Chairman of the Board, President & Chief Executive Officer, Powell
Search every verified Brett Cope interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Brett Cope, chairman, president, and CEO of Powell Industries, discussed the company's operations and challenges in a September 2023 podcast. He described Powell as a publicly traded manufacturer of electrical distribution equipment, including breakers and switchgear, that serves industrial, utility, and commercial markets. Cope noted that the company is celebrating its 75th year and emphasized its "can-do spirit" and entrepreneurial culture, while acknowledging that the company has worked over the past decade to build process and structure to manage risks and project execution during cyclical downturns. Cope addressed several recent challenges, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on order intake and the ongoing supply chain and logistics evolution. He stated that Powell is the last U.S. publicly traded company that manufactures intellectual property around breakers, with most competitors building offshore. Cope said the company is reframing itself as a distribution solutions company to address changing electrical grid needs. He also commented on the energy transition, stating that he does not believe oil and gas will be eliminated and that natural gas will continue to play a role, while renewables and battery storage will grow. Cope described the war for talent as an ongoing challenge but said Powell's culture has helped retain employees.
“Powell is a publicly traded manufacturer roughly 500 million dollars of electrical distribution equipment. We make breakers and switchgear and motor control in the medium and low voltage distribution space. We deliver product systems and solutions, many of our solutions are engineered to order for our client base and p...”
“We're very typical; we're hitting our 75th year this year of delivering solutions to the market. One of our core tenets is the can-do spirit, a very strong entrepreneurial culture within the Powell family. The challenge during cycles is without process and structure, we are sometimes slow to ramp up or down depending o...”
“The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted our industrial market and order intake dropped significantly. We had no pandemic playbook, so we met daily for six months as a management team, interacted with the board, teams, and clients, and came out stronger with a new culture of working safely. The third wave is the supply...”
“Powell is the last U.S. publicly traded company that actually manufactures intellectual property around the breaker, focusing on about 38,000 volts and down. Most competitors build offshore, but Powell builds here in the U.S. We are reframing the company to think about Powell as a distribution solutions company to solv...”
“We are a cyclical company and have not yet solved the problem of sustainably driving performance improvement and margin expansion. On downturns, we resist taking out fixed costs because we prepare for when the market turns. We recognize the challenge and believe we are better at it today, focusing on refreshing talent...”
“On the core of our business, the engineer-to-order distribution solution, whether that's a breaker, switchgear, or a large building for power control, we must never lose our ability to be recognized by clients as the best. That's what Powell's 75 years is all about. When budgets and timeframes are tight, there's nobody...”
“The war for talent is an ever-present challenge, especially post-pandemic with the great resignation and people reevaluating purpose. Powell has not been immune but hasn't been hit overly hard. Our culture has a family feeling and a common mission, which helps us win talent. We also recognize that intellectual property...”
“I don't think we're going to get rid of oil and gas; the world is based on the hydrocarbon economy. Renewables like wind and solar will continue to grow, but storage, especially batteries, will be radically different in the next three to five years. Natural gas will continue to play a big role in the global energy econ...”
“Whatever the grid looks like tomorrow, people want it safe and reliable. We don't want the lights going out in the middle of the night or afternoon. While we all work toward global goals for a better tomorrow, it's going to be a fun journey, and I think Powell is a great bet for the future with 1900 people charged up t...”
Brett Cope, president, and CEO of Powell Industries recounts his leadership of a 75-year-old family business with a can-do ...
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