Gurtz Electric

What Gurtz Electric does

Gurtz Electric Co. is a fourth-generation, family-owned electrical contractor founded in 1932 and headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The firm delivers full-service electrical construction — procurement, installation, start-up, testing, commissioning, and maintenance — augmented by in-house BIM coordination, a dedicated prefabrication shop, and specialized low-voltage and Distributed Antenna System (DAS) integration. It serves general contractors, developers, and property owners across eight verticals: healthcare, data centers, high-rise residential and mixed-use, aviation, institutional and education, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, hotels and hospitality, and stadiums and entertainment.

The company's revenue is generated exclusively through project-based B2B electrical subcontracts across a five-state Midwest footprint (Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan), with no standard pricing tiers — pricing is determined per project via competitive bidding, RFPs, or direct negotiation with general contractors. It operates an IBEW union workforce under NECA standards and holds BICSI RCDD accreditation through its President Brian Karlow. Marquee projects include St. Regis Chicago (101 stories, 1.9M SF), Salesforce Tower Chicago (60 stories, 1.4M SF), Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital (1.2M SF), and undisclosed hyperscale data center facilities up to 500MW and 800,000 SF.

Gurtz pursues go-to-market through direct project pursuit and relationship-driven bidding with premier regional general contractors (Gilbane, Turner, Walsh, Clark, Mortenson, McHugh). Distribution is fully B2B: no consumer channel, no products sold directly to end users. The firm is privately held, self-funded, and family-controlled, with no external institutional investors, M&A activity, or public-market signaling identified in the source data.

Name

Gurtz Electric

Legal name

Gurtz Electric Co.

Website

https://gurtzelectric.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Gurtz Electric Co. is a fourth-generation, family-owned union electrical contractor founded in 1932, providing electrical construction, BIM, prefabrication, low-voltage, and DAS services across healthcare, data centers, high-rise, aviation, and institutional verticals in the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Electrical Construction Services

NAICS

Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors (23821), Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors (238210)

SIC

Electrical Work (1731)

akta.pro primary industry

Electrical Contracting & Wiring (IMAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Low-Voltage Wiring (Data/CAT6, Coax, Phone) (HSAOADAI)

Keywords

• Electrical construction services
• Commercial electrical contracting
• Low voltage systems integration
• Distributed antenna systems
• BIM electrical design

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electrical Construction Services: Gurtz Electric generates revenue through project-based electrical construction contracts. Services include procurement, installation, start-up, testing, commissioning, and maintenance of facility electrical systems for general contractors and property owners across commercial markets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gurtz Electric Co. is a full-service electrical contractor that procures, installs, starts up, tests, commissions, operates, and maintains commercial building electrical systems for general contractors, developers, and property owners. Its scope spans power distribution, lighting and dimming systems, fire alarm, low-voltage structured cabling, distributed antenna systems (DAS), and high-density data center power, supported by BIM pre-construction coordination and an in-house prefabrication shop producing pre-assembled electrical components.

Product overview

Gurtz Electric Co. is an electrical contractor offering a portfolio of construction and systems integration services rather than a unified software product. The core offering is Electrical Construction, complemented by specialized services including BIM (Building Information Modeling) for pre-construction design coordination, Prefabrication for off-site component manufacturing, Low Voltage Systems for data/telecom, security, AV, and fire alarm integration, and DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems) for wireless coverage solutions. These services are delivered as standalone offerings or in combination depending on project requirements, serving markets including healthcare, data centers, high-rises, hotels, aviation, stadiums, and institutional buildings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electrical Construction Comprehensive electrical system services for commercial and institutional facilities, including procurement, installation, start-up, testing, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of power distribution, lighting, conduit, transformers, generators, and switchgear. Delivered as project-based electrical subcontracts to general contractors and property owners across healthcare, data center, high-rise, aviation, institutional, hotel, stadium, and manufacturing markets in the Midwest.
• BIM (Building Information Modeling) 3D modeling service that enables detailed visualization and coordination of electrical systems with other building components before construction begins, identifying clashes, reducing conflicts, and optimizing project timelines for general contractors and project owners.
• Prefabrication Controlled manufacturing environment for creating pre-assembled electrical sub-assemblies off-site, ensuring uniform quality, improved efficiency, and reduced field construction interference. Supports general contractors and owners seeking faster, cleaner, higher-quality electrical installations.
• Low Voltage Systems Design, integration, and management of low-voltage building infrastructure including data and telecommunications networks, security systems, audio-visual systems, and fire alarm systems. Delivered as a self-performed scope for commercial and institutional owners and general contractors.
• DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems) End-to-end RF solutions for the design, integration, and installation of Distributed Antenna Systems to enhance wireless communication and public safety coverage, including Public Safety/Emergency Responder Radio Coverage Systems (ERRCS) and cellular signal enhancement. Uses iBwave design tools and on-site measurements, with OEM relationships spanning CommScope, RFS, Corning, JMA/TEKO, Solid, Ericsson, and SpiderCloud.
• Fire Alarm Systems Code-compliant fire detection and notification systems installed as part of Gurtz Electric's electrical construction services, designed to protect lives and property for commercial and institutional facility owners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Safety record has been at the top of the industry for over a decade
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CommScopecoreTechnology or IntegrationOEM partner for Distributed Antenna Systems. CommScope is a leading global provider of DAS and RF solutions. Gurtz Electric utilizes CommScope equipment for public safety and cellular DAS installations, providing end-to-end RF solutions to clients.
• RFS (Radio Frequency Systems)coreTechnology or IntegrationOEM partner for Distributed Antenna Systems. RFS provides antenna and RF cable solutions used in Gurtz Electric's DAS installations for wireless coverage enhancement.
• CorningcoreTechnology or IntegrationOEM partner for fiber and cable infrastructure in DAS deployments. Corning's optical fiber and connectivity solutions are used in Gurtz Electric's core network fiber and DAS installations.
• JMA/TEKOcoreTechnology or IntegrationOEM partner for DAS equipment. JMA/TEKO provides radio equipment and DAS solutions used in Gurtz Electric's wireless infrastructure projects.
• SolidcoreTechnology or IntegrationDAS OEM partner providing wireless coverage solutions used in Gurtz Electric's installations for commercial and institutional buildings.
• EricssoncoreTechnology or IntegrationOEM partner for cellular network equipment integrated into Gurtz Electric's DAS and Small Cell Network solutions for enhanced wireless coverage.
• SpiderCloudcoreTechnology or IntegrationDAS OEM partner specializing in Small Cell Network Design, Permitting, and Construction Management, complementing Gurtz Electric's wireless coverage service offerings.
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)coreOthersIBEW is the union representing Gurtz Electric's workforce. Gurtz Electric is a union contractor utilizing IBEW Local 134 and other local union electricians.
• National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)coreOthersNECA membership since 1968. Industry association for electrical contractors providing standards development, advocacy, and professional development.
• Electrical Contractors Association of Chicago (ECA)coreOthersLocal trade association membership. COO Mallory Gurtz serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Young Professionals committee of the ECA of Chicago.
• 7X24 Exchange Chicagoland ChapterminorOthersMembership in the 7X24 Exchange chapter for the data center and critical facilities industry, supporting Gurtz Electric's growing data center market segment.
• Chicago Electrical Industry Group (CEI)minorOthersIndustry group supporting the Chicago electrical construction sector. Gurtz Electric is a member of CEI.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Faith Technologies: Faith Technologies is a closely held, multi-state electrical and specialty systems contractor headquartered in Wisconsin with comparable services (electrical construction, BIM/prefab, low voltage, DAS), a similar IBEW-trained workforce, and a strong presence on hyperscale data center projects. It is the most natural head-to-head peer for Gurtz in the Midwest electrical contracting market.
• Kelso-Burnett Co. Kelso-Burnett is a Chicago-area electrical contractor with a long operating history (founded 1938) and a comparable union (IBEW Local 134) workforce. It directly competes with Gurtz for healthcare, institutional, high-rise and aviation projects in the Chicago metropolitan market, with similar scoping of electrical and low-voltage systems.
• Continental Electrical Construction Co. Continental Electrical is a Midwest-based union electrical contractor with a similar service portfolio across commercial, healthcare, industrial and institutional projects. Like Gurtz, it offers design-assist, BIM coordination and prefabrication, and competes for many of the same general contractor partnerships in Illinois and surrounding states.
• Rosendin Electric: Rosendin is a large, privately held national electrical contractor with deep hyperscale data center and mission-critical expertise (including significant prefabrication), making it the closest large-scale parallel to Gurtz's data center buildout work. It competes with Gurtz on hyperscaler RFPs as data center operators consolidate their national subcontractor panels.
• Cupertino Electric: Cupertino Electric is a privately held, multi-generational electrical contractor with a strong data center and infrastructure focus and well-known prefabrication capabilities. It is comparable in size and service mix to Gurtz and a relevant peer for evaluating how an electrical contractor can scale its data center franchise nationally while retaining family/employee ownership.
• Pieper Electric: Pieper Electric is a Wisconsin-based electrical contractor with a comparable union workforce and multi-state footprint across the Midwest. Like Gurtz it serves healthcare, industrial and commercial customers and competes directly for Wisconsin and regional project work.
• Hypower (Hypower LLC): Hypower is a mid-size, privately held union electrical contractor with notable prefab and BIM capabilities and a growing presence on hyperscale data center and commercial projects. It is a useful peer for understanding Gurtz's trajectory as a regional electrical contractor expanding into mission-critical and data center verticals.
• J.F. Electric: J.F. Electric is a Midwest-based electrical contractor operating across multiple states with similar electrical and low-voltage construction capabilities and a comparable union-driven labor model. It is comparable in scale to Gurtz and a relevant comp for cross-state expansion of an electrical contractor.

Regional players

• Sachs Electric: Sachs Electric is a multi-generational, family-influenced Midwest electrical contractor (St. Louis area) with similar union labor and industrial/commercial project experience. While based in Missouri rather than Illinois, it is a comparable firm in scale, culture and services but does not directly contest Gurtz on Chicago-area bids.

Broad incumbents

• EMCOR Group: EMCOR Group is a publicly traded national leader in mechanical and electrical construction services, including a substantial union electrical contracting subsidiary. Its scale, bonding capacity and national footprint make it the principal incumbent that Gurtz competes against (or alongside) on large hyperscale data centers and multi-state enterprise projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gurtz-electric-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Gurtz Electric