This month, we would like to spotlight the Native American-owned company GEC 2. We recently had the opportunity to speak with owner Tyson Schilz about his family-owned business and working on the Intuit Dome.
Please give us some background on where you grew up and how GEC 2 got started.
I grew up in Colorado and moved to California in the early 80’s with my father. In 1984, we started GEC 2 and in 2004 I took over the business from my Dad.
What is the most important part to you about being a minority-owned business?
What is most important is the ability to give back. This year, we will be donating $30,000 in scholarships for Native American high school students.
How did you become a part of this project? What do you currently do for the Intuit Dome project?
We were a part of the So-Fi stadium construction and we did all the temporary power. Our scope for that project started at about 1 million dollars and went up to 20 million.
Then followed over to Intuit Dome as part of a bigger team and have been doing work over the last 5 months and will be here until the completion of the project. Electrical is usually the last one out the door.
Currently, at Intuit Dome we are testing the electrical switchgear and installing some of the low-voltage systems. We are also working on AV broadcast systems.
What is your advice to small businesses wanting to be a part of a big project like Intuit Dome?
You have to invest in your back office and be sophisticated enough to be able to do certified payroll, which is a requirement for the project. Safety and paperwork are the most important things to make it easier to continue with your construction tasks.
