• Posted: May 11, 2022
• Crain's Chicago Business, The Bartech Group

It’s no secret that Dwayne Barlow was born with an entrepreneurial spirit. From starting an independent DJ business in college to buying out an independent electrical contractor and becoming its majority owner, the president and CEO of The BarTech Group has spent his life making the most of every opportunity. Honoring his contributions to the metro Chicago area and beyond, Crain’s Chicago Business is recognizing Barlow as one of its Notable Executives of Color in Construction and Commercial Real Estate.

From the moment he entered the unionized electrical industry, Barlow sought ways to expand his influence and experience. What began with a position as a meter reader for ComEd quickly turned into a chief of staff position. In his last role before leaving ComEd, Barlow reported directly to the CEO of ComEd where he was part of a 15-person team that was responsible for cutting costs. Barlow used his experiences at ComEd to acquire majority interest in Gaffney’s PMI in 2010, which became The BarTech Group in 2014. As president and CEO of The BarTech Group, Barlow committed himself to growing the company into an inclusive and diverse service provider.

Now with 38 years of industry experience, The BarTech Group has evolved from a highly-specialized outdoor electrical construction and maintenance company – installing street lighting, traffic signals and stadium lighting – into a general contractor capable of delivering a suite of full-service solutions to the greater Chicago area and beyond. Despite the organization’s rapid growth, Barlow has never lost sight of the unique struggles and challenges required to operate a business as an executive of color.

“It takes time to build trust with general contractors and get to the point where they believe in your work and that you can handle the financial management involved in running your business,” said Barlow. That was especially true of Barlow’s climb from a tier two contractor — which handles projects under other contractors in the industry — to a tier one business entrusted with initiating, managing and completing large-scale projects. 

Despite these challenges, The BarTech Group has consistently provided exceptional service to countless Chicagoans. Completed last year, the company was entrusted with a large-scale initiative to install all-new electrified rail on portions of the CTA’s Red Line project. The project was completed on-time and within budget and helped to modernize Chicago’s most-traveled rail line for the thousands of passengers who ride it each day. 

Under Barlow, The BarTech Group has also made inclusivity and diverse representation a priority within its own ranks. The company works within predominantly Hispanic and African American communities to create a fair and equitable hiring pipeline that elevates talented individuals interested in electrical industry careers. Project managers and analysts are often hired directly after graduation to provide them with the tools and skills needed to succeed in the unionized electrical industry.

Despite his many successes, Barlow remains humble about the growth his company has achieved – and, throughout the years, his motivation to succeed has never faltered. “My main goal in owning a company was to have something to leave for my family.”

Fortunately for his family – and for every Chicagoan who has benefited from The BarTech Group’s excellent electrical services – Barlow has more than succeeded in his goal.