Mark Rathvon: Championing Electrical Excellence at McKinstry

Mark Rathvon is a General Foreman and has been with McKinstry’s electrical department for eight years, after coming over on a hall dispatch as a union electrician. Since then, he’s worked his way from apprentice to foreman, then general foreman. Today, he leads electrical crews in both Seattle and Spokane as part of McKinstry’s growing Offsite Manufacturing (OSM) division.

For Mark, McKinstry stands out as the best company he’s worked for. “They care about their entire staff, including the field crew, which isn’t always true for a lot of companies. We have the right tools, resources and working conditions. They take good care of us, and I respect that a lot.”

He started out running smaller projects, but over the years has managed everything from $100,000 jobs to $12 million projects. With OSM, he’s excited by the shift in mindset. “Traditional construction is one-off — you build one building. OSM is about doing the same work repeatedly, but smarter. With good planning, you gain efficiency and shave hours off installs. That’s where we can really dominate.”

One of the most memorable projects Mark worked on was at the University of Washington (UW), installing a massive diesel rotary UPS system with a flywheel backup. The system provided instant, uninterrupted power to critical hospital and utility loads—a high-stakes, highly technical project that perfectly suited McKinstry’s electrical expertise.

Mark is candid about McKinstry Electrical’s strengths. “We’re not set up to compete on standard tenant improvements right now. Where we excel is in specialty, complex projects — unique wiring systems, industrial-scale equipment. That’s our wheelhouse.”

Internally, he’s passionate about raising the visibility of the electrical team. “McKinstry Electrical is one of the best contractors in Seattle. Sometimes mechanical gets all the attention, but there’s a lot of value in what we bring. We are a full offering with one of the strongest crews around.”

At the end of the day, what keeps him motivated is simple: “I enjoy what I do. We have a lot of motivation and a really strong field crew. That makes all the difference.”