Carmen Fosick never imagined she would be running Elmstar Electric Corp., an electrical contracting firm founded more than 30 years ago by her father, Gus.

Although she grew up working summers in Kaukauna-based Elmstar’s office, she studied mathematics in college and planned to be an actuary.

“I wasn’t interested in being an electrician and didn’t think about the other job possibilities with the company,” Fosick said. “When something is right there, sometimes you don’t really take a look at it.”

But as she looked for work with an insurance company after graduation, the family business popped up on her radar. Her father suggested she join Elmstar. She agreed and came on as general manager, supervising office and field employees.

Thirteen years later, Fosick is now vice president and co-owner of Elmstar and has improved the company by streamlining operations and adding new markets.

“I never thought I would end up working here, but it has been a great fit,” she said. “I got to know the company so well growing up and working here during vacations. I’ve done just about everything here except be an electrician out in the field.”

After joining Elmstar, Fosick immediately began looking for ways to improve the company. But when the economy slowed to a crawl, Fosick said, adjustments to billing processes and other areas weren’t enough.

“I realized changes needed to be made, and we had to right-size the company to make sure we would make it through,” she said. “That was incredibly difficult since we had to let people go. We’re like a family here. But we came out stronger.

“All of our employees are now cross-trained and can help in different areas. That has made us more efficient and responsive to clients.”

As part of Elmstar’s retooling, Fosick diversified and added new service lines to the company’s traditional electrical contracting and underground work offerings. New areas include data communications, fiber optics and providing predictive maintenance by becoming a TEGG Service franchisee.

Depending on the time of year, Elmstar employs between 35 and 45 workers. To keep those employees working during the economic slowdown, Fosick remains diligent about her diversification plans.

“Everyone is out there fighting for all the commercial projects since there are not many to go around,” she said. “We aim to set ourselves apart by being more efficient and using the most advanced technology possible.”

Despite the challenges, Fosick said, she is glad she gave her family’s business a chance. She remains passionate about the electrical contracting business and what the future holds, she said.

“I really believe in what we’re doing,” Fosick said. “And our employees are just as passionate as I am about providing the best service and product to our customers.”

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