Push, Inc. by North American Constructors Journal

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PUSH, Inc.:

Raising The Bar With 21st Century Technology Industry PUSH, Inc. of Rice Lake, WI is a well-established and innovative leader in the power and communications sector. Written by Kevin Doyle Produced by Stephen Marino

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s it closes in on a half-century of service, PUSH, Inc. of Rice Lake, WI is a well-established and innovative leader in the power and communications sector, serving client-partners primarily throughout the Midwest, Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions of the country. Company President Jack Lapcinski co-founded the company in 1974, eventually buying out his partner in 1994. PUSH operates in the electric, communications (broadband), water and sewer markets servicing private, industrial, municipal, state, and federal customers. It is noted for delivering site-specific solutions on time and on budget. When discussing the company’s success, Senior Vice President Chase Lapcinski says: “I just bring it back to our core values and instilling the importance of our dedication, excellence, and integrity to our customers, team members, suppliers and communities. We talk about our employees, customers, suppliers and community as being part of the same team.” The company employs more than 300 team members with annual revenue increasing steadily. PUSH acquired JKL Associates of Billings, MT in 2018 and operates under its subsidiary’s name primarily in the Rocky Mountain and southwest regions.

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Chase Lapcinski establishes the vision and oversees strategic planning as well as the day-to-day operations. “For me it is about focusing on opportunities, strategic planning and seeing what’s on the horizon to increase our market share profitability. Everything in the organization is built on continuous improvement so identifying what’s working and not working is essential,” he says.

Key Differentiators When it comes to distinguishing itself

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from competitors, two components stand out – PUSH is selective about companies it chooses to partner with; and it fully embraces technology and the data it yields to further improve profitability. “Working directly with select customers allows PUSH to understand the customers real needs and goals for a specific project. Proper and timely communication is critical as the contract dictates the results; therefore we constantly work with our business partners to continually improve procedures and methods versus continually doing the

same old thing,” Lapcinski says. “Understanding our customers needs and providing solutions with options have resulted in excellent experiences for our customers. Total project time and cost can be decreased when you look beyond the specs and understand what the customer needs,” Lapcinski adds. The company is becoming increasingly data driven. “There is tons of data in construction but construction people typically

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“There is tons of data in construction but construction people typically don’t think about data. Accurate data improves the decision making process.” - Senior VP Chase Lapcinski

don’t think about data. Accurate data improves the decision making process for items such as equipment costing, job costing and capital purchasing. We use GPS and ECU information on the equipment to save time because we need to work smarter not harder to gain efficiencies. In the current labor market we have to do more with less. The manufacturers have done a great job understanding this need and are currently developing labor saving equipment using various types of technology,” Lapcinski elaborates.

Safety Measures Safety is first and foremost at PUSH. The company exceeds all OSHA regulations and its in-house Safety Committee has developed a comprehensive safety policy that assures safe and efficient operations on all job sites. The company also partners with the National Safety Council and the Wisconsin Safety Council. The company holds company-wide safety meetings, field safety audits and weekly site-specific meetings to communicate a safety first culture. Subcontractors, inspectors, and site

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visitors are required to either attend or conduct safety meetings on site. “Due to our safety first culture we have encountered an excellent MOD rating. We work several schedules with varying hours, times and days making safety training and communication more difficult although safety is everyone’s responsibility from the laborer to the President of the company. We do various types of training throughout the year with different groups getting different types of training. For example, our linemen have an apprenticeship program that they attend at a local school. We provide continuous training for everyone regardless of schedules,” Lapcinski stresses.

Operations At one point, Lapcinski says 90 percent of the company’s work was on the communications side. Now it is generated more by diversification, specifically in renewables as more and more companies receive grants enabling them to shift to solar and wind power. The company self-performs a

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significant portion of its work. On those occasions where subs are needed, the company relies on a select core it has worked with in the past or that have good historical performances. “Some of our contracts, though not all, dictate we do 50 percent of the work ourselves and we do a lot of selfperforming anyway. That goes back to customers we’ve had for many years and with whom we negotiate the work. Our goal is and has always been to work with top tier third parties whether, subs, vendors, engineers, and customers that share our values. This has allowed us to get to where we are today,” Lapcinski notes. “When we partner with subcontractors

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its based on their reputation and project references. We talk to contractors that have used them in the past and we have a database that shows where they operate, what they do, and if they are preferred or not,” Lapcinski says. The company is fully invested in its commitment to being on time and on budget to meet or exceed customer expectations. Projects are tracked daily. “We’re looking at these projects live versus being reactive as it’s a more proactive approach and making sure you have the plan for success. Does it work? Is anything missing? We review on a daily basis and we’re putting the right people in the right places

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to manage this and ensure success,” Lapcinski says. PUSH has derived great benefit from its membership in the Power and Communications Contractors Association (PCCA) where Lapcinski serves on the Board along with other committees. Its association with the PCCA enabled the company to assist in developing a Utility Construction program at one school in conjunction with Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. “That would not be possible without the PCCA and Continuum Capital collaboration. There is also great value within the industry experts they attain to educate on forecasting and industry trends that a smaller company like ours

doesn’t have access to. The way I look at it is that any good contractor is in PCCA or should be on their radar to join. They do a number of great things to assist members and the industry, including their legislative abilities,” Lapcinski notes.

Looking Forward As is the case across the entire construction industry, finding and retaining qualified personnel is an ongoing challenge. “We’re continually implementing different initiatives to attain, retain and train team members. It comes down to improving the employee experience. Onboarding a is a continuous process that never really stops and goes to

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“There is tons of opportunity in this field. You will get out of it what you put into it. If you want to be average, that’s great. But if you want to excel and be the preferred company of choice then you have to differentiate the business and work your tail off. ” - Senior VP Chase Lapcinski

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PUSH, Inc. | 11 career pathing as well,” says Lapcinski, who grew up in the industry recalls running the control on a backhoe at avery young age.

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With its reputation for excellence, its focus on technology and the addition of renewables into the client mix, PUSH, Inc. seems well positioned for long-term success.

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