Employee Spotlight: Rich Ladow

2024 marks C3M’s 10th anniversary! To celebrate this milestone, we are highlighting some of the talented individuals who make up our team to celebrate this milestone. Meet Rich Ladow, a seasoned electrician superintendent with over three decades of experience in the field. Rich has been with C3M from the beginning, playing a pivotal role in our growth and success over the past decade.

Tell us about your background. 

I began my electrical career in 1987, graduated from my apprenticeship by 1991, and was with another electrical contractor for 24 years before joining C3M at its start 10 years ago.

Describe your role and core responsibilities at C3M. 

I am a superintendent working on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Alternating Current Switch Gear project, but previously I worked as a foreman and general foreman. My main responsibilities include managing the work by creating schedules, organizing the team and trade contractors, ensuring safety, and coordinating with the client and project team.

What do you like most about your current role? 

It’s challenging. Our work at WMATA requires a good amount of planning due to the many "moving parts," but it’s a good feeling when everything falls into place.

What brought you to C3M, and what do you like most about the company? 

I've been with C3M from the beginning when we had around 25 to 30 people. Our growth couldn’t have been achieved without everyone's dedication and commitment, both in the office and the field. C3M has a great team of individuals, all working towards continuous improvement.

What has been your favorite project you have worked on and why?

There have been a few memorable projects, but one notable job involved an urgent situation where equipment at a critical agency malfunctioned unexpectedly. Our team ensured the equipment and building were safe, evaluated the overall situation, provided temporary power, and managed the process of repaying the required equipment – all while maintaining power to the building and coordinating with the agencies. It was rewarding to see the project through to completion, knowing we worked through a challenging task. 

Why are you a builder?

There's no particular reason I entered construction – probably just luck and my circumstances at the time. I enjoy working with my hands, and it's rewarding to see the result of a project since the process of working through the project from start to finish is never the same.

Every day presents new circumstances, which keeps the work engaging. It's always exciting, and I get to work with lots of good people.

What are you most proud of accomplishing, either personally or professionally?

I've worked on many good projects throughout my career, some of which have even earned craftsmanship awards. It's fulfilling to see a project through from start to finish, ensuring it's completed safely and on time.

A significant achievement was leading the development of a specialized cable stripping tool for safer traction power work. Collaborating with multiple stakeholders, we refined an existing tool to better suit our needs by reducing manual operations and incorporating a low-speed impact driver to minimize accidents and enhance safety for our team members. This innovation has been integrated into our toolkit, and comprehensive training has been provided to ensure safe and efficient use.

Most importantly, I'm most proud of my family. I have a wonderful wife, great kids, and grandkids. They are truly what I am most proud of.

Employee Spotlight: Rob Bruce and Jason Bissett

2024 marks C3M’s 10th anniversary! To celebrate this milestone, we are highlighting some of the talented individuals who make up our team. Meet Rob Bruce and Jason Bisset, both senior project managers of our Special Projects Group.

Rob Bruce

Jason Bissett

Tell us about your background. 

Rob Bruce: I started my career in the electrical industry after graduating high school in 1989, working as a helper at a small non-union electrical contractor. In 1994, I joined Local 26 and started my apprenticeship the following year, graduating as an A Journeyman in 2000. I advanced to foreman, managing larger projects, and transitioned to project management in the office in 2016. I joined C3M in 2021 and now serve as the senior project manager of the Special Projects Group.

Jason Bissett: After graduating high school in 1995, I planned to join the military, but that did not work out. I took a summer job with a local electrical company and knew I had luckily found what I wanted to do with my life. The trade offered so many opportunities and satisfying work. I enrolled in the JATC apprenticeship and graduated in 2001, electing to come out of my indentured period with Truland. I moved into a management role in 2006, which was challenging, but I had an amazing support system that enabled me to learn and thrive in the role.

Describe your role and core responsibilities at C3M. 

Rob: I oversee daily operations of the C3M Special Projects and Temporary Power Group. My core responsibilities include maintaining communication with the general contractor or end user, managing project schedules, reviewing drawings and contract documents, creating invoices, tracking payments, and reviewing financial reports. This ensures we meet our financial goals while supporting the growth of the C3M Special Projects team in the electrical market.

Jason: I am a senior project manager at C3M. I am currently focused on several water treatment projects at Lake Anna, where I work with Clark Water.

What do you like most about your current role? 

Rob: I enjoy working with my team members, having the ability to assist them with daily challenges, and watching them grow within the C3M family.

Jason: What I enjoy most about my role is influencing the young, talented individuals I work with. I relish educating them on our work and how things are built.

What brought you to C3M, and what do you like most about the company? 

Rob: I joined C3M to expand my professional abilities and grow my career in a happy, healthy workplace. What I like most about C3M is the family atmosphere and supportive management. I am part of a team that genuinely cares about each other and enjoys their work.

Jason: I was initially attracted to C3M because I have worked with most of their team in the past and know their reputation of being the best at what they do.

What has been your favorite project you have worked on and why?

Rob: My favorite project was the Dwight D. Eisenhower Monument Repair Project. It wasn’t very large, but as the prime contractor, the goal was to improve water drainage in the light troughs, add louvers for heat dissipation, and replace damaged lights. I enjoyed collaborating with the National Parks Service, coordinating with multiple trades, and working on a national monument in our nation’s capital! That was pretty cool!

Jason: I have only been at C3M for a few months, and the only projects I have been on are the water treatment plants and the National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial, both of which are just getting started. I am very excited to get “boots on the ground” for the memorial because coordinating all the parts that go into it will be a rewarding challenge.  

What do you find most gratifying about working in the construction industry?

Rob: What I find most gratifying about the industry is working with multiple groups of people and teams that come together in a coordinated effort or strategy with the common goal of building something from nothing.

Jason: It seems cliché, but there is a satisfaction gained from working, sweating, and coordinating to work toward a final product that you can stand back, admire, and say, “I helped build that.”

Why are you a builder?

Rob: Simply said, I like to build things. I like being involved in the entire construction process from start to finish. I enjoy pointing out a building or structure and saying I was a part of the process.

Jason: I am a builder because of the satisfaction of working with other fantastic trade partners to realize a common goal.

What are you most proud of accomplishing, either personally or professionally?

Rob: Like most of us, I am most proud of my family.

Jason: Without a doubt, I am most proud of the family my wonderful wife and I have raised together over our 25-year marriage! Our oldest daughter is a pre-med senior at the University of Maryland, and we have a sophomore studying mechanical engineering there as well, who will be a summer associate at Clark this coming summer. Our youngest is a senior in high school, and he may follow in my footsteps and become an electrician. Whatever path they choose, watching them become adults and, more importantly, good human beings has been fun. My wife and I have always told them you can be anything you want, except a bad person. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly, and we won’t accept anything less than that.