Fast 25: James Babcock Inc.

Revenue growth FY 2022 to 2024: 82.07%
2024 revenue: $48.8 million

Comeback: Electrical and communications contractor James Babcock Inc. is back among the Fast 25 for the first time since 2021, thanks to a booming construction industry and an expansion in the kind of work it does. President Dan Babcock said that while public works projects like schools and jails continue to be its bread and butter, the company has added multifamily housing and other private projects to its docket.

Current work: Among the company’s projects are the Republic Airways headquarters in Carmel, a large project for Westfield Washington Schools—“We’ve done a lot of work for Westfield, but this one’s probably four to five times larger than most electrical packages on middle schools,” Babcock said—and some large multifamily housing in Lebanon and Fishers. Another growth area for the company has been its job-order contract with the state of Indiana. “That’s given us a lot of work over the last three to four years. They’ll call us, and it’s usually design-build for a state agency.”

Its expertise: In addition to electrical work, Babcock has a separate division that handles low-voltage systems work—data cabling, fiber optics, CCTV cameras and access controls. “We do hardly any subcontracting,” Babcock said. “Everything we do is self-perform.” Babcock also does design-build, doing the engineering in-house and then doing the work on the project.

At your company’s service: Babcock’s work can be anything from a remodel to a new addition to a new building. The company does not do residential work, but it has a service department that was formed mainly to take care of past customers. “We didn’t have a way to service them after we finish a job, and they maybe wanted a small remodel done or something like that. So we do have a service department,” Babcock said.

Generation next: Dan Babcock is the third generation of Babcocks to lead the company. His sons Max and Patrick, who work for the company, are the next generation.•

Check out more of IBJ’s ranking of Indy’s fastest-growing companies.