Justin Patterson

Job Title: Assistant Project Manager

Company: Helix Electric, Inc.

Location: Goodyear, Ariz.

Age: 26

Years on the Job: 4

Interests: Spending time with his wife and children, grilling, being out in the sun, working in his backyard, golfing, leatherwork, card games, cooking, and bartending

Justin Patterson was inspired to work in the electrical trade by his grandfather, a licensed master electrician who led large commercial projects across Colorado for more than 30 years. After two years and seven major changes in college, he followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and started working for a commercial low-voltage contractor.

“I learned that what I liked above all else was building things,” he said. “I quickly worked my way up to leading field work in a resort town in Montana.”

During that time, his project manager allowed him to take on extra work to learn about the operations/project management side of construction. An opportunity arose to take the next step into an entry-level project engineer position with a commercial electrical contractor. From there, he continued to take every opportunity to progress, learn, and challenge himself.

At the beginning of his career, he has sought out a mixed bag of projects, enabling him to develop a varied skill set that typically comes with more time in the profession.

“By constantly putting myself in new environments, I force myself to grow and learn,” he said. “I have delivered projects safely, on time, and under budget from the summit of a mountain to the barren desert.” 

In his role as assistant project manager, he manages and forecasts the project budget and financials, takes ownership of the procurement and timely delivery of materials, and manages scheduling and subcontractors. He is also responsible for identifying and documenting design conflicts and gaps, approving invoices, and reviewing the project billing.

“My favorite part is embracing the constant challenges every single day,” he said.  

Since starting with Helix Electric, he has focused on health care, working on a full-service, ground-up hospital serving a small border community in Arizona. In the future, he plans to lead larger, more complex projects and to develop a team of talented, driven project engineers and managers in the Phoenix Valley and beyond.

“By encouraging my peers to look at challenges and unknowns as opportunities to learn and develop, I will create a high-value, adaptable, and empowered team that will turn what couldn't be done into what can be,” he said.

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