Braxton Rootes

Job Title: Senior Project Manager

Company: ArchKey Solutions

Location: Minneapolis

Age: 27

Years on the Job: 8

Interests: Golfing, pickleball, snowmobiling, fishing, and watching hockey

Many of Braxton Rootes’ family members work in the trades. For example, his dad, uncles, and his grandpa were ironworkers, his uncle is a superintendent for a general contractor, and his cousins are carpenters and laborers. He is the first in his family to blaze a path into the electrical industry.

“I’ve always been interested in the construction industry but fell into electrical when I was hired as an intern with Parsons Electric while attending Dunwoody College of Technology for construction management,” said Rootes, who was born and raised in Blaine, Minn. 

While at Dunwoody, he learned about construction, gained a general contractor’s perspective, and took a course specific to electrical work. He said it was helpful to learn about all aspects of construction, since all the trades are intertwined.

“The majority of my electrical knowledge and experience is from on-the-job training,” he said. “My training helped me prepare to be an electrical project manager by allowing me to understand all aspects of construction and apply those to my scope of work. Every project and team gives new perspectives and experience to learn from and continue to grow.”

As a project manager, no two days are the same, but he’s typically full time on site on the project he’s working on. Earlier in his career, he worked under an experienced project manager, but now he is responsible for everything except installing the material. For example, he focuses on estimating, workforce planning, coordinating and managing subcontractors, projecting costs, and managing budgets. 

“I really enjoy seeing a project come together to completion and the satisfaction that comes with the finished product and all the hard work that went into it,” he said. “The most challenging part is staying on top of the chaos that is construction and knowing what to prioritize when.”

He plans to continue to learn in the industry and use his experience to mentor the next generation of electrical project managers. He said he’s proud to be part of the 2026 EC&M 30 Under 30.

“It is an honor to be selected, and hopefully my experience can help others succeed,” he said.

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