There is No Time Better to Get Into the Trades
Date Posted: January 9, 2020
Posted In: Workforce,
From The St. Louis American: “There is no time better than the present to get into the trades,” said Tommy L. Davis Jr., chairman and CEO of TD4 Electrical. “St. Louis is coming up on a construction boom, and workers of all races and creeds are needed.”
Founded in 2006 by Davis and headquartered in St. Louis, TD4 Electrical is certified as a Minority Business Enterprise with current revenue of $30 million, 10 full-time office staff, an average of 50-75 full-time field electricians and 30,000 square feet of warehouse and office space. The leadership group also includes Thomas Endermuhle as president and Tommy L. Davis III as senior project manager.
Recently completed projects include 100-year anniversary renovations for the Muny, Washington University’s East End Campus Renewal Project, Centene Towers in Clayton and the new Urban League building in Ferguson. Current projects include BJC Phase 2 Detanglement project, Link in the Loop, Ballpark Village and T-REX.
The American spoke to Davis about his journey in the trades and his advice for people looking to get started, either in workforce or business enterprise.
St. Louis American: So, what got you started in this business, in the trades?
Tommy L. Davis Jr.: I entered the construction industry as a diversity consultant for the largest construction manager/GC in the region, McCarthy. It didn’t take long to recognize the challenges that small – specifically, small minority- and women-owned – companies were facing and the impact it was having on the region. I decided almost immediately that I wanted to be a part of the solution.
I had an opportunity at the time to start a construction manager/GC enterprise, but decided to begin my quest of creating lasting change in the trades. It was brought to my attention that the majority of the jobs created on construction projects are generated by specialty trade contractors. TD4 Electrical was founded with a two-fold purpose: first, to leverage my business background to create a qualified electrical contracting firm that happened to be minority-owned and, second, to be in a position to intentionally create a diverse workforce – i.e., opportunities for the community at large.