Topic: Blog

Thanks to Incredible Growth, LEC is Needs to add a Rockstar Project Manager!

LAKETOWN ELECTRIC CORPORATION is a large and growing commercial and industrial electrical contractor with offices in Waconia, Rochester and Mankato, MN. Our projects consist of healthcare projects, commercial and industrial facilities that range in size from a few thousand dollars to $10+ million per project in electrical scope. We have 125 employees with annual anticipated revenues of $45+ million in 2023.  Laketown Electric is the 7th largest electrical contractor by volume in Minnesota with aggressive growth and expansion plans.

Thanks to an incredibly robust backlog of work already in place, we are currently accepting resumes for full time Senior Project Managers and Project Managers with 5+ years of experience based out of our office in Waconia, MN.

An ideal candidate is someone who can project a professional image, have a positive attitude, are leaders and self-starters with a strong work ethic and the ability to perform all levels and types of managing including commercial, industrial, and healthcare facilities. Candidates will be paid based on experience as well as aptitude with exceptional bonus potential. The candidate must possess good people skills and the ability to build rapport with key end users and general contractors. Proven experience with McCormick Estimating Software or Accubid are a must. The best candidates will have experience managing projects in the range of $100,000-$10 million dollars per project on average.

Primary functions of this position will be to connect all aspects of operational and financial metrics to lead projects from preparation and planning, scheduling, compliance, and fulfilment to completion. This person will provide leadership to several teams while managing projects across numerous locations. They will need to communicate well in written and spoken direction.

We offer a full benefit package and competitive salary based on experience complete with strong performance-based bonuses, 401K, company car and fuel card, profit sharing, health insurance and paid vacation.


LEC Offers Tips to Combat Supply Chain and Leadtime Woes

Rise and grind!
Here are a few tips for commercial and industrial general contractors and developers to be aware of us we enter the new year with unprecedented delays and supply chain issues. We will take the lead and navigate through all of these issues for you! Let us show you how!
#1 – Plan early and often. With electrical switchgear leadtimes for any service over 600 amps, you can plan on 28-60+ weeks for procurement! Consider working with your owners to issue partial PO’s on switchgear, or better yet partnering with MEP partners prior to other bid packages to meet owner expectations.
#2 – Be wary of utility leadtimes. While switchgear leadtimes are a major headache, utility transformer availability is a debilitating migraine. We were told in Q3 by our Xcel representative that it will not be uncommon to see 1+ year leadtimes to get utility power. One project we applied for this week has a 440 day lead for utility transformer installation. This could be less or more with municipal utility providers, or other utility providers. Again, proper planning delivers positive project results.
#3 – Be flexible! My engineer friends may not fully agree, but we may need to shelve the original electrical design and get back to the drawing board with collaborative design-build mindsets. On a few recent projects, we had to rethink our switchgear and distribution intent to lower leadtimes by 3 months.
Don’t get caught in the cold, pick a contractor like Laketown Electric Corporation that has navigated difficult challenges for nearly 50 years, and has one of the largest, most experienced workforces and management teams in Minnesota. We also will never turn away your one-hour service call.


LEC’s CEO Matt Bergmann Honors the Founder, David Bergmann, 10 Years After His Passing

As told by CEO Matt Bergmann

12.5.22

On this day 10 years ago, David Bergmann – my father, mentor and founder of Laketown Electric Corporation was suddenly called to heaven at the young age of 60.

This photo hangs above my desk which was taken by a friend of his en route to Sturgis, SD for the rally, which was one of his very favorite things to do.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of the great father, family man, community servant and businessman that he was.

I was fortunate to have learned the business side of Laketown Electric Corporation for two years with him prior to his passing. But more importantly he drilled further into me the importance of relationships, industry friendships, being good stewards of the construction industry and helping others even when they have nothing to give back. This also included learning to give selflessly and put community first over profits.

While much has changed as we have grown from a 12-person company at his passing to 130 today, our compass has been pointed on the right path by the foundational leadership, standards and expectations he put in place.

Cheers to you dad, thank you for the tutelage, love and friendship, and wishing you many more rides in the great beyond!

 



Job Opening Project Cost Accountant

Thanks to continued growth LEC is looking to add a Project Cost Accountant to our team in Waconia.

Well known Minnesota electrical contractor established in 1945 looking for a hard charging Project Cost Accountant to join its finance team.  Looking for candidates that can step into our EOS L10 environment and help take project billing, job costing, accounts receivable collections and customer service to the next level.  We currently service South Central Minnesota from the triangle of the Twin Cities, Mankato and Rochester and wish to continuing building upon this tradition.

 

Candidates will compile project data, compute fees and charges, post and reconcile job costs, prepare invoices, perform collection duties, and follow up customer service on projects including partial and full lien waivers and maintain project records and other relevant construction project information, accordingly.  Job requirements include high attention to detail, working with elements of contracts, computer skills involving Windows operating system and Office software which primarily includes Outlook, Excel, Word, One Note and Teams.

 

Other system experience preferred include Cobra, Procore, and e-Builder.  Work environment includes standing desks, work out facility, opportunities for remote work from home.  Salary ranges from $37,000 to $70,000 along with health insurance; 401(K) and profit sharing after 1-year of employment.

Tasks

  • Prepare itemized statements, bills, or invoices and record amounts due for items purchased or services rendered.
  • Prepare regulatory and other supplementary billing documents, labels, credit memorandums, or credit forms using computer systems.
  • Verify accuracy of billing data and revise any errors.
  • Perform bookkeeping work, including posting project data, and maintaining record retention.
  • Typing, adding, allocating, calculating, spreadsheeting project information as necessary.
  • Answer mail, email or telephone inquiries regarding rates, routing, procedures, and billing information.
  • Resolve discrepancies in project accounting records.
  • Contact customers to obtain or relay account information.
  • Review documents, such as purchase orders, sales tickets, charge slips, or other records, to compute fees or charges due on project billings.
  • Consult sources, such as rate books, manuals, or insurance company representatives, to determine specific charges or information such as rules, regulations, or government tax and tariff information.
  • Update manuals when rates, rules, or regulations are amended.
  • Track accumulated hours and dollar amounts charged to each client job to calculate client fees for professional services, such as legal or accounting services.
  • Compute credit terms, discounts, shipment charges, or rates for goods or services to complete billing documents.
  • Review compiled data on operating costs and revenues to set rates.