Joe Gonzalez never wanted to be a business owner.

He was happy being an electrician.

“I was really comfortable in what I was doing,” he said. “And then sometimes you need to get out of your comfort zone.”

That’s what Gonzalez finally did back in the early 1990s.

“My old boss who I worked for tried to make me an owner. He pushed me. I was the dumbest guy. I didn’t want to do it. He finally told me, ‘What do you got to lose, except your house? You can always get another one.’ He just kept nagging me, and I finally did it…It was the best thing I ever did,” Gonzalez said.

By 1995, he was the owner of American Electric Inc. in Richland.

Today, his company handles multi-million dollar contracts.

In August, U.S. Department of Energy contractor Washington River Protection Solutions awarded a subcontract worth up to $24.5 million over the next year to Gonzalez’s company to provide general electrical construction services at the Hanford tank farms.

The services will be performed at the 18 tank farms and will cover a wide range of tasks, including trenching, laying conduit, pulling wire, erecting structural steel, installing equipment and pouring concrete.

American Electric is a certified small disadvantaged business. The federal government’s goal is to award at least 5 percent of all federal contracting dollars to small disadvantaged businesses each year, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

“It’s an honor to be awarded this contract and a privilege to work with WRPS, which contributes so much to our community and families,” Gonzalez said in a news release.

And while he truly does appreciate the work, Gonzalez said he wasn’t surprised his company landed the contract.

“We are out there already,” he said. “Keep in mind we already were working with (WRPS) on a $25 to $30 million contract.”

American Electric has been a subcontractor for WRPS since 2008.

“They wanted a small business to work with them,” Gonzalez said. “Eventually, the contracts grew every year steadily. And eventually they got to $25 million, to $30 million.”

Since WRPS began its contract with DOE, nearly 65 percent of its subcontracts have gone to small businesses, exceeding the company’s overall small business subcontracting goal of 58 percent.

“WRPS is proud to be a part of the Tri-Cities community, and small businesses are vital to the important cleanup work we do,” said John Eschenberg, WRPS president and chief executive officer, in a news release. “WRPS depends on these subcontractors to provide the skilled workers needed to help us achieve our mission of safely managing Hanford’s tank waste and building the waste treatment and delivery system to support the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant.” With the growth in the size of American Electric’s subcontracts with WRPS, so came the growth in Gonzalez’s workforce.

Originally just a three-man operation in 1995, American Electric expanded to 95 employees by 2014, to today’s workforce of 206.

“And they’re all good people,” he said. 

The company has changed over the years.

“Now we’re a general contractor,” he said. “Originally, we were an electrical contractor.”

And he’s worked at diversifying jobs.

“We do a lot of public works contracts now too,” Gonzalez said. “Right now, we’re working on the Walla Walla water treatment facility, and the Walla Walla sewer treatment facility.”

Gonzalez’s story is an inspiring one.

Born in Mexico, the son of farm laborers—his father had a green card—his family ended up in Mabton, where he graduated from high school.

He got an appointment to the Air Force Academy, but opted out during the first year.

He said he always felt he disappointed a lot of people by not sticking it out.

Eventually, Gonzalez became an electrician and enjoyed a successful career.

“As an electrician, my biggest pride was accomplishing things every day,” he said. “You’re building something. It’s a great feeling to drive by something and know you helped build that.”

When he reluctantly became an owner 24 years ago, he wanted a company name that reflected his feelings about his country. American Electric seemed a logical choice.

He takes pride in what his company does, not only for contractors but for his employees.

“I absolutely love the people who work for me and I’m helping provide for them,” he said. “I love it. I’ve had people who have worked for me for 20 years.

“They do a great job for me,” Gonzalez said. “I’m a small part of American Electric. They’re the biggest part of this company.”

Gonzalez said he has no plans to slow things down, or retire.

“I’m having fun what I’m doing,” he said. “And I’m happy where we’re at.”