S03 E2: Zachary Elkins – Chief Operating Officer of LFG Manufacturing
Meet Zac Elkins
As COO of LFG Manufacturing, Power Design’s specialty manufacturing division, Zac is leading one of the boldest vertical integration bets in the electrical industry. When COVID-era backlogs pushed switchgear lead times from 12 weeks to nearly two years, most contractors adjusted. Zac and the LFG team invested millions, bought the equipment, stocked two years of copper and steel…and started manufacturing their own. LFG stands for “Let’s Freaking Go.” And it’s more than a name—it’s the mindset behind a company that refuses to blame the market. In this episode of Real Leadership, Zac shares how a billion-dollar “mom and pop shop” is disrupting the electrical supply chain, why apprenticeship programs are the future of skilled labor, and how a scarcity mindset is the fastest way to lose.
In this episode, we cover:
Turning a 90-week supply chain crisis into a manufacturing company
Why holding two years of inventory isn’t risk—it’s opportunity
The data center boom and what it’s doing to construction economics
Reinventing apprenticeships (and cutting dropout rates from 80% to 20%)
Lessons learned from burning bridges early in your career
Building competitive, culture-driven teams that don’t think small
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