About Us
Thirty Years of Work That Speaks for Itself.
Family-led and built on field-earned experience, Padilla Electric Builders has grown from a one-man operation into one of Southern California’s trusted industrial and utility contractors.
We are a second-generation electrical and general contracting company with deep roots in California’s utility, industrial, and infrastructure construction landscape. Founded by Joe Padilla in 1994 and now led by his son Harley, this company has been built the same way every project gets built around here: through hard work, accountability, and the discipline to do things right the first time.
Our leadership still walks the jobsite. Our owners still answer the phone. And when a project carries our name, we make sure it reflects the standard Joe set when he started this company thirty years ago.
The Padilla Standard
Our Commitment in Every Project
Safety First
Every project begins and ends with safety. From daily jobsite briefings to strict adherence to Cal/OSHA, NEC, and NFPA 70 standards, we protect our crews, our clients, and the public on every site. Safety is not a checklist item for us. It is built into our execution and our training. Our workforce holds certifications in underground safety, shoring, confined space, fall protection, forklift operation, gas detection, H2S, and traffic control. We are prequalified with ISNetworld, Veriforce, Ariba, DOT, and Pipeline Testing.
Owner-Involved Leadership
When you hire Padilla Electric Builders, you work directly with the people making the decisions. Our leadership is on the jobsite, not in an office. Questions get answered the same day. Problems get solved in the field. And you always have a direct line to someone who knows your project and is accountable for the result. That hands-on approach is what keeps our clients coming back.
A Workforce Built for Industrial Work
We are proudly signatory with IBEW Locals 11, 47, 413, and 441. Our electricians and tradespeople are trained to the highest standards in the industry, with the certifications required for hazardous environments, utility corridors, and complex industrial scopes. Union affiliation means ongoing education, verified safety training, and a workforce that can scale to meet the demands of large and high-compliance projects.
1962
Joe Padilla moves to the United States.
1965–1967
U.S. Army service.
1970s–1992
Electric Craft Shop, SoCal Gas. Skill and discipline forged.
1993
General construction license.
1994
Electrical license. Padilla Electric founded.
1995
P.E.B., Inc. is born.
2013 – 2019
Harley leads operations, then acquires the business.
Today
Expansion into concrete, rebar, carpentry, and utility-focused industrial contracting through union partnerships.
Our History
A Legacy of Hard Work
The story of Padilla Electric Builders begins with Joe Padilla. Born in Nicaragua, Joe came to the United States in 1962 and proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967. After his service, he spent nearly two decades at the Southern California Gas Company, working his way up from Building Maintenance Mechanic to the Electric Craft Shop. Those years at SoCal Gas gave Joe something that cannot be learned in a classroom: a mastery of electrical systems in real industrial environments, and an uncompromising standard for how the work should be done.
In 1993, Joe earned his general construction license. One year later, he earned his electrical license and founded Padilla Electric. By 1995, P.E.B., Inc. was born.
From One Generation to the Next
Joe’s son, Harley Padilla, has been part of this trade since high school. He came up in the field the right way, working alongside experienced crews and developing a sharp eye for mechanical systems, electrical installations, and project coordination. He joined the company full-time immediately after graduating in 1994, and by 2013 he was leading operations. In 2019, Harley officially acquired the business.
What Harley inherited was a company with a 25-year reputation built on integrity and precision. What he built on top of that foundation has been remarkable. Under his leadership, Padilla Electric Builders has grown more than seven-fold, expanded its trade capabilities through new union partnerships, and deepened its presence in industrial and utility construction across Southern California.
Where We Are Now
Padilla Electric Builders is a union-signatory contractor, State Certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), and fully licensed as both a C-10 Electrical Contractor and a Class B General Building Contractor (CSLB #723149). That dual licensing means we can self-perform electrical work alongside civil, concrete, and structural scopes under one contract — fewer subcontractors, tighter schedules, and a single point of accountability from the first day of work through closeout.
We specialize in industrial electrical construction and critical infrastructure across Southern California, serving utilities, public agencies, industrial facilities, natural gas operators, and water districts. Our reputation has been built on high-compliance, large-scale scopes, validated by repeat contracts with Southern California Gas Company, Siemens Energy, BNSF Railway, Petrell Electric, and multiple water districts. As of 2025, we are expanding our workforce and trade capabilities to include concrete, rebar, and carpentry through additional union affiliations.
Our Founding and Future
Hands-on leadership that stays close to the jobsite.
Joe Padilla, Founder
Army veteran. Builder. After nearly two decades mastering electrical systems at the Southern California Gas Company, Joe founded Padilla Electric in 1994 with a straightforward standard: show up prepared, do the work right, and stand behind your name. That standard has guided this company for thirty years and it still drives every project we take on.
Harley Padilla, President
Harley came up in the trade alongside his father, joined the company out of high school, and took over operations in 2013 before officially acquiring the business in 2019. Under his leadership, Padilla Electric Builders has grown more than seven-fold, expanded into new trades through union partnerships, and established the company as a trusted name in industrial and utility construction across Southern California
Memberships & Prequalifications
Industrial and utility clients require contractors who are verified before they ever set foot on a project. Padilla Electric Builders is prequalified through the compliance networks that leading utility operators, energy companies, and public agencies rely on when vetting contractors. That means less friction in procurement and a faster path to getting your project started.
Affiliations Include:
ISNetworld
Veriforce
Ariba
DOT
Pipeline Testing
Proven by the Numbers
The Padilla Difference
We don’t overpromise. We don’t cut corners. We bring decades of earned experience, industrial certifications, and union-trained talent to every project, no matter the size or the scope. Our leadership stays hands-on, our crews are certified for the environments where the work actually gets done, and our approach has always been built on one principle: get it done right the first time.
We build the systems that keep things running. And we have been doing it since 1995.
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30+
Years of family-led experience.
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4 IBEW Locals
Represented
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2 State Licenses
C-10 + Class B (CSLB #723149)
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State Certified MBE
Minority Business Enterprise
Built on Legacy. Driven by Results.
Ready to Talk About Your Project?
From industrial electrical systems to full general contracting, Padilla Electric Builders delivers the scopes that matter with safety, precision, and direct accountability. Tell us what you’re building and we’ll put together a plan built around your project needs.