CONTRACTOR SUCCESS STORY : GLOBAL ELECTRIC
Global Installation and Maintenance , Inc . ( Global Electric ) owner William Jackson ( center ), with his growing team of employees .
communications industry , representing Motorola ’ s wireless fiberoptic data , but eventually became interested in the electrical industry . “ Communications is a subset of the electrical industry , and there were more opportunities for small business enterprises in the greater electrical field . Electrical systems are complex , interesting and necessary .”
Having also worked in construction during his college and younger years , William did some research , took and passed his C-10 License exam , and started working smaller private jobs before venturing into commercial and eventually , public works projects . While his in-field technical skills were well-honed , he found that his biggest challenge was learning to put together an accurate estimate and finding an estimator who was detailed enough to be competitive while capturing all of the costs for materials , labor and equipment . “ I lost money on a few projects when I first started , so I had to learn the hard way .”
He also remembers how some general contractors would use the bids submitted by Global Electric as leverage to try to get competing small contractors to lower their prices . “ When I was just starting out , it wasn ’ t easy to get the GCs to respect my bids .” Over time , despite a tight labor market making it difficult to find qualified and skilled crew members , William was able to put together a reliable team .
William attended several LA Metro and National Association of Minority Contractors ( NAMC ) events at which Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services ’ staff gave presentations about Metro ’ s Contractor Development and Bonding Program ( CDBP ) and the collateral support available to small contractors who need to secure bonding . He then enrolled in the CDBP for assistance in pursuing a contract with Skanska Traylor Shea JV to furnish and install edge light systems at the La Brea , Fairfax , and La Cienega stations for Metro ’ s Westside Purple Line Extension .
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