From the President: Fall 2014 Updates

Image of BEC President Doug Berwick
BEC President Doug Berwick

When my grandfather, John Douglas Berwick, started Berwick Electric Co. 93 years ago, I don’t believe he could have imagined that the company would still be providing electrical contracting services to the Pikes Peak region today.  Built on the foundation of excellent customer service established by my grandfather, Berwick Electric Co. is presently recognized as the “best electrical contractor” by the readers of both the Colorado Springs Business Journal and The Gazette

John Berwick started the business in the carriage house (garage) behind his home in the 1400 block of Weber St., and he eventually moved the business into the upper level of the building in which South Side Johnnies is currently located. At that time, this building housed the horses for the city’s trolley cars.  In 1955 my father, James Douglas Berwick, became company president.  The business moved to a location on Bijou Street and eventually relocated to 129 W. Costilla Street.  In

Image of the Weber St. House
The Weber St. House

1986 Jim Peterson, Bill Strassburg, Dale Chase and I began to purchase my father’s stock to allow him to move to Arizona, and Jim Peterson became President.  With Jim at the helm, the company experienced tremendous growth and relocated to its present location on North Nevada.

In April of this year, as part of our strategic succession plan, Jim Peterson stepped down as President while continuing to concentrate on business development and estimating.   Jim remains on the Board of Directors as an advisor and mentor.  Additionally, Tim Prime (Vice-President and shareholder) and Ellie Capek (Secretary/Treasurer and shareholder) were elected to serve on the Board. I am also honored to continue on the Board of Directors and serve as the fourth president of Berwick Electric Co.

Image of BEC service vans
BEC's service vans

Today, Berwick Electric Co. is well-positioned for the future.  Service Department Manager James Rockhill is building a strong, technically talented, customer service-driven team.  Tim Prime continues to lead our Industrial Department and has been successful with the award of two high-profile projects: one at Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant in Arizona, and the other a Selective Catalyst Reduction System at the Jim Bridger Power Plant in Wyoming.  Mark Norman currently leads our Special Projects Department and will concentrate on business development alongside Jim Peterson.  Tony Cerciello heads our Contract Department and oversees field operations.  Waldo Pendleton is working with Jim Peterson as chief estimator, and Shane Gebbink continues to grow our Datacomm (data communications) Department. Further, Dorsie Childs just celebrated his 43rd anniversary as warehouse manager at Berwick, and he is mentoring Will Krueger for the future.

As we approach 1,500,000 man-hours worked without a lost-time injury and boast an Experience Modifier of 0.66, safety remains our number one commitment.  I applaud Bill Tuten’s leadership as safety director and the effort that all of our employees have made to stay safe.  Our 10 Commandments of Customer Service lists safety first, while the remaining nine commandments center on the foundation of excellent customer service established by my grandfather and continued by my father, Jim Peterson and all of the employees of Berwick Electric Co.

Sincerely,
Doug Berwick
President