Twenty years ago, Brian Zadrozny was fresh out of high school, armed with a strong work ethic and a desire to be paid for what he produced. Today, he leads BFZ Electric, one of Connecticut’s largest electrical contracting firms, generating over $10 million in revenue and employing close to 50 people.
His story didn’t start with a strategic business plan or seed funding. It began in 1999, when he took a job working for a friend’s family-owned construction business. “I was a kid, and I just wanted to get paid by the piece, not by the hour,” Brian says. That drive for autonomy eventually led him to get his contractor’s license and launch BFZ Electric in 2004.
The company’s first “office” was a 1992 Ford Explorer. For the first year, it was just Brian—taking calls, quoting jobs, doing the electrical work, and handling invoices. In 2005, he hired his first employee, and for more than a decade it was just the two of them, grinding through projects, learning the ropes, and slowly building a reputation.
By 2016, Brian felt the itch to do more. “I was getting a little bored with what we were doing,” he admits. “So I started taking steps to grow the business.” That meant joining a trade association, getting mentorship from seasoned business owners, and rethinking how he approached project management, sales, and operations.
In 2018, BFZ Electric landed its first large-scale project—though the work didn’t actually begin until 2020. Still, it marked a major shift in the company’s trajectory. “We probably had about six guys at that point,” Brian recalls. “That’s when I hired my first project manager, who’s still with me today.” Around the same time, the company crossed the $1 million revenue mark. Just a few years later, in 2024, they hit $10 million.
So what’s behind the growth? A few things stand out: specialization, innovation, culture, and a relentless focus on client relationships.
BFZ Electric focuses primarily on large-scale new construction. About 80% of its work comes from multi-family apartment buildings, with the rest made up of office fit-outs and select renovation projects. Unlike many contractors, they don’t chase small residential service calls or quick commercial repairs.
“We wire new buildings from the ground up,” Brian explains. “When it’s just a pile of dirt, we’re there.”
That specialization allows the company to streamline its bidding process and execution strategy. “We focus on projects where we can leverage our competitive advantage—prefabrication and pre-construction planning,” he says.
“We focus on projects where we can leverage our competitive advantage—prefabrication and pre-construction planning.”
One of the biggest game-changers for BFZ Electric was the move to prefabrication. It began around 2017, when Brian attended a project management course and first heard about the practice. At the time, BFZ was still working out of a garage. He brought on a new hire to begin experimenting with pre-building components in-house.
“We started small,” he says. “Then we got introduced to Blue Beam, a digital tool that allowed us to really take off with the idea.” Eventually, they moved into a larger prefabrication shop. Today, six employees work full-time in prefabrication alongside the company’s design team.
“Only about 5% of companies in our industry do this,” Brian notes. “We build components—anything from electrical panels to lighting assemblies—off-site. When the job site is ready, we roll in with systems that are already 50 percent complete.”
The benefits are massive: less time spent working in unpredictable site conditions, fewer delays, and better cost control. “Our install time is cut dramatically,” Brian says. “Instead of scrambling to finish in two weeks, we’ve already done a week and a half of work in the shop. When we get on site, we just install.”
While BFZ Electric is sharp on operations, what truly fuels its expansion is its focus on relationships—with general contractors, developers, and property owners. “We work directly with the people who own the land and are doing the build themselves,” Brian says. “We get along great with them because our process works. And once we’ve earned their trust, they bring us back.”
It’s that trust that led to one of BFZ’s first major milestones: a six-story apartment building in Hartford worth $800,000—up from the typical $10,000 to $30,000 jobs they were doing before.
Since then, high-profile projects have become the norm. A standout was The Pike in Newington, a sprawling development with 2 buildings and 151 luxury apartment units. “It was the fastest-paced job we’ve had,” Brian recalls. “Tight deadlines, lots of moving parts—but we hit every milestone and delivered on time.”
Currently, BFZ is deep into a project at Innovation Studios, where a ten-story hotel is being transformed into 200 apartments. “This one’s different,” he says. “You’re working with an existing structure, so it takes a lot of creativity. But our design team has done a great job making the work repeatable and efficient. We’re 60% through and ahead of schedule.”
Beyond its projects and processes, what truly sets BFZ Electric apart is its culture. The team lives by three core values: We care. We see challenges as opportunities. We work with energy and commitment.
“They’re not just slogans,” Brian says. “We actually live by them, and that’s what keeps our team aligned.”
The culture isn’t just internally focused—it’s public-facing, too. Early on, Brian recognized the power of social media as a recruiting and branding tool. BFZ created a dedicated culture and content role—now in its fourth iteration, held by James Bye—to showcase what life at BFZ is really like.
Scroll through their social feeds and you won’t just see job sites—you’ll see people. Birthday celebrations, team outings, employee milestones, behind-the-scenes clips. “People tell us they followed us for years and just had to see if it was real,” Brian laughs. “I’ve walked onto job sites and had people point and say, ‘Hey, you’re that guy from the video.’”
This transparency pays off. BFZ regularly receives referrals from current employees and frequently hires friends and family of existing team members. “When people bring their family into the business, that’s how you know you’re doing something right,” he says. “The camaraderie is strong, and we work hard to keep it that way.”
With its 20th anniversary in full swing, BFZ Electric is charging ahead. The company plans to increase its staff to over 75 employees this year, holding three to five interviews each week to meet demand. They’re also exploring additional warehouse space to keep up with the workload.
“We’re not slowing down,” Brian says. “We’re focused on future development, nurturing client relationships, and continuing to grow.”
When asked what’s made BFZ Electric such a success, he doesn’t hesitate: “Our people. No question. And the way we’ve gotten those people is by staying true to our core values.”
As for what’s next? “Everything’s going good,” Brian says. “We love our people, they mean a lot to us, and it’s great to see them grow. It looks like a bright future for 2025—and beyond.”
