< PreviousSuccessful businessman David C. Mollitor, Jr. recognized the value of the company and the potential impact its closure would have on its employees and clients. He purchased Lan- sing Electric, revitalized the business, and rebranded it as Con- solidated Electrical Contractors. By 1999, Mollitor expanded the company's reach in northern Michigan, acquiring Martin Electric Company in Traverse City and opening another office in Grand Rapids to better serve customers statewide. In conversation with company President, David Mollitor, he shared his motivations behind the acquisition of Lansing Electric, now known as Consolidated Electrical Contractors. "My primary objective was to ensure that employees there, who had been with the company for a long time, didn't lose their jobs. There were several of them who were probably within five years of retirement," said Mollitor. "At that point, I didn't have any other specific goals for the business in terms of growth or expansion.” Embarking on a new business venture can be intimidating, yet Mollitor chose to take on an electrical services company despite lacking prior industry knowledge. When asked about this decision, Mollitor mentioned his upbringing in construc- tion but admitted to having no background in electrical ser- vices. However, his determination to succeed was coupled with a motivation driven by his love for the people involved. “I just fell in love with the business because of the people. And here we are 29 years later, covering pretty much the entire state of Michigan. We are now 100 times bigger than we were when we started,” said Mollitor. Consolidated Electrical Contractors experienced rapid growth, with its workforce increasing from 12 to 150 employ- ees within six years. However, the company soon realized that this growth came at a cost. With the banking crisis and the housing market collapse coming in quick succession, many businesses failed. Consolidated Electric Contractors “We aim to provide alternatives for young people to explore different paths leading to successful careers in skilled trades.”CONGRATULATIONS! From your friends at We salute you for continuous persistence to excellence, integrity and to providing the highest quality workmanship in all the work you do. On this well-deserved special recognition. mercbank.com was not immune from this, and its employee count plummeted from 160 to only 35. Mollitor, understandably, feared for the company's survival. This prompted him to hit the reset button and refocus on the key elements of the business, with a renewed emphasis on the people. Mollitor's passion for Ken Blanchard's best-selling book, "One Minute Manager," led one of his employees to contact the author. Together with Blanchard and his team, they devel- oped a set of core values - People, Safety, Performance, Communication, Quality, and Partners - that served as the foundation of Consolidated Electrical Contractors. With these core values in place, the company witnessed a remarkable increase in employee retention and successfully expanded its business to over 245 people. According to Mollitor, the com- pany's culture was the driving force behind this success. He emphasized the importance of creating a positive work envi- ronment and making employees feel valued. "When people say it's been hard to find good employees over the last 10 years, I don't know if we've just been lucky or what, but we've never had a problem finding people. To go from 35 to 250 employ- ees, people are struggling to even find two or three. My advice is to focus on your culture. You need to be at the top of the mountain and scream about how important your people are. At Consolidated Electric, we have seen the benefit of having an excellent team. This continuity brings the highest standards for our clients and a satisfied staff is a positive for everyone.” Consolidated Electrical Contractors’ commit- ment to promoting skilled trades stems from its belief in the value of the trades industry, as well as the desire to help young people find fulfilling, sustainable careers. Mollitor emphasizes, "We recognize that the traditional four-year college path isn't for everyone. We aim to provide alternatives for young people to explore different paths leading to suc- cessful careers in skilled trades." The company's dedication to promoting the trades industry goes beyond its own workforce. Consolidated Electrical Contractors actively collaborates with local com- munities, high schools, and vocational schools to support young people interested in pursuing careers in trades. It provides information about trades, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and continuing education opportunities. "We believe that investing in our employees and promoting the trades industry is not only good for business, but also good for our communities and the future of the industry," notes Mollitor. | 51 APEIRON CONSTRUCTION989-497-2100 standardelectricco.com Proud Supplier of to the Consolidated Electric Team As one of the leading electrical contractors in Michigan, Con- solidated Electrical Contractors provide a wide range of ser- vices across the state, all backed by a skilled and dedicated team. The company is divided into two main divisions, Resi- dential and Service, with residential division as their primary focus. Specializing in wiring and installing electrical systems in single-family homes, Consolidated Electrical Contractors is the largest residential electrical contractor in Michigan. Mollitor highlights the company’s commitment to excellence, stating, "Our highly skilled electricians provide exceptional service, completing around 1,200 to 1,400 new homes per year—a testament to our expertise." The commercial multifamily division is CEC's second major division, increasingly taking on commercial projects. As more people choose apartments or downtown living, CEC has emerged as one of Michigan's largest multifamily contrac- tors, completing various projects, including hotels and senior care facilities. Mollitor shares, "We have the experience and resources to handle large-scale projects, and we pride our- selves on delivering quality workmanship to our clients." Consolidated Electrical Contractors also has a small but growing Service division, that focuses on commercial and | 52 MAY 2023residential services. Aiming to broaden its customer base, the company is actively working to extend its reach beyond clients with homes previously wired by Consolidated Electrical Contractors. As Mollitor emphasizes, "We are committed to providing the highest level of customer service, and we want to make our services available to as many people as possible." After almost 100 years, Consolidated Electrical Contractors continues to shine brightly in Michigan's electrical services industry, with its dedication to exceptional service and a peo- ple-centric approach. Since its establishment, the company has experienced significant growth and development under David Mollitor's leadership. By concentrating on its core values, Consolidated Electrical Contractors has expanded its operations and workforce, solidifying its status as a top electrical contractor in Michigan. In addition to this, the company is one that demonstrates genuine care for the future of the trades industry and the well-being of Michigan's residents through its active involve- ment with local communities, support for the skilled trades, and dedication to nurturing young talent. As the company looks towards the future, it remains committed to refining its services and upholding its strong reputation. With a storied history spanning over nine decades, Consolidated Electrical Contractors' unwavering dedication to excellence and com- passion guarantees that it will continue to prosper and lead for years to come. | 53 APEIRON CONSTRUCTION| 54 MAY 2023WRITTEN BY DAVID O’NEILL W hen it comes to essential materials in the construction industry, a number of them come to mind. Concrete and its myriad uses, for starters. In addition to this, stone, sand, and metal in their various iterations are never too far away from a job site. Build- ing materials such as these have supported the industry at every juncture and are synonymous with construction. However, there is another mate- rial that may not be one that automatically comes to mind. Despite its subtle input in the construction world, it deserves its place at the table. Glass has been an essential material in the construction industry for centuries. Its combina- tion of versatility and durability make it a material found across multiple sectors. In addition to the innovative design solutions and sustainable building practices, it is a key aspect of modern architecture. The material can be found in windows, doors, facades, partitions, skylights, and numerous other applications in the construction industry. | 55 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONOne key aspect of glass is that, due to its durable nature, it can withstand harsh weather conditions while still maintaining an aesthetic appeal. Coupled with its resistance to corrosion, chemical damage, and UV radiation, it is clear why the material has become a key aspect in the ongoing search for more sustainable construction prac- tices and materials. However, while all this may be true, it does not tell the full picture. Glass, along with its many positives, is not perfect. In fact, while it can be seen in many quarters as an environmentally friendly alternative to single-use plastic, glass is equally problematic. Technically yes, it is indeed recy- clable, and it is made from mostly natural materials. The sim- ple fact is though, that most of the glass in use today ends up in landfill, where it can last for hundreds of years. With an ever-increasing demand from the construction industry to ensure the highest use of sustainable and recycled materials, the incredible fact that Americans discard over eight million tons of glass each year is deeply concerning. When this is seen in the context of figures from the EPA that less than 30% of glass used in the country is recycled, it is even more so. For a material that is infinitely recyclable without a loss of quality, it seems peculiar that so much of it is wasted. According to Recycle Across America, “More than 28 billion glass bottles and jars end up in landfills every year — that is the equivalent of filling up two Empire State Buildings every three weeks.” There is news, however, coming from a New Orleans start-up company called Glass Half Full. The company has taken control of things and is working towards using the natural benefits of recycled glass to promote a circular econ- omy. The benefits of this should be of huge interest to those in construction. According to the company, the goal is clear. “We collect NOLA’s glass and recycle it into sand and glass cullet for coastal restoration, disaster relief, eco-construction, new glass products, and much more.” By crushing 100,000 pounds of glass each month, the company works with local businesses to reuse the raw ingredients in innovative ways. From jewelry to landscaping and construction, insulation to water filters, it seems that the sand produced from recycled glass is pure enough to mitigate the need for a material that is already in scarce supply. The process itself, according to Glass Half Full, is quite a sim- ple one. By facilitating the collection and drop-off of bottles, it is a case of basically, smashing it all up. “We offer multiple free drop-off hubs across the city, where we collect glass “waste” from residents throughout Louisiana. We also offer collection services for residents, businesses, and events spanning sev- eral parishes. Once we’ve diverted this glass from the landfill, we sort it by color and remove all plastic and metal compo- nents. Having been collected and sorted, we then process the glass by pulverizing it with hammer-mill crushers at our local facility on Louisa St. We sift the crushed product to remove labels and sort the various size distributions. From there, we are left with sand products ranging from super soft, beach-like powder to chunky glass gravel.” | 56 MAY 2023So where does that leave the construction industry? It seems that, when crushed to become sand of various coarseness, the options are almost limitless. Crushed glass can be used as an aggregate in concrete and asphalt, reducing the need for traditional materials like sand, gravel, and crushed stone. The material also has insulating properties, being the pri- mary constituent in glass wool insulation, which is used to insulate walls, roofs, and floors. In addition to all this, recycled glass can be used to create walls, floors, and coun- tertop tiles. Truly, when you scratch the surface, it seems as though recycled glass can occupy a much wider space within the construction world than previously suspected. Another, possibly more vital aspect to the work being done by Glass Half Full is the positive effect this will have on eco-sys- tems and coastlines. Sand is a high value product. Its use in concrete and auxiliary construction processes cannot be overstated and the over-extraction of sand from local waters is an ongoing issue for conservationists. The impact of this has led to a global crisis. We are currently facing a global sand shortage as this natural resource is depleted at an alarming rate. With the sand we create, we aim to provide a sustain- able alternative to exploitative sand extraction techniques like dredging and mining, which disrupt local ecosystems, contribute to the coastal erosion crisis, and costs millions of dollars annually. Restoring Louisiana’s diminishing coast will require hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sand, further intensifying coastal erosion if this sand is dredged and sucked from the bottom of our waterways. Our recycled glass sand can rebuild entire coastlines at a fraction of the price.” Glass may well have a complex relationship with the con- struction industry. Its benefits are enormous, yet it doesn’t get the credit it deserves. All the while, the extraction of the material has catastrophic effects on coastlines and eco-systems. Yet, the work being achieved by Glass Half Full gives a window into the potential benefits of a re-think. The growth it has experienced in such a short time is an indica- tor that there is an appetite for this. Glass is famed for its transparency, maybe the industry could do with looking at it a bit harder. “We launched Glass Half Full in a backyard. We began collecting and hand-crushing our friends’ glass with no real expectation for what this project would become. As word spread, participation and support grew, and soon we obtained the resources to move to a location uptown. After quickly running out of storage space (a good problem to have, in our opinion!), our supporters rallied to help us expand into a new processing facility on Louisa St, where we would have the ability to scale up our operations and accept more glass. From there, it was history– we are now backed by a growing team of staff, volunteers, and community members who pitch in daily to divert tens of thousands of pounds of glass from NOLA’s landfills every single week.” glasshalffullnola.org “Our recycled glass sand can rebuild entire coastlines at a fraction of the price.” | 57 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONWRITTEN BY ERIC O’CALLAGHAN W hen starting at the bottom of the career ladder, the only way to move is up. It may not seem like it, but this is a powerful place to be, especially when deciding which direction to follow. Figuring out which ladder that may be is almost a rite of passage: making the wrong decision can alter life tremendously. For some, the decision is made from a very young age. With this in mind, it has become apparent that reaching young people as soon as possible is important. ABC Florida East Coast Chapter’s partnership with Junior Achievement in Broward County simulates a business for middle schoolers. As the single largest provider of apprenticeship education in the state of Florida— investing roughly $3.6 million in workforce development — the organization aims to excite and encourage the next generation of construction workers. In order to excel in the construction industry, it is imperative that the required training is completed first. Any skilled tradesman will have completed an apprenticeship in their field at some stage in their lives, but the unfortunate truth is that becoming an apprentice is incred- ibly difficult unless a person is already working within the chosen trade industry. The legal definition of an apprenticeship program is a combination of related technical instruction, classroom instruction or lab work, as well as on the job training and supervision by a journey person or master of said trade. If an apprentice has no job, they are unable to gain the nec- essary training, credits, or supervision to elevate their career and continue the ladder climb. However, a pre-apprenticeship program allows an interest to develop and nurtures talent to help it grow in the right direction; up. | 58 MAY 2023| 59 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONNext >