Women in Construction Spotlight- Kristy Whitney
Ascend Seattle Alum carries family tradition of electricians
by Martha Flores Perez
In the Summer of 1961, Kristy Whitney’s grandfather, Clarence Kleppe, dangled his feet over the circular ledge of a partially constructed Space Needle and watched the construction 520 feet down while eating his lunch. Clarence had “borrowed” a hard hat marked for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair to see the excitement for himself. His curiosity led to him being part of the team working on the electrical system that would light up Seattle Center. Clarence’s electrical career started as a US Marine during WW2 and included setting up the initial communications systems on Iwo Jima. He became a union electrician and was voted in as Vice President of IBEW Local 46 in 1972; his son-in-law, Neil Mahoney, would follow in the same career, working for Cochran as a general foreman on the new Columbia Tower in the 1980s and training union apprentices at Local 46. Kristy’s uncle tried recruiting her into the trade, “He had always encouraged me to go into electrical, he thought that women do well in it. And [then] I wasn’t quite ready for it.” Fast-forward to present-day, and Kristy is the owner of J5 Electric. Neither Clarence nor Neil is alive today to see it, but she carries on her family’s legacy.
In the country, 9.5% of all electrical contracting firms are owned by women. Even though the industry is mainly filled by men, Kristy has felt welcomed by peers, some of whom were trained by her uncle. She understands that leading an electrical company means knowing the trade and the business. Like all active businesspeople, she is constantly knocking on doors and offering her services. During one of those calls, she reached the UW Supplier department, and they told her about the Ascend Seattle program, which would start the next day. Without hesitation, she registered, joined the cohort, and learned from industry speakers covering topics that ranged from finances to marketing. “I participated in Ascend Seattle, and I benefitted because it helped grow my business fast. I went from doing about $75,000 my first year to about half a million last year and I am on target to do about a million this year.” Kristy has learned that scaling comes with planning the business systems to grow strategically. Even though she is now an alum, Ascend Seattle is still there for her when she is looking for resources.
Kristy’s grandfather helped build Seattle and she continues to do so by expanding her business. It is businesses like Kristy’s that Ascend Seattle supports, those that are led by women and people of color.
Learn more about Ascend Seattle and J5 Electronics.
