Built on Trust: A Long-Term Engineering and Construction Partnership

For nearly three decades, Palmetto Engineering and ElectriCom have worked together to help broadband providers move projects from design to construction with greater confidence.

The relationship began in southern Indiana in the late 1990s, when David Webb—now President of Palmetto Engineering’s Western Region—was beginning his career in the telecommunications industry. What started on a rural fiber project evolved into a trusted partnership built on quality work, open communication and a shared commitment to doing right by the client. That coordination between engineering and rural fiber network construction helps projects move forward with fewer delays and field conflicts.

The Beginning of the Relationship

One of Webb’s first major assignments was engineering a roughly 50-mile fiber ring for Daviess-Martin Rural Telephone Corporation. After completing the design and securing the necessary easements and private rights-of-way, he remained involved as the project moved into construction.

ElectriCom was later selected to construct another fiber ring for the same client in Martin and Lawrence counties. It was Webb’s first opportunity to work directly with the company.

Like many new working relationships, the early project presented challenges. Webb was still relatively new to the industry, and communication between the engineering and construction teams was not always as clear as it needed to be.

What stayed with Webb was how ElectriCom responded.

“When Kevin Mason called me, here I was—a 25-year-old inspector on a project—and I had the president of ElectriCom asking, ‘What are we doing wrong, and what can we do better?’” Webb recalled. “That left a pretty big impression on me.”

ElectriCom established clearer lines of communication and brought experienced leadership into the relationship. Over time, the two teams developed the trust and understanding needed to work through difficult situations together.

A Partnership That Continued to Grow

Following those initial projects, Daviess-Martin RTC established a recurring construction program. Each year, Palmetto Engineering would develop the next phase of work, and ElectriCom would construct it during the spring and summer.

Webb continued serving the client from the late 1990s through 2015, working with ElectriCom in some capacity for an estimated 90% of that period.

The partnership extended beyond any single project or individual. Webb developed relationships with people throughout ElectriCom—from field supervisors and project managers to company leadership and administrative staff.

After spending several years working in Wyoming and Montana, Webb returned to Palmetto Engineering in 2018. Reestablishing the relationship with ElectriCom was one of his early priorities.

“When I came back to Palmetto, one of the first relationships I tried to restore and get going again was certainly ElectriCom,” he said.

What Matters When Projects Get Difficult

Today, approximately 90% of Palmetto Engineering’s work involves outside-plant broadband infrastructure, including fiber-to-the-home and long-haul fiber projects. Webb’s expanding territory includes projects across much of the country, requiring Palmetto to work with construction partners capable of supporting different clients, geographies and project conditions.

Webb said he maintains a short list of contractors he would trust to take on nearly any project—and ElectriCom is at the top of it.

That trust is not based solely on how a contractor performs when everything goes according to plan. It is built by watching what the contractor does when something goes wrong.

“I don’t look only at how well a contractor can perform,” Webb explained. “I look at what they do to fix it when something does go bad.”

That standard applies equally to contractors and engineering firms. Every project involves challenges, and every organization will eventually make a mistake. The defining question is whether the people involved communicate openly, accept responsibility and work together to find a solution.

Webb pointed to a project in Alabama where rock-boring issues created significant complications. ElectriCom’s leadership traveled to the project, took ownership of the situation and worked to correct it.

“The way Andy and Scotty came down, owned the situation and worked to fix it—that meant more to the client than the mistake itself,” Webb said.

Connecting Engineering and Construction

The relationship between Palmetto Engineering and ElectriCom also creates opportunities for earlier collaboration.

When Palmetto begins discussing a project with a client, its team can introduce a turnkey approach that connects engineering and construction from the outset. Bringing a proven contractor into the process can reduce handoff delays, simplify scheduling and help identify constructability issues earlier.

“We have a good list of contractors we can work with when a client wants a turnkey solution,” Webb said. “We already know ElectriCom is in our wheelhouse to help us through that.”

This coordination becomes even more valuable as broadband construction moves toward paperless, geospatial workflows. Palmetto is increasingly using GIS-based designs and field applications to accelerate engineering, inspection and construction-unit collection.

ElectriCom has supported that transition by adopting new technology and providing field feedback as Palmetto refines its digital processes. On an Alabama project, for example, ElectriCom helped evaluate Palmetto’s iPad-based inspection and unit-collection workflow.

“The adoption by ElectriCom of GIS is a big deal,” Webb said. “We are both trying to do a good job for the client in the fastest and most efficient way possible.”

Webb also highlighted ElectriCom’s administrative consistency. Its invoicing and construction-unit documentation have remained among the best he has encountered, making project review and reconciliation easier for the engineering and client teams.

“I’ve looked at other processes and asked, ‘Why can’t you just do it like ElectriCom does it?’” he said.

Choosing Proven Value Over the Lowest Price

For utilities and broadband providers, selecting the lowest-cost contractor can appear to reduce a project’s initial expense. Webb cautions that the real cost becomes clear only after considering communication, rework, schedule risk and the contractor’s willingness to stand behind its work.

“Working with a proven company is going to make or break the project much more than simply going with the low cost,” he said. “A good contractor—especially one that works closely with the engineer—is going to take care of the client first.”

A strong engineering-construction relationship can solve problems before they reach the client. It can also produce better recommendations, more dependable schedules and greater confidence across the project team.

That trust now works in both directions. Palmetto has recommended ElectriCom to its clients, while ElectriCom has introduced Palmetto to new opportunities. The two organizations also continue exploring projects they can pursue together.

“There is a level of trust and integrity that comes from referrals and third-party verification,” Webb said. “I think it just continues to get stronger, and we’re excited about where it’s headed.”

A Relationship Built for the Long Term

The Palmetto Engineering and ElectriCom relationship was not created by one successful project. It developed over decades of recurring work, changing technology, challenging field conditions and shared accountability.

Its strength comes from people who communicate directly, stand behind their work and remain focused on the client’s success.

As broadband programs become larger, faster and more technologically connected, that alignment between engineering and construction will only become more important.

For Palmetto and ElectriCom, it provides a proven foundation for helping clients plan confidently, build efficiently and address challenges together.