K&K Electric LLC laid 60,000 square feet of cable in this Regal Fox 4DX & IMAX in Ashburn, VA.

Jared Alvarado, Founder of K&K Electric LLC, started the company in 2015.

When you speak with Jared Alvarado, he’s nothing but upbeat. “Working, working, working” is how he responds when you ask how he’s doing. And that’s a good thing. Things weren’t always that way for Jared with the challenges he faced in his home country due to poverty.

The Guatemalan native is the founder of K&K Electric LLC (K&K), based in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The electrical contracting company, which works on commercial real estate properties, employs 100 workers and serves commercial customers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington.

Realizing the American Dream

Before coming to the U.S. in 2005, Jared realized that he needed to make a change and leave his home country to pursue a better life.

“A lot of people like me are hungry to have the opportunity to do what we are capable of,” he says. “But down there in our home country, the government has many problems. You’re never going to have opportunities down there.”

Jared has since become a U.S. citizen. “People call the American Dream having a house or paying off a car,” he says. “For me, the American Dream means finding the spot where you can have a name and find value as a person capable of performing a service to others.”

Safety First

Safety is a key factor in electrical work, according to Jared.

Because of the risk of serious injury or an electrical fire, K&K holds safety meetings every week. His team also meets regularly with fire marshals who explain electrical codes in the different municipalities where the team performs work.

“We take these situations with the guys very seriously,” Jared says. “We make sure, especially with electrical equipment, that our employees know exactly what they are doing.”

K&K works on large commercial properties, including cinemas, which have complex electrical systems that require specific expertise. Projects include: Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas in Gaithersburg, a $2 million contract totaling 68,000 square feet; Regal Valley Mall RPX & VIP in Hagerstown, Maryland, a $1.8 million contract totaling 62,000 square feet; and Regal Fox 4DX & IMAX, in Ashburn, Virginia, a $1.7 million contract for 59,000 square feet.

When you work on these jobs, Jared explains, there is complicated equipment, such as projectors and lighting controls that are built in Europe. “Their electrical equipment is not equal to the American system,” he says. “You have to convert a lot of voltage and a lot of amperage. You’ve got to work with a lot of wattage with different types of wires.”

The team at K&K takes pride in its diverse portfolio. Multifamily construction remains in high demand in the region, and Jared would like to capitalize on that as much as possible.

“We’re trying to build relationships with developers and get into the game of high-rise residential buildings, but it’s tricky for us,” he explains. “In that industry, there is a lot of competition right now.”

The K&K team has also worked on industrial projects, such as an Amazon fulfillment center in Hagerstown, Maryland, as well as several Burger King and Wendy’s locations in the Washington, D.C. area.

Pride in Craftsmanship

Emyi Flores, President of the company and Jared’s sister-in-law, recalls a moment when she and her family were eating out at an Olive Garden restaurant in Frederick, Maryland, and Emyi realized that K&K had completed the electrical work and fire alarm system for that location. She recalls a sense of satisfaction that her family got to enjoy a meal at the restaurant where her team worked.

Emyi reports that the company, which got off the ground in 2015, saw revenues hit $280,000 that first year in just five months. Now, revenues are projected to reach over $11 million in 2021. Much of the company’s growth and success can be attributed to its employees and how they are treated, according to Jared.

“We get great satisfaction when we give people their paychecks and know we are providing for other people. The contracts we have allow us to provide for these families,” Emyi says. “It feels good to say that we have 100-plus employees who are a part of our team.”

Emyi keeps track of the municipal codes, tax rates, licensures and legal procedures in all the areas where K&K does business. When a company must stay current in three states and multiple cities, that work can get complicated.

“The challenges we see are all of the rules we need to follow,” she says. “That is something we have to deal with every day.”

Taking Care of Others

Jared and his company give back to many communities, including donating an ambulance to a nonprofit group in Frederick, Maryland. But what is most important to Jared is the ability to donate clothing, shoes and food to Guatemala and neighboring countries in Central America.

“Especially due to weather-related natural disasters, we’re trying to help kids go to school,” he says. “One of the reasons my country is in a low level of competition is that people don’t have a chance to go to school. They don’t even have shoes to walk to school. We try to provide financial help as much as we can to people who really need it and give them the potential to grow. They’re hungry to learn and get out of the situations that they are in.”

Plans to Stay Local

K&K has expanded its business quickly in its short life, but there are no plans to move beyond the Washington, D.C. area.

Jared worked for the national electrical company Power Design Inc. in Maryland when he first moved to the U.S., overseeing projects around the country. He chose the Washington, D.C. area for his own business for a reason.

“When you manage a job far away, you cannot check and supervise properly, such as the production and the safety of the team,” he says. “For me, it is a real challenge to have a job over 50 miles away from my shop. And we have a lot of work in the area, so we don’t have the need to go farther.”

Staying small and within a 40-mile radius of K&K headquarters is important to Jared because he has seen the mistakes that larger firms make when they over expand.

“I know how big companies work and how they make a profit, and I’ve learned from the mistakes at those big companies,” he says. “I’m working to avoid those mistakes over the next 20 years.”