Arco Electric
Sandy, Utah

Clark Leading Firm Started by Father

“I’m very pro right-to-work. Everybody has a choice to work for an independent, or a union. I would never even think of telling someone what their choice should be.” – Leesa Clark, Arco Electric president.

By Brad Fullmer

At the beginning of 2007, Arco Electric formally announced a change in leadership, as Leesa Clark, daughter of Arco founder Dee Clark, was ‘officially’ named president of the 25-year-old company, even though she’s been overseeing the firm’s day-to-day business operations since her father’s retirement eight years ago.

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“I guess we’re a little slow to change our titles,” says Clark, adding that other company officers include Reggie Huffman, vice president of construction, Tyler Bills, vice president of operations, and Kevin Seeley, chief information officer.

“It’s an opportunity for them to advance and show us what they can do,” says Clark.
Clark says she has been working for her father since she was 12 years old, back when the company was called Oquirrh Electric, which was founded by Dee Clark in 1972. Around 1980, the firm made a conscious decision to become an independent electrical contractor, due to difficulties it was having dealing with the local electrical union during challenging economic times in the construction industry.

“It was a tough time for our company – we weren’t successful in bidding jobs because the market had changed,” said Clark. “The unions had voted pay raises for its workers and the independents were more competitive and writing all the work. Because of union wages, we were not successful writing any projects. The unions started looking out for the unions and not the people.”

In order to become competitive, Oquirrh Electric was totally shut down before Dee Clark started Arco Electric in 1982.

“If we didn’t make the conversion, we wouldn’t be around anymore,” says Clark. “We totally shut down Oquirrh; we had to phase it out and start up the new company. It took about two years to make it work.

“Utah tends to be a pro right-to-work state,” she continues. “Anybody who can work will be allowed to do so. I’m very pro right-to-work. Everybody has a choice to work for an independent, or a union. I would never even think of telling someone what their choice should be.”

In the early days, Clark would do all kinds of miscellaneous errands for her father, from organizing the warehouse to building fixture whips.

“You’ve got to start at the bottom – from sorting nuts and bolts to unloading deliveries in the shed at the back of our house,” Clark recalls. “When dad got home, I’d help him load the truck for the next day.”

The early 80’s were challenging for most companies in the construction industry during that time, and Arco was no exception to experiencing difficult times.

“There wasn’t a lot of income during that time period,” says Clark. “The economy was so bad in the early 80’s, you’d bid 50 jobs and get one.”

Through hard work and determination, Arco would survive the early 80’s; today, the company thrives as a major electrical contractor capable of working on some of the biggest, highest-profile projects in the region.

Arco has been the electrical contractor on the Utah State Capitol Restoration project in Salt Lake City the past three years, landing both the Central Plant and Capitol Building contracts.

The firm has installed more than 715,000 ft. of conduit, more than 2.2 million ft. of wire, and two 1.5 Megawatt 12,470 volt generators on the project. In addition, Arco installed over 1,500 historical light fixtures, and another 4,000 new light fixtures throughout the historic building.

“We were fortunate to land both the Central Plant and the Capitol Building,” says Clark.

“It’s coming to a close, so it’s at the most intense parts right now trying to finish up.”

Looking forward to the future, the company continues its efforts to recruit new workers into the industry, in addition to retaining the employees it currently has. Clark said the market’s competitive landscape, coupled with historically low unemployment rates, has led to ‘job-hopping’ by some workers.

“With the economy the way it is, employees are chasing the dollar right now,” she says. “They’re looking at that extra dollar an hour. Employees are pretty smart – they have access to a lot of information. They know what a wage should be, what health insurance they need. If we are going to get quality people, we have to offer the benefit packages that attract them to come here.”

She says it’s mainly single field workers who are willing to jump from firm to firm. People with families tend to remain where they’re at, simply because Arco has always prided itself as a family-run business.

“Because we offer family coverage, it attracts the family worker,” she says. “We are one of the only ones that will give full-family coverage to an employee. The trend right now is for benefits just to the employee.”

“That’s the beauty of the competitive marketplace that founded America,” says Seeley. “It drives the whole process. If you want the best players, you have to pay them and treat them the best.”

The company remains confident that today’s shallow labor pool will eventually fill up with young, talented individuals.

“It’s an honorable trade and it’s a great way to make a living,” says Clark. “It’s been great for my family. It requires knowledge and intelligence, and I don’t think a lot of kids see that.”

Company: Arco Electric

Location: Sandy, Utah

Year Founded: 1982

Markets Served: Commercial, Industrial

No. of Employees: 115

Recent Projects: Utah State Capitol, Syracuse High School,
St. Regis Hotel, Grand America Hotel, Bennett Federal Building.

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