Today’s featured member, Marcus Cola, CEO of Apex Electrical Group LLC (AEG), said that Apex Electrical Group LLC is a minority-owned, veteran-owned electrical contractor that specializes in industrial and heavy commercial electrical services in Washington state. It is a diverse small business focused on strategic execution and the most efficient electrical solutions to the complex challenges that agencies and companies face in contracting on government, state, municipal, and private projects.
To what do you attribute your business success?
AEG’s success comes from hard work, dedication, and multifaceted expertise in leadership, project management, and outreach. With the ability to network, we have been afforded many opportunities to work on projects for some of the largest companies in the Northwest, including Amazon, Boeing, and Microsoft. The leadership that comes from years in the field and technical knowledge in the industry has allowed us to perform work for clients like WSDOT, SEA Airport, and Port of Seattle. As a small business, we are always on the hunt for opportunities to get our name out there by putting our best foot forward.
What’s something you wish you had known before you started or grew your business, or before you chose your current career path?
The old phrase “hindsight is 20/20” was definitely meant for business owners! If I would’ve known that I would start an electrical company when I was in college, I would’ve paid more attention to my business courses, while I was studying hospitality business management, and international business at Washington State University. I probably would have reconsidered joining the military and serving two tours in Iraq to allow more time to focus on my schooling. I also would have started the electrical apprenticeship to grow my technical abilities sooner too. I experienced a lifetime of powerful events overseas that still affect me today from serving in active combat zones during my deployments. There are many things I wish I would have known before starting this business with my co-owner Kipp Wisk, but I also believe that it is because of those things that make me who I am today, and even though there are some shortcomings in my business experience, I continue to push through adversity and failing forward just like any other entrepreneur dreaming to start a business. We were just the ones crazy and determined enough to make it a reality.
How are you/is your business active in your community?
I am a service-disabled veteran and when I came back from my second deployment, I came back to a life unfamiliar to me. I was no longer in the military, and I would have to re-integrate into society as a civilian. The only problem was, that I felt like no one understood what I had experienced overseas. I quit going to college because I wasn’t the same person as I once was, so I applied for the electrical apprenticeship, because if all else failed, at the end of the day I could look back at the results of my hard work. After years of not addressing my PTSD and suffering with 17 of my fellow service members who had committed suicide after our last deployment, I too contemplated suicide. If it wasn’t for a veteran nonprofit organization called QMissions, I would have been another statistic. QMissions helps veterans who are suffering from PTSD find healing by taking them to Mexico and building a house for a family in need in honor of a fallen veteran. As a result, I have spent the last seven years traveling around the world and growing with the organization to help other veterans achieve the same goal. AEG supports QMissions as well as other organizations like Relay for Life cancer walks and volunteering with low-income housing projects in Seattle. Mental health awareness is very important to our company, and we always look for opportunities to advocate for the well-being of our community.
Thank you to Apex Electrical Group LLC for being part of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce network. Here at the Chamber, we have 2,500 companies across the region and 13 different business sectors, from your favorite neighborhood restaurant to brands known around the world. Our member feature program is based on referrals. If you would like to learn more about how to be featured in our member features series, please contact Cori Lumens.
Suicide and crisis lifeline: You can call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for yourself or if you are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. 988 serves as a free universal entry point so that no matter where you live in the United States, you can reach a trained crisis call specialist who can help.