For as long as he can remember, Block Electric General Foreman Matt McShane has been watching the television series This Old House. As a boy he often helped his father with projects around the house. Both were telling signs of what McShane’s future would hold. “I always knew that I would end up in construction,” McShane said. “My father was a carpenter and I would help him build decks and additions.”
After receiving his BA in Economics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, McShane worked on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade for a year. Shortly after that he entered the electrical apprenticeship program. A lifelong Chicago resident who attended Quigley Prepatory Seminary North High School in Chicago, McShane lives in the City’s Edgebrook neighborhood with his wife Sarah and their three children. His boys—Liam 10; Charlie, 8; and Emmett, 5—all attend Queen of All Saints elementary school in Sauganash.
McShane enjoys outdoor activities with his children, including golfing and hiking. He also has been coaching his children in baseball for the last five years and is a self-proclaimed die-hard White Sox fan. “The 1983 White Sox are still my favorite sports team of all time,” McShane said. As for his career at Block Electric, McShane said the project he is most proud of since he began working at Block Electric in November of 2011 is the lighting project at 400 E. Randolph in Chicago.
“The original pool received a much needed facelift,” McShane said. Block installed new fiber optic lights in and around the pool, as well as new LED lighting on the dome and in the eyelets’. “At the time, the lights and the control system were cutting edge. The project lighting designer received an award; I have to think that Block Electric played a small part.”
Some of McShane’s other recent projects include the RIC (Rehab Institute of Chicago) build out, The Palmer House floor renovation and the Little Company of Mary power separation. He is currently working on Aspira, a new Charter High School in Chicago.
“What I enjoy most about our trade and working for Block Electric is that you are constantly being challenged, exposed to the latest tools and technologies, and office staff, warehouse and project managers that are second to none,” McShane said fondly of his employment at Block Electric. “Right now the industry is changing and being a part of Block Electric ensures that I will continue to grow as an electrician and be a part of the best team in Chicago.”