Justin Flores: Growing with McKinstry Electrical

Justin Flores has served as a foreman in with McKinstry’s Electrical department for a little over two years, building on experience gained during his apprenticeship. His journey into the trade began unexpectedly with a summer job for a family friend. At the end of that summer, he was encouraged to join the union — “the best advice I ever received,” Justin says. Six months later, he was accepted into the apprenticeship program.

During his early years, Justin cut his teeth on tenant improvements — restaurants, offices, retail spaces. “Eventually it got boring because it wasn’t a challenge anymore,” he recalls. Joining McKinstry reignited that spark. “Day one, I was putting up three-inch rigid conduit in a live mechanical room with almost no clearance. That was the challenge I was looking for.”

Since then, he’s thrived on complex projects. One highlight was with McKinstry’s Offsite Manufacturing (OSM) work, where he collaborated with other McKinstry trades to manufacture complex, massive, 90,000-pound assemblies. Another project highlight was a chiller replacement at the University of Washington, where he laid out conduit paths through a roof with less than an inch of tolerance. “There was no room for mistakes. When everything landed perfectly, it was one of the most rewarding moments of my career.”

Justin is especially excited about the future of OSM and the potential of offsite fabrication. “Space is tighter, schedules are compressed, and offsite fabrication helps us stay safe, efficient and ahead of deadlines. It also gives us a competitive edge on projects. Before boots are on the ground, we can already be fabricating and moving the job forward.”

What sets McKinstry apart, in his view, is both the technical excellence and the culture. “The people here are committed to delivering the highest quality product every time. And beyond that, it’s the culture — seeing people stay here 15 or 20 years says a lot. At the end of the day, I get to do exciting work with my friends. That’s something special.”