Todd Berthelot always knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur even though his career aspirations changed several times when he was growing up. “I knew no matter what field or industry I ended up in I wanted to be an entrepreneur and work for myself,” he says.
As Business Report details in its latest Executive Spotlight feature, Berthelot, CEO and president of Sun Industries LLC, recounts his experiences growing up in his father’s business and what motivates him to succeed today.
Sun Industries began in 1979 as Berthelot’s father’s family business in a modest electrical shop and has since grown to a multiregional, full service maintenance and construction company specializing in “everything electrical under the sun.”
In 2013, the company landed in Business Report’s Top 100 Private Companies with $29.65 million in revenue for 2012. It’s still growing.
“Our growth ability as a company is due to several factors: good people, outside the box thinking, ability to reinvent ourselves as a company, having a fluid organizational structure that deals with change well, our ability to execute in crucial times, and obviously a little luck,” Berthelot says.
Sun Industries sets itself apart from the competition by thinking outside the box and fostering a fluid organizational structure that adapts to change, Berthelot says. He counts his employees as the company’s strongest asset.
“Treating them like family has allowed us to create a personal friendship in which we do what’s right for them no matter the cost, and likewise they make the best decisions possible for the company on a daily basis,” he says of the company’s 250 employees.
Berthelot says working in the family business early taught him to appreciate people.
“The appreciation for people has also allowed me to be able to take an outside in approach when viewing our company from our customer’s eyes, which has allowed for some dynamic changes in our organization,” he says.
Read the full Executive Spotlight Q&A. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find:
What is a great piece of advice you have personally received?
“I have two great pieces of advice, both came from my Dad. The first is, ‘You have to make hay while the sun is still shining,’ which to me means that you have to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves, and when that door opens do everything you can to take advantage of your position in a good market. I use this piece of advice to keep my drive and energy going … The second is to be humble in success. ‘When you’re good at what you do you won’t have to worry about telling anyone, they will tell you.’ I use this advice quite often. It has helped me to truly understand how to be a humble manager and learn from my failures.”
