Transparency is not just a trend…
What We Learn When We Open Our Doors to Each Other
For more than 30 years, the Electric Roundtable has brought together leading independent electrical contractors from across North America with a shared commitment to learning, accountability and continuous improvement.
While member companies operate in different markets and are generally not direct competitors, they share many of the same challenges: workforce development, safety, succession planning, operational excellence, technology, financial discipline, culture and growth. That common ground creates a rare opportunity for candid, high-value exchange among companies that understand each other’s business at a deep level.
One of the most meaningful examples of that exchange is the Electric Roundtable critique process.
Every 9 months, a member company opens its doors to peers from across the Roundtable. Visiting executives interview employees, review operations, listen carefully and identify both strengths and opportunities for improvement. The rotating process where each member business is in the hot seat so to speak, requires trust. It also requires a willingness to become an open book — sharing not only best practices and proud achievements, but also internal struggles, blind spots and areas where improvement is needed.
As the most recent Electric Roundtable member company to undergo the organization’s peer review process, Texas electrical contractor, Alterman Electric, saw firsthand why the model remains so valuable. For CEO Greg Padalecki, the experience reinforced the power of candid feedback from trusted industry peers.
When Alterman recently hosted its critique, peer leaders from across the organization spent several days learning from employees and examining the company from the inside out. Their feedback helped validate priorities Alterman was already working on, surfaced opportunities leadership could act on, and provided an outside perspective from people who truly understand the electrical contracting business.
“The real value comes from what you do with the feedback,” Padalecki said. “The critique is not about pointing out problems for the sake of criticism. It is about helping strong companies become even stronger.”
That spirit is central to the Electric Roundtable.
Each member company brings something valuable to the table. Some have developed strong systems around safety or workforce development. Others may be leading in technology, financial performance, field operations, culture or specialized markets. Through the Roundtable, members are able to learn from one another, borrow ideas, ask hard questions and apply proven practices in their own organizations.
The exchange continues well beyond the formal critique process. CEOs call one another for guidance. Functional leaders in areas such as human resources, marketing, safety, finance, operations and technology connect with peers facing similar challenges. Members share lessons learned, compare approaches and help one another navigate decisions that are difficult to make in isolation.
That is what makes the Electric Roundtable different from a traditional peer group or outside consulting engagement. Its value comes from shared experience, mutual trust and the understanding that every company has something to teach and something to learn.
The companies that participate are not trying to become the same. They remain independent, locally rooted and distinct in their own markets. But by opening their doors to one another, they strengthen their own organizations and elevate the electrical industry as a whole.
For Padalecki, the lesson is clear: the best leaders are willing to listen, the strongest companies are willing to be examined, and the most valuable peer relationships are built on honesty.
The Electric Roundtable exists because members believe that excellence is not achieved alone. It is built through trust, transparency and the shared commitment to helping one another get better.