Hear Them Roar: Indiana-based Gaylor Electric, Inc’s Success Keeps Soaring

There is no room for resting on past success when today brings challenges that need to be met. Delivering on our promises is not a ‘one-time’ thing; it is an ‘every-time’ thing: Chuck Goodrich

The use of digital tools is infiltrating all aspects of everyday life from personal to professional.

In recent years there has been a large growth in the use of mobile devices and tablets for professional productivity. As consumers become more tech-savvy, they transfer their knowledge into the workplace to be more organized, efficient, and synchronized. This has become especially evident with the younger generation entering the workforce. This trend is changing the way businesses think and interact with their customers and employees, and it is redefining roles within a broad spectrum of industries.

This digital transference has become increasingly evident within the electrical contracting community. Today, the role of the electrical contractor is being reshaped as new digital platforms and tools offer possibilities for changing the way they work, think, and interact with their customers and networks.

In light of the above mentioned, we are thrilled to present Gaylor Electric, Inc. – the firm enjoys an excellent reputation for having one of the leading electrical contractors in the USA. 

Gaylor provides electrical contracting services. It offers electrical services, such as power distribution, backup power, and grounding; installs voice and data networks, security systems, audio-visual components, and lighting control systems; equipment placement, alignment, and testing for industrial facilities; design build/assist services; building information modeling services; and maintenance services.

The company also provides multiple utility services, such as maintenance and repair of existing power grids; design, installation, and testing of new utility systems; implement overhead and underground electrical distribution systems; complete construction management services; innovative material procurement techniques; detailed scheduling and on time delivery; capability to coordinate additional equipment as required by job circumstances; construction of transformers and substations; safety trained and qualified to work in energized stations; and on call 24/7 to provide weather-related emergency services.

Gaylor Electric, Inc. was established in 1984 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It has locations in Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Elkhart, Lafayette, Noblesville, and Sellersburg, Indiana; Nashville, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; and Tampa, Florida.

Interview Excerpt: Chuck Goodrich, CEO/President

Why was the company set up? And how did you expand your company and its offerings over the years?

Gaylor Electric came into being as a business ‘experiment’. Was it possible to combine the best practices from organized labor and the best practices from the merit shop philosophy into one company? It is, and Gaylor Electric has continued to be an industry leader in innovation and use of technology to increase our value proposition for clients as a merit shop contractor. We have expanded our offerings to become a premier design/build contractor for commercial, heavy industrial, manufacturing, hospital, research facilities, and educational facilities and housing.  

How successful was your first project roll on? Share the experience.

The first project was unique in that the client was willing to prepay the contract amount in order for us to hire employees to build the project. Relationships have been the foundation of the company and continue to be a key element as we grow.

What kind of mixed responses have you received from your consumers over the years? How have they motivated you to shape your offerings/grow the company? 

Customer service is a core value of the company. We never settle for ‘good enough’ on a project. On the rare occasion over the 34+ years of being in business where our clients’ expectations were not originally met, we did everything within our ability to make it right. This dogged attitude for our client’s satisfaction has helped us to drive focus on being the highest performing contractor of excellence. Our utilization of recent industry technology enables us to know exactly where we are on every project with budget, manpower, and hours at any given time. We have three types of software we use to track safety, production and quality.

Earning trust and respect of consumers all around the world is through consistent focus on delivering high quality in all of our actions. How do you interpret this statement? 

This is a very powerful statement that encapsulates the Gaylor Electric mindset; we set out to prove we are the highest performing contractor of excellence day-by-day, project-by-project. There is no room for resting on past success when today brings challenges that need to be met. Delivering on our promises is not a ‘one-time’ thing; it is an ‘every-time’ thing.

Fostering a culture of feedback is crucial to the success of every organization. How is this true for your company? 

We have always promoted that our inspired employees are our greatest resource. We also believe it is within that group that we will get our best ideas to keep growing and developing the company. We have instituted a quarterly, completely anonymous engagement survey which has provided valuable feedback on ‘how we are doing as a company’. We also have a daily-contact policy for supervision with the people on their teams to build relationships and keep the doors of communication wide open. A company is only as good as its people, and we encourage our people to participate in the process of developing Gaylor Electric into the best company it can be.

If you have to list five factors that have been/are the biggest asset to your organization, what would they be and why?

• A forward thinking senior management team. This is not a one-person organization. Our current and future success is built on the reality that no one person is smarter than all of us working together.
• A highly skilled workforce. We have craft assessments for all levels of our craft workforce so that they can develop into the best they can be.
• Innovative thinking – we are not held back by the adage, “We have always done it this way.” We are out looking for the next great idea in construction delivery.
• Fabrication – we are leaders in utilizing pre-fabricating assemblages to increase productivity, safety and profit.
• Culture of lifelong learning. New learning does not allow complacency to settle in. We believe in staying ‘green and growing’ and not ‘ripe and rotting’ as an organization.

What do you feel are the reasons behind your company’s reputation? 

We hired a research firm to go and find out what our clients like about us. Not surprisingly our commitment to project safety and project delivery led the list. Since our humble beginnings, Gaylor has proven to “say what we mean, mean what we say…and not be mean when we say it.” Each project is the most important one we have done. We look to be memorable to our client by eliminating headaches that all projects can bring, by providing superior performance and forward thinking project management.

As a question on sustainability, where do you see your company a couple of years from now? 

We are poised to experience a 20-25 percent growth rate each year for the next three years. Our infrastructure and senior leadership team are in place to bring this to pass. We firmly believe the future is bright and that opportunity comes to the prepared, ready and willing to perform…and that describes Gaylor Electric.

The Brain behind the Picture

Chuck Goodrich: Chuck began working at Gaylor as a college summer intern. After graduating from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s in Construction Management, he began his career working for a national contractor for two years before returning to Gaylor Electric as a full time project engineer. Chuck’s enthusiasm for learning and being the best at his profession opened the doors for a rapid rise in the Gaylor organization. He was named President of Gaylor Electric in November 2014 by retiring founder, John Gaylor. Chuck has taken on the additional responsibility of CEO as of January 2018.

“We are not a one-person organization: Our current and future success is built on the reality that no one person is smarter than all of us working together.”