The gym at Henry E. Huntington Middle School in San Marino, California, buzzed with energy on Friday, May 17, as players and fans gathered for Southwest Industrial Electric’s charity basketball tournament. Now in its second year, the event is quickly becoming a hot ticket for contractors looking to impact their communities—so much so that SIE had to cap participation. The Los Angeles–based industrial and commercial electrical contractor plans to expand the tournament in 2025 to accommodate the increased interest.
“We were actively brainstorming to create an event that could become an annual tradition, and after a company-wide vote this tournament was the clear winner,” says Kristin Larson, CEO of SIE. “We had so many companies who wanted to participate this year, but we simply didn’t have the logistics to handle that level of participation. Everyone wants to do some kind of community engagement, and this event has the added bonus of being a team-bonding experience as well.”
Following weeks of practice, teams from this year’s participating companies—including SIE, Alpha Structural and Enterprise Fleet Management—tipped off in front of dozens of colleagues and family members while wearing specially designed jerseys that Larson hopes they’ll use year after year. “Jerseys are one of those things that get people to buy in—everyone’s always excited about merch and the opportunity to represent their company and build rapport with their team,” she says. “We want to grow this to be one of the premier charities in L.A., and eventually be able to give hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.”
After clinching the win in the last quarter of game one against SIE, Alpha Structural faced off against the crew from Enterprise, who ultimately won the tournament and chose this year’s beneficiary: the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. “Winning isn’t everything, but it was fun to claim this year’s victory,” says Erica Heintz, Enterprise’s client strategy manager. “The real win is being able to pay it forward and make this donation that we know is going to help change people’s lives, specifically in the Cancer and Blood Disease Institute at L.A. Children’s.”
“The entire tournament this year really was an edge-of-your-seat series of games. The last 15 minutes of the last game was probably our favorite part of the tournament—both teams brought out their A game,” says Alpha Structural’s Vice President of Viability Missy Temps. “Not only did this tournament provide us an opportunity to compete for a great cause, but we were able to work together as a team towards a collective goal. Win or lose, we knew participating in this tournament would be a great bonding experience for our employees to support each other on and off the court, while also giving back to those in need.”
The day capped off with a casual networking session, giving the teams a chance to debrief and connect over other community-outreach efforts—including SIE favorites like Baby2Baby and the American Red Cross. “My favorite part of this whole thing is getting other companies involved,” Larson says. “The rapport we build with everyone who plays—we just genuinely have a great time, and it keeps us talking over the course of the year, so we’re able to collaborate on other efforts.”
