Bruce Ratchford

Founder & CEO

Apollo Mechanical

What has been your/your company’s most significant success over the last 12 months?

Apollo’s completed its third year of over a billion dollars in revenue, and was able to be as profitable while reducing our risk profile in 2025.

On which boards do you currently serve? With which nonprofits do you volunteer?

Emeritus Community First Bank Board, Tri-Cities Water Follies title sponsor, Apollo Scholarship Golf Tournament organizer, youth sports of all types sponsor, Boys & Girls Clubs donor, Kadlec Foundation sponsor, Adopt-a-Family volunteer and sponsor.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

“Be a doer.” – Wayne Ratchford. This is the single piece of advice I most clearly elevate above all others, and it is foundational, shaping my entire world view and how I approach work, lead people, build companies and value action over theory.

Name one item on your bucket list.

Going to the Indianapolis 500.

Name one thing about yourself you want people to know.

More than anything else, I want people to understand who I am my core, and that core belief is this: It’s all about growing people. And when those people are successful, then you’re successful. I measure success by the lives our company improves, not the size of the company.

I take the greatest pride in the people, not the projects. I want to be remembered as someone who appreciated his people.

What has you most excited about the future of your company or industry? 

I think we are in the next big gold rush for the construction industry the likes of which I haven’t seen in my lifetime.

If you had one wish for the Tri-Cities, what would it be? 

I wish Columbia Park would be developed. That would be so big for our community. And also having a significant build-out of the small modular reactors in this community would preserve so much and pave the way for the future.