Jack McDonough
Jack McDonough founded McDonough Electric Construction Corp. in 1969 with a straightforward belief: do the work right, take care of your crew, and the rest follows. Starting as a union powerline contractor in New England, Jack built the company from the ground up — establishing relationships with utilities, earning a reputation for reliable field execution, and planting roots in IBEW Local 104 that would define the company's identity for generations.
His tenure with IBEW Local 104 spans more than five decades — a record of membership and commitment that places McDonough Electric among the oldest active contractors in the local's history.
McDonough Electric Construction Corp. established in Bedford, Massachusetts. IBEW Local 104 membership begins. First utility line construction contracts in New England.
The company grows steadily through the decade as Jack builds a fleet and deepens utility relationships across New England. The company navigates the challenges that come with family ownership and emerges under Kevin McDonough's singular leadership — leaner, more focused, and built to last.
Kevin McDonough assumes ownership and operational leadership. The company deepens its utility relationships with Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil. Storm response capability formalizes as the fleet expands.
First major East Coast storm deployment — Hurricane Isabel. Establishes McDonough as a mutual aid participant capable of mobilizing across state lines on short notice.
McDonough crews deploy to Louisiana and Mississippi for the largest power restoration effort in American utility history. Three storms responded to in a single year: Dennis, Katrina, and Wilma.
Ryan McDonough joins the company, bringing fiber optic, ADSS, and emerging wireless infrastructure expertise. McDonough captures significant share of New England's small cell buildout on MV utility poles — becoming the go-to contractor for antenna installations requiring utility linework capability.
Ryan McDonough assumes VP and operational leadership. The company pivots toward renewable energy interconnects, medium-voltage substation work, and integrated infrastructure delivery. Northern NH operations established. 34.5kV solar interconnects and 345kV substation work mark a new technical chapter.
The craft doesn't change.
Only the scale of the work.
This photo was taken in April 2006 on one of Ryan McDonough's earliest jobs in the field — a lineman hand-traveling the conductor across a transmission right-of-way, no bucket, no pole, just skill and nerve. It's the kind of work that built the foundation this company stands on.
Fifty-five years after Jack McDonough started this company with a pickup truck and a union card, McDonough Electric is working inside 345kV transmission substations, building 34.5kV solar interconnects, and deploying fiber across New England. The tools have changed. The standard hasn't.
Ready to put it to work for you.