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We are so grateful for our incredible employees!⁣⁣

Meet Justin Lefkus a dedicated and valued member of our energy solutions group. We’re thankful for the knowledge, professionalism and integrity Justin brings to his career at C&S Companies.

Where are you located?

I am located in the Syracuse office and have been with C&S for 13 years.

What does a typical day at C&S look like?

I could be doing any number of things including providing controls service to an existing client, designing a new project, bidding, managing subcontractors, commissioning installed work, purchasing materials, or even grabbing some tools and troubleshooting controls systems on site.

What drew you to your career choice?

I grew up around my father working in the design/build industry. I thought I wanted to become an architect until a bunch of architects convinced me not to, so I went into mechanical engineering instead (no offense architects). Mechanical engineering gives you a lot of freedom to get involved in all kinds of professions, so that’s why I went that direction. Figuring out new things is my favorite thing to do, so when I was asked to figure out how to get into controls about 8 or 9 years ago in order to support our Energy Performance Contracting work, I happily took on the challenge.

What motivates you?

New challenges/problems and high-pressure situations. I have a hard time doing anything a second time but coming up with new, unique, and creative solutions to problems is something I can’t get enough of.

What has been the proudest moment of your career?

Helping create a stand-alone control offering at C&S Companies. We are still small, but we have quite a portfolio under our belt for our size, and we’re hungry and looking to grow.

What are your favorite types of projects to work on?

Anything that doesn’t have a boilerplate solution. One-off and oddball projects are the most fun to figure out and implement.

Which of the C&S Core Values resonates with you the most?

Integrity is important to me, and I think without it the other Core Values can fall flat. When teammates and clients know that they can come to you for solutions that you will stand behind and truly believe are the right thing to do, including being honest when you don’t have the answer, that goes a long way.

When not at work where can you be found having fun?

My wife and I have a 4 and 6 year old so doing just about anything with them is always entertaining. If you’ve ever wandered through the first floor of the Syracuse office expansion and wondered why there are Lego sets all over the place, it’s because that’s also one of my favorite weekend activities.

What are some fun facts about you?

If you know anyone with the same last name as me, we are related. We have searched far and wide for other Lefkuses in the US and it seems like my great grandfather’s last name was uniquely Americanized when he came here.

What destinations are on your bucket list?

I’ve been overseas a few times and there’s lots more for me to see, but I’ve never really explored our own country. I’d love to get an RV and do a tour around the US.

What is your favorite TV Show/Podcast/Movie/Author etc.?

For TV Series/Movies: Just about anything Star Wars related, anything Quentin Tarantino is involved in, Breaking Bad, Seinfeld

Podcasts: Radiolab, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, The Cigar Authority

We hope you have enjoyed our most recent employee spotlight as much as we enjoy sharing such amazing team members! Thank you, Justin!