Clayton Wilkins
Job Title: Project Engineer
Company: Koontz Electric
Location: Morrilton, Ark.
Age: 26
Years on the Job: 6
Interests: Hunting, watching the Arkansas Razorbacks, spending time at the lake with family, and listening to music
Clayton Wilkins’ brother, who worked as a construction manager and is now a manufacturer’s representative, inspired him to work in the electrical industry. At age 18, he gained hands-on, on-the-job experience with Koontz Electric, which sets him apart from other young professionals in the trade.
“My first two summers as an intern, I worked as a field hand doing manual labor,” he says. “Having boots on the ground will teach you things that can’t be easily grasped or taught in a textbook.”
In addition, he spent two summers in the office as a project manager’s assistant, helping with bidding and estimating. Meanwhile, he worked toward his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with a minor in math, marketing, and logistics from the University of Arkansas.
Once he began working full-time, he took on all the responsibilities involved with working as a project manager. He starts his 12-hour workday with a daily job hazard analysis and conference with the subcontractors on site. He then delegates tasks and reviews documents and drawings before wrapping up his day with a conference call, reviewing work completed and upcoming tasks.
“I enjoy working with the project owners, utility, general contractors, subcontractors, and Koontz personnel to quickly determine the best solution to a problem,” he says.
He is serving as a project engineer for the Entergy West Monroe Reliability Improvement Project, and he says technology is critical for today’s electrical firms.
“With increasing project complexity and multiple entities involved, technology is crucial for communication, scheduling, estimating, tracking project deliverables, cost analysis, and design,” he says.
In the future, he sees himself in an executive role with Koontz Electric, taking on more advanced projects. He plans to reach these goals by being a leader on the projects and assignments he is currently working on and building a relationship with industry peers.
