Hugh O’Kane Electric provides mission-critical electrical and telecommunications infrastructure design, installation and maintenance services.

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New York City-based Hugh O’Kane Electric Co. Inc. prides itself on being the contractor of choice for high-profile projects in the Big Apple, President Hugh R. O’Kane says. “A lot of the construction managers we work for, they work for high-profile companies,” he explains.   

“We have proven, time and time again, to live up to the expectations of high-profile customers.”
The electrical contractor is one of the leading providers for mission-critical electrical and telecommunications infrastructure design, installation and maintenance services, the company says.

It provides services such as design, value-engineering, maintenance, repair and emergency backup for telecommunications companies, financial services enterprises, hospitals, airport facilities, commercial real estate, and schools and universities.

“With our staff of experienced engineering professionals and technical experts, we offer one-stop shopping for design, value engineering, installation, maintenance, repair and emergency back-up,” the company says.

The company’s expertise was utilized after 9/11 when AT&T’s major network center – located on the subbasement level of the World Trade Center – was destroyed. “We had to go to work immediately, reconnecting the networks both inside and outside,” O’Kane says. “We worked to divide and re-configure the entire network for Lower Manhattan.

“We had to reallocate our resources due to the massive size of the scope as well as the urgency,” he recalls. “We took men from other jobs and relocated them to the AT&T restoration for two weeks in response to the emergency.

“I would say, it was probably the most visible thing – most visible event – and [the] biggest emergency that we’ve done,” he says. “Although it was a tragic event, it’s something I’m proud to say we were a part of.”

Significant Projects
Hugh O’Kane Electric was also recently awarded the contract to perform medium and low-voltage work on the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at Ground Zero, a project that will be completed by September 2011, the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The company began its scope of the project – which is worth in excess of $30 million – in mid-2008.

“It’s a very visible project,” O’Kane acknowledges. “We’ve done projects of that size, but this is the one everyone will be watching. I would say it’s the most visible thing we’re doing today.

“We take great pride in being part of something so significant,” he adds.

Go-To Contractor
O’Kane’s grandfather, Hugh O’Kane Sr., founded the company in 1946. “At its inception, the firm was primarily engaged in electrical contracting and maintenance services for the graphic arts and printing industry,” the company says.   

“Over time, through three generations, this family owned and operated company has evolved into a leading provider to the telecommunications industry, and as electrical contractor of major projects for the private and public sector.  

“[The company] has always believed that quality starts with qualified people, responding quickly to customer needs,” the company says. 

O’Kane’s father and uncle continue to work for the company, and his younger brother and cousin have recently joined on, as well.  

Although it represents only a portion of the company’s projects, Hugh O’Kane Electric is considered the go-to contractor for telecommunications projects, according to O’Kane.

The company entered that industry 20 years ago after it formed a relationship with Teleport, now known as AT&T LNS (fiber optic provider). That specialty grew as the industry grew, he says.

The company has been successful for 62 years because it has stayed on the right track. “We know what we’re good at,” he says. “We are working for the right customers and reputable companies.”
It takes on high-risk projects after carefully analyzing the customer.

“We’re very strategic in the projects we pick,” he says. “We pick projects we know we can be good at, execute well and we know are run by top-flight [companies], and the money is good and paid for.”

The company employs some of the best electricians in the business, he adds. “We’re putting the right foremen on the right projects that we know can build to the customers’ standards,” he says. “We do projects on time and on budget by putting the right resources on the job.

“Almost all of our [customers] are repeat,” O’Kane says. “It’s hard enough to get the job the first time. Sometimes, it’s harder to get it the second time. When you get it the second time, you know they trust you.”

More Business-Like
The industry has changed over the past several years, O’Kane says. For example, over the past 10 to 15 years, projects have come with a lot more paperwork, O’Kane acknowledges. “It’s a well-coordinated business effort,” he says. “There’s a lot more involved in the management side of it.

“There is also a very detailed submittal process,” he adds.

For example, contractors have to specify exactly what their work will entail and what equipment will be utilized. “It’s not a bad thing,” he notes. “But there is an added business management aspect as opposed to just building a job.”

Leading Contractor
Hugh O’Kane Electric is excited for the future. “We look forward to continue providing cutting edge, turnkey solutions spanning the full spectrum of electrical contracting and telecommunications services,” it says.   

“We’re always looking for new opportunities,” O’Kane says. “We always try to look not just one year ahead, but 10 years ahead. We analyze where we see our business in one year, or five years, and position ourselves to be there.

“I would like in five years to be the leading electrical contractor in our respective niche,” he continues. “We’d like to have a long list of repeat customers. We’d like to continue to expand our list of Fortune 500 customers. We don’t want to be the biggest – just the best.”