re really trying to teach it as well as leading by example,” Borchardt explains. “They can have a fulfilling job, do cool stuff and use cool technology. You have to be computer savvy and have technical skills to be successful nowadays.” As buildings become smarter, the need for those with advanced technological skills continues to

www.fiskcorp.com

grow. Supply, however, is simply not keeping up with demand. Borchardt acknowledges part of the problem is that union shops operate with an apprenticeship mentality making it take up to seven years to become a standalone journeyman, foreman, estimator or project manager. So, as it is wont to do, Fisk is changing the paradigm. “That process does not work well with today’s younger generation; they lose interest too quickly. They want to see quicker progress, quicker advancement, more responsibility to take on other things. So we really try to get

Fisk Electric | 17 them engaged in meaningful work quicker. They still have to learn all the steps, and do the intermediate jobs they need to do to get to the level, but there are also opportunities on jobs that may require 3D Modeling or BIM,” Borchardt says. For example, the company’s seasoned veterans who don’t understand modeling concepts gives the younger group an opportunity to be at meetings and in places they normally wouldn’t be as entry-level employees. “They get to use their expertise to have a meaningful impact on a project and that’s what they want to see that they can make a

difference with their job and their understanding of technology is one way to help the seasoned guys who know how to build the work and give them an opportunity tpo make a difference quicker,” Borchardt elaborates.

Looking Forward Innovative, progressive and nimble all accurately describe this company as it embarks upon its second century. Succession and long-term plans aside, high-performance construction companies will always be needed. “Stuff needs to be repaired and stuff needs to be torn down and re-purposed,” Borchardt says

www.fiskcorp.com

Fisk Electric | 18

“It’s very rewarding to be on a team that is considered a front-runner on every project. When you look at the long-term employees in our organization one of the reasons many have migrated to, flourished at and stayed with Fisk is that we do these projects.” - Cory Borchardt, SVP Operations www.fiskcorp.com

Fisk Electric |19 bluntly. “In construction people are excited when they come to you. They’re building something new. They’ve got the money to build a new headquarters or a new facility and they are excited about it.” When he started out, Borchardt recalls he was driven by project completion. Now, he says, having a hand in the company’s continued growth and the success of its employees is the most gratifying part of the job. “I really like to see a young person come in and succeed. I like seeing estimators who have always done things one way learn a new way and become more efficient and more successful. It’s really fun for me to watch an apprentice come in with a look on their face of “Oh my gosh, I don’t know what I’m doing, I can’t do any of this” and six, seven years later, they’re the foremen, the guys leading the crews coming up with the new ideas and the better ways to do the job. There is so much fulfillment in that process,” he says.

to get back on the horse and trying it again if it didn’t work. If you try 99 things and only one works and propels you to the next level or the next job, that’s all that matters. Too many people are afraid to fail. If you’re willing to speak up and try with confidence, you can go anywhere you want if you’re willing to fail and learn,” he concludes. It’s a mantra Fisk Electric has lived by for more than 100 years.