Spotlight On: Alex Gonzalez, COO, GAC Enterprises
Key points:
- • Broadband expansion and data centers are driving infrastructure demand.
- • Technology is improving project visibility, efficiency, and accountability.
- • Workforce expertise and material availability remain key industry challenges.
September 2026 — Invest: sat down with Alex Gonzalez, chief operating officer of GAC Enterprises, to discuss the company’s evolution from a drilling contractor into a turnkey infrastructure provider and the opportunities created by broadband expansion and data center growth. “The goal over the next several years is to make sure every American has internet access. That creates a tremendous amount of opportunity throughout the industry,” Gonzalez said.
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GAC Enterprises has evolved from a drilling contractor into a turnkey infrastructure company. What drove that transformation?
To give a little background, we started strictly as a construction company in 2006. My cousin and I founded the business and started as a directional drilling subcontractor with a team of only eight people. Today, we employ around 350 people, including management, laborers, and field personnel.
The drive behind becoming a turnkey provider came from our customers. They trusted the product we were delivering and started requiring more services from us. In construction, reputation is everything. It does not really come from reviews because everybody has something to say. In fact, a successful construction company usually does not have many reviews because people only tend to leave reviews when they are unhappy.
GAC is a 20-year-in-the-making overnight success. We worked hard to build a strong presence and maintain quality control over the product we deliver. As customer demands increased, we realized we had to focus on more than just drilling. We expanded into aerial work, splicing, and additional services so we could provide more value to our clients.
The data center boom in the United States has also helped position us for growth. We have been growing significantly every year, and that has required major changes in culture, speed to market, and the way we operate.
Where are you seeing the biggest opportunities for growth across broadband and infrastructure today?
The biggest opportunity right now is the BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) program. The program is finally beginning to move forward, and we are talking about tens of billions of dollars flowing into the industry.
The problem is not going to be the amount of work; it’s going to be how fast we can deploy our teams. The United States realized that, despite being one of the leading economic powers in the world, we were behind in broadband access. There are still people without internet access, while some countries with fewer resources have advanced further in broadband deployment.
A lot of the upcoming work will take place in underserved areas rather than major cities. You are not going to see the biggest impact in places like New York or Washington, D.C. Instead, you will see growth in smaller communities and regions surrounding major metropolitan areas. States and communities that have largely been ignored are now receiving attention through these programs.
The goal over the next several years is to make sure every American has internet access. That creates a tremendous amount of opportunity throughout the industry.
How is technology changing operational efficiency and accountability in utility construction?
Utility construction is one of the most unregulated industries in the United States. We have OSHA and safety requirements, but there is no universal operating manual or standard that everyone follows.
My partner and I have been called disruptors because we moved away from the traditional pen-and-paper approach. What we offer is real-time visibility into the projects our customers trust us to build.
The challenge with utility construction is that much of the work happens underground or across large geographic areas. At the level we operate, we are not building neighborhoods; we build cities. Because of that, we needed systems that allowed us to track projects in real time and respond quickly when issues arise.
Technology has helped us understand that success often comes down to how quickly we can respond to customers. The faster we address damages, concerns, or complaints, the less likely those issues are to escalate.
The systems we use are proprietary, and they help bridge the communication gap between construction operations and the customer. That has allowed us to become a stronger company and better serve the clients we work with.
GAC works across telecommunications, gas, power, and pipeline infrastructure. How do you maintain expertise while diversifying into multiple sectors?
Diversification is one of the hardest things a company can do. Telecommunications has always been our bread and butter, but we have expanded into other sectors because of customer demand and opportunity. For example, we perform electrical maintenance work in Dallas, which requires a completely different set of skills and expertise.
The only way to diversify successfully is to trust your managers and find the right people. You need subject matter experts. One person can’t manage every aspect of a growing business.
As a company scales, success depends on putting knowledgeable people in leadership positions and allowing them to do their jobs.
The industry continues to face workforce shortages and retention challenges. How do you attract and retain talent?
One of the things I have learned over the last 20 years is that people like to work for people. They do not want to work for a company name alone, and they do not want to work only for a salary. Of course, compensation matters, but leadership matters too. In construction, people respect leaders who have come up through the ranks and understand the work. You cannot simply tell people how things are going to be done. You need to lead from the front.
We have created education programs, reimbursement programs, and growth opportunities. We have expanded internationally and operate call centers and back-office operations in multiple countries, but we still make a deliberate effort to stay connected with our employees.
Even with the size of our workforce, we want people to know they are not just a number. They are individuals, and their work matters.
Everybody likes to work for a team, and I think that’s the best way to keep talent: by showing them that what you do matters.
How is GAC adapting to rising costs, supply chain volatility, and tighter project timelines?
Our approach is fairly simple. We work with people we like. We do not chase only the highest-paying projects. At the end of the day, we are a business, but we are also a company built on relationships.
We do not have outside investors. Our growth has been organic, and our focus is making sure we align ourselves with our customers’ needs. We have built a large customer base across telecommunications, power, and other sectors because of those relationships.
One of the biggest challenges facing the industry is material availability. The BEAD program includes requirements that favor products made in the United States, but the reality is that domestic manufacturing capacity may not be able to supply all of the conduit, fiber, and materials needed for these projects.
The issue is not necessarily going to be construction capacity. The issue is going to be how quickly materials can be secured. That is where a lot of the industry’s challenges will come from over the next several years.
Demand also remains incredibly strong. Data centers are expanding rapidly, and major technology companies continue to invest heavily in infrastructure. For us, the most important thing remains delivering the product on time and maintaining strong customer relationships.
Looking ahead, what will define the next era of utility and broadband infrastructure construction?
Technology and communication have been among the biggest drivers of the modern economy. The ability to conduct business globally depends on connectivity.
Today, everything is becoming digital. Data centers are expanding, artificial intelligence is growing, and more services are relying on digital infrastructure than ever before.
That increasing dependence on technology is going to drive the next phase of investment. The demand for bandwidth and data capacity continues to grow, and eventually the infrastructure that exists today will no longer be enough.
Right now, our technology supports what we call a high-capacity fiber network, which provides tremendous bandwidth. However, demand continues to increase, and the industry will eventually need even more capability.
The way I see it, in five to 10 years, we are going to have to do it all over again because the demand for broadband and connectivity will continue to outpace what exists today. The next era of infrastructure construction will be driven by that continued need for greater capacity and stronger networks.
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