EA Extra - Virtual Economic Symposium, New EAP Website, Board of Governors Election, and more!

November 2020

Greetings!

The holiday season will look quite different for all of us this year as we remain socially distant. Nevertheless, we can still come together safely, in a virtual environment, which is how we intend to celebrate the end of 2020! Join us Tuesday, December 1 at 5:00 pm for our Virtual Economic Symposium; learn more about the event below and help us bid farewell to 2020.

On behalf of the Board and Staff of the EAP, Happy Thanksgiving; we remain grateful for our members.

Please stay safe,

Sarah Hagy - Executive Director

Virtual Economic Symposium

Grab a cocktail and join us as we recognize outgoing President, Pat Melvin (Rumsey Electric Company), and welcome incoming President, Russ deFuria (O’Brien Heating & Air Conditioning). The evening will feature speaker, Christian Sokoll, President, DISC Corp with Keynote Presentation: Industry Recovery and Opportunities – Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021!

EAP Launches New Website

We are proud to announce the launch of our brand new website! With an updated design, it is now even easier to locate association information, membership benefits and programs, and upcoming education and events. Consumers can easily find electrical and HVAC contractors directly through the new streamlined Locate a Contracto r search portal.

Additional features and functionality will be rolled out to members throughout the course of 2021, including a Members Only portal. Stay tuned!

Board of Governors Election

Ballots were mailed to all eligible EAP Member company contacts to elect representatives to the 2021 EAP Board of Governors. Ballots are due back by Friday, November 20. Meet the Board of Governors candidates here.

If you have any questions, please contact Matt at EAP.

Tech Tip: PCI Security

If you handle, process or store credit cards in any manner, you are required to comply with PCI DSS, or Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. This is a set of LEGAL requirements you must abide by to maintain a secure environment. If you violate them, you will incur serious fines and fees.

Are you subject to them if you take credit card payments over the phone? Absolutely! If you have clients that pay you direct by credit card, you’re subject to these laws. However, there are various levels of security standards – but thinking you don’t process enough to matter or that “no one would want to hack us” is dangerous. All it takes is an employee writing down a credit card number in an e-mail or on a piece of paper to violate a law; and then you’ll be left with legal fees, fines and the reputational damage incurred when you have to contact your clients to let them know you weren’t properly storing or handling their credit cards.

Getting compliant – or finding out if you ARE compliant – isn’t a simple matter. It requires an assessment of your specific environment and how you handle credit card information.

A great resource is the PCI Security Standards Council, or www.pcisecuritystandards.org.

Thanks to PICS ITech for these helpful tips!