An Investment In People, Technology And Clients Place Mazzei In A League Of Its Own
BRITISH COLUMBIA – When Ben Mazzei took the helm of Mazzei Electric in 2008 from his father Frank, he not only endeavored to uphold a proud legacy, but enhance it. Founded in 1994 in Nanaimo, Ben’s arrival saw Mazzei Electric grow rapidly in the ensuing years, evolving from a focus on commercial service contracts, to covering multi-family residential, residential, commercial, Institutional and industrial construction.
Ben Mazzei took the helm of Mazzei Electric in 2008, with offices in Nanaimo, Fort St. John, Victoria and Kelowna today
Today, they have offices in Nanaimo, Fort St. John, Victoria and Kelowna, offering fully-equipped service vans in every location for residential and commercial service, renovations, and maintenance. Over the last nine years, they’ve maintained up to fifty-percent growth, an undeniable signal Mazzei Electric is doing something very right.
They’ve accomplished this with a measurable dedication to their company ethos.
Safety. Innovation. Trust. Relationships.
“I believe we have a modern, progressive approach to how we do business,” explains Ben. “We embrace new technologies, care deeply about safety (they are COR-certified by the British Columbia Construction Safety Alliance), have designed a scalable business model capable of moving into new regions fairly seamlessly, and invest in the long term growth of our people.”
Mazzei Electric consists of a diverse team of Electricians and project managers, talented trade veterans and a leadership team of professionals from outside the electric industry for a unique, adaptive mix of perspectives. A substantial amount of energy is put into holding onto this workforce.
Mazzei’s co-op gas station project with W.L. Construction in Fort St.John
Director of Operations, Stuart Cuthbert, elaborates, “One of the keys to our success has been the retention, recruitment and development of our staff team, specifically those in field leadership positions. Strong leaders set the tone on the job site and are the cornerstone of successful project execution. By identifying, coaching and mentoring the leaders of today and the future, we’ve built a culture that demands high standards, fostering an ethos of collaboration and teamwork. Our Forepersons are encouraged to identify potential leaders within their teams, both Journeypersons and apprentices. Those individuals are rewarded with increased responsibility and training.”
Another component in their staffing success has been an eagerness to take on a deeply underutilized percentage of the skilled trades workforce. Women make up barely five-percent of tradespeople working in BC. Mazzei’s numbers include twelve-percent women, including a strong female presence in their management teams. HR Manager, Monika Zwilling, knows everyone can do more, and hopes other companies across BC follow suit.
Mazzei electric actively works to hire and support women in the trades
Explains Monika, “Construction hasn’t always been a very inclusive environment. We are glad to see that this is changing and we are proud to be a leader on this front. Supporting women in trades doesn’t just mean hiring more women though. It means having fair and equitable hiring practices, inclusive and respectful workplaces, as well as zero tolerance policies for workplace harassment, bullying, and hazing. We are a signatory of the BC Construction Association’s Builders Code which sets a standard in construction for acceptable workplaces and improves the safety, retention, and productivity of trades people. If you look at some of the terminology that is used in construction it is very male dominated; for example Foreman or Journeyman. We have shifted our language to gender-neutral terms such as Foreperson and Journeyperson and are continually looking at ways to make our workplaces more inclusive and diverse.”
Their strong internal culture and commitment to professional growth has, naturally, only further pushed their development as a company. Smart, driven leadership breeds stability and expanded business opportunities.
A Mazzei project in progress on Elliot Road in West Kelowna
“Our growth has not been by accident,” notes Mazzei CFO, Roger Perry. “In fact, in 2018 we developed a growth strategy for the company. Specifically, we found we could rely on the geographic diversification of the company’s operations and our diversification of product lines within the electrical industry. We knew we had a very good business model because of the success we’ve had with customers who were very successful in their own right. Having the ability to reduce our risk exposure through that diversification and having good alignment with key customers who were also growing allowed us to set out to build a reliable organization structure with management processes that could grow with increased business volume.”
This diversification gives Mazzei Electric a competitive advantage. Each branch has a service department as well as construction team completing a range of services across the province rather than depending on one type of work or region to support the business further cements their stability.
This patience and vision from Ben and his team has spurred their consistent, double digit growth and, just as importantly in today’s climate, has allowed Mazzei to continue doing so through the COVID-19 crisis and its related challenges. This has allowed them to focus on exploring opportunities in new markets throughout the province, expand their product offering and continue to build on new and existing relationships.
Concludes Ben, “We have spent a lot of time on our processes and making sure that they support the culture we want to have in the company and the value we bring to BC businesses and residents. It has paid off for us.”
