Specialty Contractor in the Spotlight: H&W Electrical Corp.

H&W Electrical Corp. is a South Carolina-based electrical contracting firm that focuses on industrial, commercial, and plant maintenance projects with an emphasis on design-build construction projects in the Southeast.

GroundBreak Carolinas recently caught up with H&W’s President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), Alan Holcombe, to learn more about him and what the future holds for this growing specialty contractor, which is celebrating 50 years in business this year.

Give us some insight into how H&W is positioning itself for success.

H&W currently has more than 120 projects underway throughout the Southeast, specifically in South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.  Our company has experienced substantial growth over the past several years. With this growth, we have realized the need to form and expand several departments including Building Information Modeling (BIM), estimating, and prefabrication.

Regarding BIM, we have formed a drafting department and invested in associated Trimble surveying equipment along with the training for our field supervision. For estimating, we have our project managers switching their estimating platforms to Accubid, and we also brought in a chief estimator to help facilitate larger preconstruction budgets. To stay more efficient with current expedited job scheduling, we have structured a department for prefabrication – and we have been educating ourselves about emerging technologies and market trends for this application.

All these areas of expansion will help us turnkey our projects better and solidify our go-to-market strategy with comprehensive packages.

Describe H&W’s company culture.

Our company culture is collaborative and healthy.  We are extremely driven when it comes to both management and the team. The team provides their strong suits and gets the freedom to implement the processes that work best for them, which alleviates micromanaging. Both team and management have a continuous open dialogue with what the company needs to get done and the end goal. Our employees collaborate very well with one another, and leadership expects and displays an attitude of willingness to help where possible. We have highly structured information systems, which in turn, give employees the information needed to perform with a high level of competence. Having employees with strong character is an asset that we believe sets us apart from some of our competition.

How long have you been in the construction industry? What inspired you to pursue a career in construction?

I have been working in the local construction industry in Upstate South Carolina since the late 1990s. I first worked for H&W Electrical in the summertime when I was home from college. My inspiration for a career path in this sector came from my father, Dick Holcombe, one of the original founders of H&W Electrical Corp. He showed me that you could work extremely hard, but also genuinely love what you do for a career.

Tell us more about your career journey at H&W and the impact it’s had on you.

I began working for H&W Electrical full time upon graduating college from Clemson University. My first task as a full-time employee was to organize the warehouse.  At the time, I wasn’t sure this was the career path that I wanted, but over time I began to realize the invaluable lessons I was learning every day while working in the warehouse. The warehouse helped me gain a different perspective of our employees and ingrained in me a great level of respect for all tradesmen. I eventually began installing projects, and after several years in the field, I moved up to a superintendent role. I then went on to become a project manager in 2009 and President in 2018. My proclivity for hard work and attention to detail helped me to succeed in the market very fast. In looking back on all our success, I could not be prouder of how far we have come, and I could not be prouder to have had my father as my mentor and peer throughout this process. 

Serving the local community is important to you. Give us some examples of how you “build for people.”

Our leadership firmly believes in giving back to the community – with a comprehensive focus on giving back locally. H&W Electrical is involved with more than 20 charitable organizations in the Upstate.  In particular, H&W is very proud to have sponsored the Pickens County Shelter of Hope for the homeless and we are very proud to be associated with the ministry they provide. The shelter’s Tracy and Sunshine Gantt have tirelessly given to the local community, and we look forward to hearing about all the amazing stories their ministry will provide to people in this area.

What career advice would you give others?

Set the foundations first. This is crucial to your success. If you don’t have the right systems and processes in place, you won’t perform to your best ability.

What is your favorite quote?

“Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.” – Jim Rohn

What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?

The internal want and need to better myself and the company so that it can benefit not only me and my family, but also all our employees and their families too.

Learn more about H&W Electrical by visiting the website and following the company on Instagram, as well as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.