“Employ a language that can facilitate your team”

Embraced with patience, compassion, active listening, persistence, and drive, Robert Watkins, President of Ludvik Electric Co., explains that the company focuses on difficult and challenging projects. Their talents and practices ensure smooth project delivery. With a portfolio of complex electrical installations in the U.S. and internationally, they can supply top-tier electrical construction services. In-house engineers and builders support Ludvik's safe and quality services.

Rob started his career with Ludvik Electric, and his grandfather was a good family friend of the founder. Rob has volunteered on the Board of Directors for Independent Electrical Contractors Rocky Mountain (IECRM) for the past 7 years and was recently President re-elect for the 2022 term. IECRM oversees the training of electrical apprentices and the advancement of electricians' education generally. Rob is also a mentor through the Chief Executive Network and takes part in MWBE programs for local and federal projects.

Rob's major lesson is that not everyone is on the same playing field as you. It's important to build strong, positive relationships to cultivate trust, and communicate effectively with each individual. The best leaders will provide the knowledge that encourages them to learn and grow in order to achieve victory. An adaptive leader is one who can steer the team through each stage in order to achieve victory.

Upon being probed about criticism, Rob says that criticism exists as long as there are humans. He listens to the problem, investigates the root cause, and either resolve it or explains WHY things are the way they are and what the business need is. He considers input to determine whether there's a better, faster approach to meet business needs. Active communication helps leaders overcome difficulties and concerns.

Rob also acknowledges that employees can struggle with a variety of mental health issues that can tamper with work performance, he first asks about their health, relationships, and family. If there's a problem, he refers them to the EAP. Once that's resolved, he'll ensure that the person understands the expectations of their position, knows what their responsibilities are, and has been properly trained. We fix any "No" answers, says Rob. If the employee is still inefficient, we create a performance improvement plan. Ultimately, keeping a poor employee demotivates a good one more than anything else.

Rob is technology-centric and drives the organization to stay up-to-date with current technologies. If there isn’t a program that fits the need, we develop the solution internally and integrate it into the existing structure. We have a new accounting system, HRIS system, scheduling software, BIM to Fab infrastructure, and material procurement developed software; these are all integrated into a system to accurately track and manage the organization and deliver results consistently as stated by Rob. In the future, these systems will be improved even more to speed up project completion and get products to market faster.

Some of the obstacles the company has solved will show how it benefited others. A 911 centre needed a major infrastructure overhaul. It was over budget and the project schedule would have impacted the facility; Ludvik was hired to assess the design and offer an improvement without affecting the facility. They saved the owner money, decreased the project schedule, and didn't disrupt operations.

The large residential tower was out of budget and may have been canceled. Our preconstruction team redesigned the units to reduce load and reworked one line to provide more efficiency. This resulted in a 10% reduced installation cost, explains Rob.

 

A busy international airport was trying to commission a TSA-unused conveyor system. This sophisticated system needed a commissioning plan to test it accurately within a defined time. Ludvik facilitated this process and generated a 3,000-item pull plan timeline. This made it clear how to start the commissioning process, who was in charge of what, and when things needed to be done.

The recent completion of the Salt Lake City Terminal Redevelopment Project was a large-scale upgrade with a beginning contract amount of $70 million. Through the duration of the project, there were over 2,500 electrical changes along with delays in construction. The project was delivered on time with a final contract amount of just over $205 million.

With the support from our customers, industry and each other, we deliver a complete installation per plans, specifications, and codes on time. We employ competent people and implement systems to ensure we are delivering. We also care about our clients and try to solve project problems as quickly and economically as we can.

Rob clarifies that they are always learning and challenging the way things are done. They are focused on their customers and delivering results. The Company is also looking into how it can collaborate with its customers to solve difficult problems.