More than 20 years ago, Tim Adell was a Kansas City, Mo. Local 124 apprentice when he was asked to work on a project under a highly respected member who was a foreman for Electrical Corp. of America.

It was a great opportunity for someone learning the trade. There was one issue in his mind, however.

That journeyman was his dad, Mark. Like many young workers looking to prove themselves, Tim wondered how it might look to others on a jobsite if he worked under his father.

“I didn’t want people to look at it as he was doing me a favor,” he said.

So the younger Adell passed and instead worked for the next two years for R.F. Fisher Electric at Kansas City International Airport.

It worked out well. He formed a bond with Doug Garrett, his journeyman on the job, and the two remain close friends. Tim went on to have a long, successful career and is now a foreman himself.

Still, bypassing the chance to work with his now-retired father gnawed at him. In the 18 years their careers overlapped, Tim and Mark were on the same jobsite for a total of three days.

So, when Tim had a chance to bring the family together, he made it even better.

He made sure his son Carter, now a Local 124 pre-apprentice, came along for the ride. The three Adells worked on the same Enerfab Power crew earlier this summer during construction of the massive Panasonic plant in DeSoto, Kan. Tim is one of 12 electrical superintendents on site.

“[Mark] was excited about getting to work with his family,” said Diana Adell, Mark’s wife and Tim’s stepmother, as well as a retired Local 124 wireman.

“He always said if he was asked and they could work it out, he would do it.”

But now, Tim was the boss.

“One hundred percent,” he said when asked if missing out on working for his father was the motivation to bring all three generations together.

“He didn’t even bring his tools to the job,” Tim said of his dad’s nearly one-month stint. “He said: ‘Carter has his tools there. Why do I need my tools when I can use his?’ Just his presence, knowing that he was a retired wireman, meant a lot to the crew when he was working. He’s a ground guy, and that’s what he did.”

Now, the middle Adell is hearing jokes and good-natured grief about his own unique role: Not just overseeing his son, but also his pop.

“Sounds like Tim is in the best spot,” Local 124 President Todd Howerton said. “He can boss his dad and his son around.”

Howerton has known Tim for many years and worked with him on several jobs.

“It’s a true testament to the IBEW,” he said. “We tend to have lot of family, but to have three generations on the same crew is a pretty cool thing.”

Despite Tim’s passion to get his father on the job, it wasn’t easy to pull off. They had to ensure that Mark wasn’t taking work from any active Local 124 members. And working too much in 2025 might have forced changes in his own retirement plan.

Fortunately, Local 124 was at full employment. The Adells did their homework and found exactly what Mark could do without endangering those benefits. He didn’t come close to surpassing the maximum 600 annual hours a retiree can work.

“It’s a rare deal,” Mark said. “During normal working conditions, when work isn’t as good, this would not happen this way. They wouldn’t want an old, retired guy like me out there.”

IBEW membership often is a family affair. The lure of working with your hands, solving complex problems and the camaraderie of fellow union members — all while earning family-sustaining wages and benefits — is a strong one. It’s often passed from generation to generation.

But three close relatives on the same crew? That’s virtually unheard of.

“I’ve seen my dad do it,” said Carter, 20. “He makes a fair living for himself, and it is pretty steady work. It was really all I was looking at and considering doing. Seeing him do all this stuff for a long time, I figured I could make it into a career.”

Mark Adell got the ball rolling, although his path to journeyman status wasn’t a traditional one. His father-in-law owned an electrical shop. He worked there and later at a nuclear power plant, working nonunion for 20 years, until he was organized into Local 124 in 1999.

“It was like a breath of fresh air,” said Mark, who retired in 2018. “On the nonunion side, you stay busy, but you do more dangerous work. Safety was not that big of a concern. You get into the union, there was a big emphasis on safety. Everything was so much better.”

Mark’s commitment to Local 124 was so strong that he even worked as a salter — accepting a job on at a nonunion company with the intent of convincing workers of the value of IBEW membership.

“I wanted to get people in and show them how it’s done and what it’s all about,” he said. “And obviously, the salary and benefits are so much better.”

Tim said he loved everything about his father’s career path. He also found that he shared his dad’s passion for working with his hands. They both enjoy restoring classic cars to this day.

“Sounds like Tim is in the best spot. He can boss his dad and his son around.”

_{– Kansas City, Mo. Local 124 President Todd Howerton}

Tim got a job working as an expediter just after graduating from high school when he learned he was accepted into Local 124’s apprenticeship program. With a child on the way and about to finalize his first home purchase, his father’s advice was simple.

Don’t mess it up.

“I was at a point where I could have gone either way in life,” Tim said. “Know where you are going and remember you don’t have time to screw around, he told me.”

Mark’s return to the job this summer lasted just a few weeks, but it was special. He saw the traits that have allowed Tim, 42, to have a successful career. He also learned that Carter is going to be just fine.

“He’s a listener and a good worker,” Mark said. “Pre-apprentices catch a lot of crap. He went through all that, took it with a grain of salt, and now everything is all good.”

Tim credited the two journeyman Carter is working with — a pair of travelers from Oklahoma — for mentoring his son the right way. Carter has soaked it all in, he said.

“They’ve held him to a high level of craftsmanship,” he said. “He sometimes rides to work with me and says: ‘Dad, you know they actually teach you stuff. It is about being precise and installing something that is perfect.’”

Carter, for his part, has enjoyed having family around.

“I guess if I really need the help, I know for a fact it is there,” he said. “Not that my journeyman or foreman isn’t going to help me, but it’s nice to know my dad is there.

“I didn’t really think about working for my dad,” he said. “I don’t see him very often. I was kind of looking forward to it.”

The plant has a 34,500-volt main electrical building in the middle of the complex. It sends power to the vaults outside the building, where Tim’s crew takes over. It sends those 34,500 volts to eight substations in each wing. From there, it is broken down to 480 volts and sent to distribution panels in the building. Longtime signatory contractor Cupertino Electric played a large role in constructing the substations in Wing 1.

Panasonic is building it so it will have a facility that manufactures electric vehicle batteries in the U.S. A grand opening ceremony was held on July 14, although construction is expected to continue for several more months.

Local 124 Business Manager Bo Moreno worked with his father on the job and found it a rewarding experience. He suspects this will make the Adells even closer.

“Having three generations on a project is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Moreno said. “The family has always carried themselves like good wiremen. I’ve never heard anything bad about them.”

They also have grown to appreciate IBEW membership even more.

“It means structure,” Tim said. “Being able to work as long as you do and enjoy what you worked for. The guys I have worked around who are retired, including my first journeyman, Doug, make as much money retired as they did when working.

“If I can get to that, that’s why I am IBEW.”