Member News – January 2021
Hatzel & Buehler acquires Enterprise Electric
After 92 years in business, the owners of Enterprise Electric have sold the company to Hatzel & Buehler, Inc., the oldest electrical contractor in the United States.
Under the terms of the deal, Hatzel & Buehler acquired all of Enterprise Electric’s tools and equipment, bought all ongoing projects that were less than 90 percent complete and hired all of Enterprise’s staff.
Founded in 1928, Enterprise Electric grew to be one of the leading electrical contractors in the Baltimore area. Enterprise Electric successfully completed a wide range of projects including office buildings, industrial plants, convention centers, hospitals, airports and power plants. Its lengthy client list included T. Rowe Price, Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport and the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University.
“Enterprise has been around for a long time. They are a quality contractor and they were very well thought of in the area, so they were very attractive to Hatzel & Buehler,” said Tim Sauter, Vice President.
In addition, Maryland offered ample contracting opportunities in Hatzel & Buehler’s main markets, namely healthcare, higher education and the finance sector, “so the area matched our wheelhouse as well,” Sauter said.
The acquisition boosted Hatzel & Buehler’s Maryland staff from 20 to 200. The company has since upgraded its fleet, outfitted field staff with tablets, converted all projects to PlanGrid and set up a 3,000-square-foot prefab shop in its 12,000-square-foot facility in Middle River. The company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Bluestone Communications, Inc., recently acquired a local, low-voltage communications firm and is expanding into an additional 8,000 square feet to accommodate those operations.
Although Hatzel & Buehler expects the market to remain slow in the first quarter of 2021, “I think we will start seeing serious improvements in the second quarter,” Sauter said. “I think the economy is looking to bust out and we are hoping to be on that wave starting in early spring. I think it’s going to be a really good year and by the end of 2021, things will be booming.”
www.hatzelandbuehler.com
Fond Farewell
After 50 years of service to Baltimore’s engineering and business community, Bruce Votta, past president of the Building Congress & Exchange and the BC&E Foundation, has retired, effective January 1.
As the founding partner of Spears/Votta & Associates, Inc. (SVA), Bruce enjoyed a fabulous career in the development of the Baltimore renaissance from 1983 to 2018 when he merged SVA with Bala Consulting Engineers. The merger with Bala allowed the firm to continue providing its core MEP/FP services and expand into structural, technology and commissioning services.
Bruce has been a tremendous supporter of the industry and BC&E throughout his career. We wish him the best of luck.
BC&E welcomes two new members
Founded in Winchester, Va., BRS Sales and Marketing has represented manufacturers for the HVAC and hearth products industries for over 50 years. BRS connects manufacturers, wholesale distributors and professional contractors to facilitate product education, sales and excellence in customer service. www.brssales.com
FTC Aggregate Supply is a family-owned and operated company serving the construction industry. Its fleet of 34 trucks transports a large variety of stone, sand, gravel and asphalt products. FTC serves Greater Baltimore, Southern Maryland and Eastern Shore area contractors, homeowners and professional landscapers. www.ftcagg.com