Berwick Electric: Serving the Colorado Springs area since 1921

Tradition runs deep in the Berwick family. Doug Berwick, treasurer at Berwick Electric, is a fifth generation Colorado native. His grandfather, John Douglas Berwick, founded the business in 1921. Although the company has grown significantly through the years, its dedication to customer care has remained unchanged. Today, Berwick said, about 56 percent of business is repeat customers.

As treasurer, Berwick tackles many sides of the electrical business. My partners would say I do all the boring stuff, Berwick said. I oversee the finance, marketing, administration and risk control.

Berwick graduated from Kansas State University in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in construction management. All through college I was on the ski patrol and I was in the campus fire department, Berwick said. And his interest in firefighting still lives on. In fact, if he were ever to choose another profession, Berwick said he would be a firefighter.

Berwick Electric has sponsored the Public Safety Employee of the Month in Colorado Springs for eight years.

Berwick went to work with his father, James Berwick, almost immediately after receiving his degree. Things are pretty busy around the office. We do as many as 500 jobs per month and about half of those are residential, Berwick said. The company also works a great deal with military and government entities as well as with the health care industry.

The vast majority of our work is done in Colorado Springs, Berwick said, but the company also serves longtime customers in Denver and Teller County and has done jobs as far away as Spain and Malaysia.

Whenever Berwick is not at the office, he spends time bicycling and skiing with his wife, Marie, and their two young sons. Marie works at Berwick Electric as a receptionist.

The staff, Berwick said, is committed to providing the best possible service to its customers. All invoices go out with a customer response card which allows customers to grade Berwick Electric in areas such as courtesy and quality of service. We're always looking for long-term customers, Berwick said. We have some multi-generational customers.

Working in the electrical business does present certain challenges, though. It's so affected by the economy, Berwick said. That makes it difficult to plan from year to year. Berwick Electric once worked more with the high-tech sector, but that business has slowed since 2000. Despite issues with planning, Berwick said working at the family business always has brought its share of happiness.

Just the friendships we have in the office, that's what I enjoy the most, he said. I've been blessed to work with some excellent people.

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