Bouille Electric
When one well runs dry, it is time to drill another. That effectively describes the history of Bouille Electric. For much of its existence, the company served mostly the industrial sector. But as that market has shrunk around its service area, the company was able to successfully apply its expertise in the growing gas market.
“In the 1980s, industry was king here,” President Mike Sincock says. “Although there are still some industrial opportunities in the area, we mainly now find ourselves out in the gas fields as opposed to in the plants.”
Gassing Up
Founded in 1972, Bouille Electric is a mid-sized electrical contracting firm based in Elmira, N.Y. The company is built on a tradition of quality, service and building relationships. Bouille has carved out a nice niche for itself, working on various general industrial, commercial and institutional wiring projects and gaining experience in power, lighting, high voltage, data and fiber optic installations, process controls, bucket truck and line work. The company works on everything from service calls to multimillion-dollar projects.
Because the company is about five miles from the Pennsylvania border, much of its work in the gas industry is outside of New York. That is because New York has a moratorium on fracking, which limits the opportunities.
“Five years ago, we were asked to finish a small project here in New York state,” Sincock says. “The gas industry has always been here, but it used to be small. We’ve been able to get our name out there over the years and develop relationships with the players in the market.”
Sincock believes Bouille Electric’s ability to stake a claim in the gas market is directly tied to its belief that quality workmanship is key. He says Bouille’s pride in its performance dates back to its founding and a culture that believes success isn’t just about making money; it is about doing a quality, lasting job that uses the best materials.
“We communicate that to our field people, and we have established a lot of long-term relationships because of it,” Sincock says. “We’re not the type of company that is just focused on bidding for the next big job. Nearly all of our success is due to the fact that our employees take on the responsibility of being our face and voice and developing the relationships with the client.”
Because that face-to-face aspect of the business nurtures relationships, Bouille keeps looking for ways to invest in and build good people, putting them in positions where they can positively influence the company’s growth. But investing in people hasn’t been the only area Bouille has placed its resources.
As much of the work began migrating from industrial plants to gas fields, Bouille realized it had to tool up and invest in new trucks, and equipment such as generators. Sincock says most of the money the company makes goes right back into tools and equipment.
“The gas industry is an equipment-heavy industry,” he says. “We’ve probably bought a half-dozen new pickup trucks in the last year alone, and we’ll probably buy a few more this year to support our people who are out driving to work sites. In the 1990s, we probably we had three or four trucks. Now we have 20 to 30 because of the nature of the gas industry.”
Uncommon Thinking
Opportunities for growth will be plentiful as long as Bouille maintains its ability to adapt to the markets in the region.
“When you think of electrical contractors, you think of putting wiring in an office building and lights on the ceiling,” he says. “But we seek opportunities in other areas, such as instrumentation and training our people on different control systems that are out there.”
In fact, Bouille operates a mini-fabrication shop out of its Elmira home, which allows the company to build parts and make quick repairs. Competitors have to order parts and wait for delivery. This is an indication of just how far Bouille will go to help customers get up and running, increasing their productivity.