James D. Bloom III, Excel’s CEO, was candid about the opportunity: “We do a lot of project work for federal clients as end customers. But what’s really exciting with Grizzly is the push to get onto the Government Service Agency schedule. That opens the door to more direct service work with federal agencies, and it’s something we just couldn’t tackle as efficiently on our own.”

John Adams, Grizzly’s CEO, sees it the same way: “The Mid-Atlantic is packed with mission-critical work – data centers, government, healthcare. With Excel, we’ve got the local reputation and expertise to go after those bigger, more complex jobs.”

Federal Compliance to Shop Floor

Grizzly’s approach to growth isn’t limited to just boosting sales or handing off routine administrative work. Yes, Excel now gets help with GSA paperwork, compliance, and the maze of sales channels that come with government contracts. But the partnership also means a holistic look at how every part of the business – from project management to the shop floor – can run smarter and faster. The real difference here is that Grizzly is willing to invest in tech and process improvements that touch every department, not just the front office or the back office, but the actual day-to-day work that drives value for customers.

Both Adams and Bloom stressed that the tech investment is organization-wide. Federal work means tight controls, documentation, BIM modeling, and prefabrication capabilities. Excel was already investing in these areas, but Grizzly’s larger platform means they can now go bigger and faster.

“We’re not just looking at payroll and HR systems,” Adams said. “We’re evaluating dispatch, estimating software, shop floor technology – everything that helps us not just win federal contracts, but execute them more efficiently and profitably.”

Bloom added, “Having Grizzly’s support means we can develop our BIM modeling and prefabrication capabilities further, which is required for those mission-critical and government jobs. The tech has to be there, and now we have resources to scale it.”

If you’re expecting the usual private equity play  – buying up contractors, cutting costs, and repackaging for a quick turnaround – Grizzly is aiming for something different. Adams made it clear: “This is not the typical private equity-backed company. Our goal is to find great companies, put them together in the same platform, unlock the barriers that have prevented them from rapid growth, and then drive the growth and let the entrepreneurial spirit prevail.”

3D: Excel Mechanical workers use 3D scanning technology to capture every detail of the mechanical room, setting the stage for precise BIM modeling and seamless project coordination. (Courtesy of Grizzly MEP)

Union Shops and the HR Balancing Act

One of the biggest headaches for a contractor like Excel? Managing two worlds under one roof: union and non-union. In union shops, field workers follow one set of rules, while office staff operate entirely differently. That means separate payroll, different HR systems, and a ton of complexity for a business that’s trying to grow. Bloom put it this way: “It just seems like a lot for a small contractor to bear. We’re experts in the work itself, but all the admin and compliance eats up time we should be spending on jobsites or with clients.”

That’s where Grizzly’s platform comes in. By centralizing HR, payroll, and benefits administration on the corporate side, Grizzly lifts that weight off Excel’s local team. Now, Bloom and his crew can keep their focus on running projects, training talent, and landing new work, without getting bogged down in the HR weeds. “Being able to put those things onto a team that are experts in those areas – it will absolutely help streamline our processes and just make us more efficient as a company,” Bloom said.

Letting Local Experts Lead, Backed by National Muscle

Excel’s local team is set to stay in charge of relationships and project execution, while Grizzly brings in the tech, compliance, and back-end muscle needed for larger, more regulated projects.

“The only way to be successful in federal and high-complexity work is to invest in the right tools and people,” Bloom said. “With Grizzly, we’re not reinventing the wheel for every new piece of software or compliance system. We can focus on what we do best – delivering high-quality work for demanding clients.”

A Platform Built for Complexity

This is Grizzly’s third big partnership – after Stiles Heating & Cooling and Air Design Systems – and the direction is clear: build a platform that can handle everything from retail rollouts to government projects. In the MEP world, that means standardizing where it matters, but never at the expense of local know-how.

Adams put it plainly: “We’re not flipping companies. We’re building the kind of integrated, tech-forward platform that lets our teams go after bigger fish – like federal and data center work – without losing what made them great.”

With federal dollars on the table and the complexity of jobs only rising, Excel’s move into the Grizzly fold could be a sign of where the industry’s headed. One thing’s certain: those who can scale up tech and compliance without sacrificing local grit are going to have a serious edge.