Andrew McCoy

Despite the many ways the soft and hard skills that service electricians must possess are so critical to the success of a service-delivery organization, sometimes electrical contractors do precious little to screen candidates...

In the last two years, the most basic concepts about the design and operation of business organizations have undergone more rethinking than at any other time in the last 300 years. In 1722, John Lombe and his brothers...

In part 1 of this series, we surveyed the current condition of the construction industry in view of the increasing deficits of capable manpower and project managers that plague it unendingly. In part 2, we highlighted rewards...

Electric vehicles are so prevalent these days, they hardly seem like news anymore. Perhaps that’s why so many electrical contractors do not seem to recognize the potential that still lies ahead for installing and, better yet...

“All politics is local,” said former Massachusetts congressman Tip O’Neill, who rose to the lofty position of Speaker of the House. Decades ago, when O’Neill was credited with the expression, someone could have made a similar...

Every electrical contractor agrees good project managers are hard to find. The first place contractors usually search for high-promise candidates is among the ranks of their best foremen. In part 1 of this series, we covered...

After a 10-year economic expansion, the longest in the country’s history, a U.S. economic downturn is inevitable. No one can precisely predict it. No one can prevent it. But just about everyone can prepare for it. When the...

Staffing shortages have plagued the construction industry in recent years and are likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Part of this larger issue is a constant shortage of project managers (PMs). In boom times or...

A business plan is hopefully the first draft of a success story. Purportedly, somewhere in the recipe for success there is a secret ingredient or two. In the business plan for Mid-Michigan Electrical, LLC, the first “special...

Elton Mayo was dumbfounded. The research results in the reports he was reading were exactly opposite of what he had expected to see. It was 1927. He was still new to his job as the first professor of industrial research at...

Try this tomorrow morning: When you’re ready to take a break, go outside your office building. Face the side of the building with the signage bearing the company name and logo. Now try as hard as you can to crank up your...

Many electrical contractors are plagued by a short-sighted view of workforce development, thinking that employee education and training falls outside their responsibility. They expect field electricians and office staff to...