What Midwestern Electric does

Midwestern Electric, LLC (MWE) is a licensed union electrical contracting firm founded in 1971 and headquartered in East Chicago, Indiana, with a second office in Indianapolis. The company delivers electrical construction, maintenance, and repair services across six service lines: Transportation Services (traffic signals, roadway lighting, Intelligent Transportation Systems including DMS, CCTV, and vehicle detection); Commercial & Industrial Electrical; Utilities & Fiber Optics (low, medium, and high voltage work plus FOA/BICSI-certified fiber installation); Clean Energy (solar farm, wind turbine, and EV charging installation); Specialty Services (horizontal directional drilling up to 54-inch diameter and 1,200-foot length, cathodic protection, hydro excavation); and Bucket Truck Escorts supporting specialized transportation/heavy hauling across 48 states. Project sizes historically range from $10,000 to over $30,000,000.

The company operates as a private, IBEW-affiliated contractor (Local Unions 697 and 1393) with a project-based, custom-quote pricing model and 24/7 emergency response. The customer base is split between government/municipal work (INDOT, IDOT, cities, counties, and school corporations throughout Indiana and Chicago) and industrial/manufacturing clients including continuous relationships with multiple Fortune 500 firms. Go-to-market is relationship-driven, supported by ISNetworld and Avetta platform memberships that pre-qualify MWE for large industrial accounts (Unilever, BP, NiSource, Honeywell, Cargill, Linde, Holcim, Cushman & Wakefield, Schneider Electric). The website and direct phone lines serve as primary acquisition touchpoints.

Midwestern Electric received a private equity investment from CAI Capital Partners in November 2021, with no transaction value disclosed. Operational differentiation rests on union-certified workforce tenure (20-30+ years across the leadership team), specialized equipment fleet (HDD rigs from 12,000 to 100,000 lbs, FOA/BICSI fiber capabilities, MSHA-trained technicians), and 50+ years of continuous operation. The company is recognized regionally through consecutive #1 rankings in The Times' "Best of the Region" Professional Services category (2024, 2025).

Name

Midwestern Electric

Legal name

Midwestern Electric, LLC

Website

https://midwesternelectricinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Midwestern Electric is a licensed IBEW union electrical contractor founded in 1971 that builds, maintains, and repairs traffic signals, street lighting, ITS, fiber optic networks, and commercial/industrial electrical systems for Indiana/Chicago municipalities, INDOT, and Fortune 500 industrial clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electrical Contracting Services

NAICS

Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors (23821), Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction (237130)

SIC

Electrical Work (1731), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Transmission Line Construction (Overhead & Underground) (IMAFAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Distribution Network Construction (Feeders, Laterals, Service Drops) (IMAFAHAC), Network Engineering, Integration & Field Deployment Services (Design, Build, Test) (EUADAIAM), Underground transmission & distribution cable EPC (civil + cable install) (EUADAKAB), Grid Interconnection, Power Quality & Electrical Infrastructure Service (Transformers, Switchgear) (TLAKAMAM)

Keywords

• Electrical construction services
• Traffic signal maintenance
• Intelligent transportation systems
• Fiber optic installation
• Horizontal directional drilling

Headquarters

HQ city

East Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Electrical Construction Projects: Project-based revenue from electrical construction, installation, and repair services for commercial, industrial, transportation, utility, and infrastructure applications. Includes design-build services, new construction, and modifications. Projects range from $10,000 to over $5,000,000.
2. Municipal Maintenance Contracts: Recurring maintenance contracts with municipalities for traffic signal and street lighting maintenance. MWE maintains infrastructure on large scale reducing costs through greater efficiency. Emergency response services available 24/7.
3. Industrial Service Contracts: Contract maintenance services for industrial Fortune 500 clients ensuring plant operations. Cost-effective approach to plant maintenance with full-time or periodic contract options.
4. Specialty Services: Specialized services including bucket truck escorts across 48 states, directional drilling, hydro excavation, and cathodic protection. Project-based revenue for unique technical requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Midwestern Electric (MWE) is a licensed IBEW union electrical contracting company providing installation, construction, and maintenance services across commercial, industrial, transportation, utility, and municipal infrastructure applications. Service lines include traffic signals and street lighting, intelligent transportation systems (ITS), fiber optic networks, low/medium/high voltage electrical work, renewable energy (solar, wind, EV charging), specialty services (cathodic protection, horizontal directional drilling, hydro excavation), and 48-state bucket truck escort services.

Product overview

Midwestern Electric (MWE) is a licensed union electrical contracting company founded in 1971 that provides a comprehensive portfolio of electrical services rather than a unified software product. The company operates six core service lines: Transportation Services (traffic signals, roadway lighting, ITS), Commercial & Industrial Electrical Services, Utilities & Fiber Optics, Clean Energy (solar, wind, EV charging), Specialty Services (cathodic protection, directional drilling, hydro excavation), and Bucket Truck Escorts. These services serve commercial, industrial, and infrastructure clients throughout Indiana and the Chicago area, delivered by trained union labor.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transportation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects managed range from $10,000 to over $30,000,000
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ISNetworldcoreOthersISNetworld is a web-based contractor and supplier management system utilized by large organizations to manage contractors globally. MWE joined ISNetworld to qualify to work for Unilever, BP Pipeline, NiSource and Honeywell. ISNetworld collects and maintains contractor information including safety programs, incident records, audit results, and insurance certificates in a centralized database.
• AvettacoreOthersAvetta is a cloud-based contractor and supplier management system that ensures safe and sustainable workplaces. MWE joined Avetta to qualify for work with Cargill-Hammond, Cargill-Chicago, Linde, Holcim, Cushman & Wakefield, and Schneider Electric. Avetta facilitates collection of contractor information including management system questionnaires, safety programs, and audit results.
• Building and Construction Resource Center (BCRC)minorOthersBCRC provides confidential professional resources to members, employees, families and employers in the unionized construction industry facing substance abuse, chemical dependency, and personal matters. The non-profit corporation offers prevention programs and educational services to maintain workplace safety and ethical standards.
• MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration)minorOthersMSHA is a U.S. Department of Labor agency administering the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act to enforce compliance with mandatory safety and health standards in mines. MWE has 13 skilled technicians certified through MSHA New Miner Training to work at customer locations like Singleton Stone Quarry that require MSHA certification.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ERMCO, Inc. Indianapolis-headquartered union electrical contractor (~1,000+ employees) serving industrial, utility and commercial clients across the Midwest. Directly comparable to MWE on union IBEW labor model, T&D scope, and geographic footprint that includes Indiana.
• Gaylor Electric: Indianapolis-based union electrical contractor with national reach across commercial, industrial, mission-critical and renewable energy projects. Comparable scope (T&D, fiber, renewable installs), union craft model, and Indiana headquarter geography.
• Aldridge Electric: Midwest (Illinois/Iowa) IBEW-signatory electrical contractor specializing in transmission, substation, distribution and renewable energy construction. Overlaps directly with MWE on T&D and utility-side infrastructure work.
• Interstates Companies: Sioux Center, Iowa-based electrical engineering and construction firm serving industrial and utility clients across the Midwest. Similar mid-market scale, design-build capability, and industrial process / utility customer mix to MWE.
• Faith Technologies: Wisconsin-headquartered national electrical and specialty systems contractor with strong union presence across commercial, industrial, utility and renewable markets. Comparable scope on T&D, fiber/communications, and EV/renewable installations, though larger in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Henkels & McCoy: Large, privately held utility infrastructure contractor performing overhead/underground T&D, telecom/fiber and pipeline construction across the U.S. Overlaps with MWE's transmission, distribution and fiber optic service lines, but operates at national scale.
• Quanta Services: Public, large-cap infrastructure services provider (NYSE: PWR) for electric, gas, telecom and renewable utility construction. The dominant incumbent at the upper end of the T&D, distribution, fiber and renewable EPC markets in which MWE competes as a regional sub.
• MYR Group: Public holding company (Nasdaq: MYRG) of specialty electrical construction firms (e.g., Sturgeon, Harlan) focused on T&D, commercial & industrial work. Directly relevant comparable business model but at a national, multi-billion-dollar scale.
• EMCOR Group: Fortune 500 mechanical & electrical construction and facilities services provider (NYSE: EME) with union electrical contracting subsidiaries. Overlaps with MWE on commercial/industrial electrical and provides a public-market benchmark for specialty electrical services valuation.
• IES Holdings: Public electrical and communications contractor (Nasdaq: IESC) operating across commercial, industrial, data center and low-voltage/communications markets. Comparable business mix around fiber, ITS and infrastructure electrical work, but national in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Midwestern Electric