GENERAL FOREMAN

Block Electric General Forman Chad Fowler is an avid outdoorsman and values time spent with his family. He and his wife Tonya have been married for almost 13 years and have three boys: Colten, 11; Cayden, 10; and Caleb, 8.

When he’s not working, Fowler spends as much time as he can hunting, fishing, camping, and coaching his kids at several of their sports teams. “At their current age my kids are also starting to take a deeper interest in the outdoors so we get to spend a lot of good time together,” he said. “I enjoy any time that we have together doing the various activities they are involved in such as band, soccer, baseball, basketball, or just time together at home.”

Fowler credits his job at Bunge Foods, an edible oil refinery and packaging facility in Bradley, IL, for opening his eyes to the opportunities available through his trade. “It was there that I first learned about the career opportunities available through the trade,” he said. “I was already a part time student at Kankakee Community College for electronics and decided to apply for the apprenticeship. Certainly glad that I made the career change.”

According to Fowler, the most unusual part of his job is the wide variety of people he comes in contact with from day to day, whether it’s the people he works with, his customers, or the engineers. “The fact is that it is not enough anymore to just be good at what you do,” he said. “It also takes being able to relate with a wide variety of people to coordinate what is often a common goal.”

“I would say that a singular customer experience does not stand out,” he continued. “Something I have taken from experience is just being aware of what you are doing at all times and how it might be viewed by the customer is of the utmost importance in the current construction climate. I think it is important that our customers see that even if the job is not going as planned, we are the contractor that is out there searching for a solution and sometimes thinking outside the box to keep things going in the right direction. It makes a statement when you are staying positive and trying to work with our clients as opposed to them constantly saying it may not be possible.”

During his years at Block Electric, Fowler said he has had the pleasure of working with “some of the best guys in the field.” He has worked at Silver Cross Hospital with Doug Henline, Chris McCormick, Ron Stefaniak, and Leo Keigher; at CSL Behring with Jim and Chris McCormick; and at Harrah’s and Toyal America with Joe Parthun. His most recent project is Joliet Bulk Barge & Rail.

“I have enjoyed working with everyone at the Shorewood office,” he said. “There is a great group of guys there and I can’t thank them enough for the experience I have gained from working with them.”