Introducing District 6 Vice President George Adams
George Adams
President
EC Company
Portland, OR
Oregon-Columbia Chapter, NECA
BACKGROUND
George Adams was born in Grants Pass, Oregon, and graduated from Eagle Point High School in 1964. He attended what is now Southern Oregon University, joined the U.S. Navy in 1966 and spent over 10 years in the Naval Security Group special operations. Adams moved his family to the Portland area in 1978, where he worked for the Port of Portland at Swan Island as a maintenance electrician. Adams started his apprenticeship program in May 1978 and was dispatched to Electrical Construction Company.
After finishing the program with E C, Adams worked as a service technician, foreman, general foreman, project manager, and in 1992, was made a Construction Vice President at E C. He started the Advanced Technology Group and completed many commercial and industrial projects. In January 1996, Adams was promoted to President of Electrical Construction Company. In 1999 he was promoted to President of E C Company, which includes E C Construction and E C Power Systems. “The most valuable of all is the experience in the real world in construction and people management,” Adams said.
COMPANY INFORMATION
Founded in 1929, Marine Electric built and repaired electric motors and generators primarily for ships. With the slow-down after the war, the company decided to diversify and in 1946, Electrical Construction Company was officially formed to focus on the industrial market. In 1955, E C added a power systems group that supplied and installed heat pumps, generators and industrial engines. In the 1980s, construction expanded into the commercial and service markets. In the early 1990s, the company added the low voltage systems and communications group, and the advanced technology group that focused on the micro-electronics industry.
Today E C Company, consisting of the Electrical Construction Company and E C Power Systems, has grown to be the largest and most diverse construction and power distribution companies in the Northwest U.S., with seven branch offices and headquarters in Portland, Ore.
INVOLVEMENT WITH NECA
E C Company has been involved with NECA from the beginning. Former E C Company president Stan Adams (no relation) was a charter member and District 6 Vice President. Adams has been personally active in NECA since 1996. He’s served on his chapter’s board as vice president, president and governor and numerous committees. Currently, he chairs the local labor management committee, labor negotiations committee, and steering committee, and he headed recently the establishment of the chapter’s ethics policy.
On a national level, Adams participates in NECA’s large contractors group and serves on the CIR. “I believe that labor relations at all levels and in developing cooperation and industry awareness is a key value that our association provides,” Adams said. “Also the interface with your peers has generated job opportunities and helped resolve industry issues.”
AWAY FROM THE OFFICE
Adams is happy to discuss his business successes to talk about, but his proudest achievement is his family. His wife, Cheryl, was his high school sweetheart and “has remained my sweetheart for 44 years.” Their children Tony, Brian and Shawn all live nearby with their families, and Tony, Brian and Adams’s son-in-law Randy are all active in the E C business. George and Cheryl raise horses and cattle and enjoy a range of outdoor activities.