ECA Members & City of Chicago Building Commissioner featured in Episode 3 of Powering Chicago's new YouTube series "The Power of Better"

IMSCA’s 2023 Lobby Day event will be held on Wednesday, April 26^th at the Sangamo Club located at 227 E. Adams Street, Springfield, IL.

Lobby Day activities will begin promptly at 12:00 p.m. and will include an abbreviated Board and Membership Meeting and a Special Guest Speaker (TBA). Lobby Day attendees will receive an overview of current legislation being considered by the Illinois General Assembly that has an impact on the Illinois construction industry. Most importantly, attendees will have the opportunity to visit their State Senators and Representatives at the Illinois State Capitol to discuss important legislative matters. Lunch will be provided upon arrival. This year’s event will also include a “Construction Industry Legislative Reception” co-hosted by the Illinois Mechanical & Specialty Contractors Association (IMSCA) and the Illinois Construction Industry Committee (ICIC) from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., also at the Sangamo Club.

All IMSCA members are encouraged to attend this event to discuss issues important to the Illinois construction industry with your legislators. Please click the link below for the Lobby Day Registration Form. Please return the registration form by email to sarah@ccepil.com. The deadline to register for Lobby Day and the Legislative Reception is Friday, April 14. For the convenience of our out of town guests, we are working diligently to secure a block of hotel rooms. Hotel accommodation details are forthcoming.

If you have any questions or need additional details, please don’t hesitate to contact:

Jessica Newbold Hoselton

Executive Director

Illinois Mechanical & Specialty Contractors Association (IMSCA)

P: 217.523.4361

M: 217.891.3675

The NECA Labor Relations Conference is being held on March 20 - 22, 2023 at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, TN. Registration is now open!

About the Conference

This year’s conference will include a wide range of presentations from industry experts, NECA and IBEW representatives and Keynote speaker Roy Spence. Topics will include employment law, the use of the Pattern Agreement Guide, the NMA, a CLRC presentation on the Settlements Reports and the Union Electrician Workforce characteristics and projections report, and labor relation challenges. Additionally, discussions will be held on the manpower shortage & attrition study, apprenticeship etA & CML updates, NEBF, NEAP, NEFP & FMCP updates, and CIR best practices.

The Women in NECA and Future Leaders (WINFL) Leadership Conference features two full days of education and breakout sessions including featured speakers, group discussions and networking opportunities for both groups.

The Women in NECA and Future Leaders (WINFL) conference will precede NECA Now 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. Both NECA Now and WINFL will be held at the J.W. Marriott Hill Country. For more information on NECA Now, please click here. Please note, the registration link will lead you to the NECA Now landing page but you will have the option to choose which event(s) you would like to attend.

Please join us in San Antonio, TX! Far from your typical meeting, NECA NOW 2023 is a three-day Executive Leadership Conference focused on your professional and personal growth. This Executive Leadership Conference will provide attendees with the opportunity to gain insights on leadership development with presentation by top business experts. 

CHAPTER EVENT

The Chicago & Cook County Chapter, NECA has a Chapter Dinner scheduled for the evening of April 18, 2023 in the Cherry Bark Room of the 18 Oaks!

The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) Executive Committee recently approved a number of educational stipends for various events throughout 2023. Please click on the link for the current listing.

The registrations will be reimbursed to the applicable companies after the Conference. After you have registered for the applicable event, please e-mail a copy of your completed registration transaction to the Association office at registration@ecachicago.com.  This will allow us to have a record of your registration information, should you need any assistance after registering.

Registration is open for the premiere legislative conference for electrical contractors to hear about top issues affecting the industry. Meet the leaders who are working to provide real solutions. Attendees will also hear from top guest speakers, and get an opportunity to have their voices heard by those on Capitol Hill.



The conference will take place on March 27 - 29, 2023 at the Salamander Hotel (formerly Mandarin Oriental). It will start at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, March 27 and end with a Congressional Reception on Wednesday, March 29. 

ELECTRI Cross-Border Meeting

March 15 - 17, 2023

The ELECTRI Cross-Border meeting will be held March 15-17, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve in Puerto Rico! We have a fantastic agenda planned that includes:

·        Student Passport Project- Students will travel from Iowa State University to work on several projects with SBP USA, a national disaster recovery and resilience organization.

·        Students will present their projects to Cross-Border attendees.  

·        The opportunity for Cross-Border attendees to volunteer for a group project with SBP USA

·        An overview of the current state of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid

·        A discussion with local electrical contractors

·        A tour of LUMA College for Technical Training

·        Presentations:

o  How Can Technology Help Puerto Rico?

o  The Future of Solar

o  Quanta’s Perspective--The Future of Electrical Contracting

·        Fun activities:

o  Networking dinners

o  Tours

o  Golf (optional)

Historically, ELECTRI Cross-Border meetings have created opportunities for elevating the electrical contracting industry around the world by building relationships, meeting and learning from contractors and government officials in other countries and being immersed in different cultures. We look forward to another year of expanding ELECTRI’s cross-border relationships and we hope you will be part of the adventure.

Registration details: 

--Participation fee: $750 for ELECTRI Council attendees and $250 for spouse/guest

--Registration will be handled through NECA’s website. If you are an industry partner and do not have a NECA account, please contact Taylor Kershaw to register. All contractors can register here for the meeting.

--Space is limited. Register soon!

For additional information, contact Laura Holmes, ELECTRI Director of Operations, at laura.holmes@electri.org or call 202-991-6257.

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ELECTRI Updates

ELECTRI HIGHLIGHTS – Last week, ELECTRI held two excellent events for the EC industry. One was in person with students, educators, and contractors. The other was a zoom meeting with significant contractor participant interaction. This week’s Quick Notes provides a summary of each presentation.  

ConTech and Coffee – Our February 15^th zoom meeting focused on the importance of conducting a company-wide construction technology audit. Contractors talked about the fact that, today, technology stacks provide a bigger, more impactful process on everyday business. Participants discussed why it's so important to identify what software is being utilized and what software is being purchased but not being used to its full potential. They agreed that some of the key elements when conducting an audit of the company’s tech stack include these tasks: 

1.      Audit your existing tech stack - Use an audit worksheet to account for apps and tools. Consider where overlap or bloat is occurring.

2.      Start by identifying gaps in your current tech stack. Use research tools to find out what you need.

3.      Create a technology committee. Choosing a tech stack should focus on resolving the company's needs and challenges. A tech committee involves your company’s subject matter experts who have an idea of the digital tools they need.

4.      Evaluate the software. The tech committee should brainstorm software options, identify individuals to take free trials, then create a pros and cons list for each software evaluated.

5.      Establish a budget to ensure affordable tech stack and incentivize consolidation.

6.      Evaluate workflow improvements. From top to bottom, eliminate any digital tools that don't benefit the business or team long-term.

For additional information on how and why to conduct a technology audit, contact ELECTRI’s Director of Construction Technology, Jared Christman at Jared.Christman@electgri.org

Industry Connect – On February 17^th, ELECTRI partnered with the Maryland Chapter NECA, Baltimore Electrical JATC, and IBEW Local 24 to host Industry Connect for local high school students and educators. Experts from all corners of the electrical industry led students through interactive stations that demonstrated the innovative technology in the EC industry. The discussions were engaging and thought-provoking, giving both students and educators the opportunity to learn about the trades and test the latest trends and technologies that are shaping the future of the industry. Contractors came to the Baltimore event to advocate for careers in the electrical industry with this very receptive audience. Last, but certainly not least, the Maryland Department of Labor attended to support ELECTRI’s workforce development initiatives and learn more about our career development and education resources for students.

Additional Industry Connect events are now being scheduled around the country. For more information on bringing this key workforce presentation to your area, contact Anna Trapane, ELECTRI’s Director of Future Workforce Development at Anna.Trapane@electgri.org . 

ELECTRI International Quick Links

ELECTRI Meetings    ELECTRI Research    Council Room Sessions 

Prefab 101 Videos  Think Like A Leader  

Please click the link for a recent update from NECA Government Affairs. If you have any questions regarding the update, please reach out to NECA Government Affairs to: Hadlea Bender, Specialist at:  (713) 870-8619 / Jared Karbowsky, Director, Government Affairs, National Electrical Contractors Association at: 443-975-2932 

Please click on the link for the current edition of "NECA ALERT."

Please click on the link for information regarding these upcoming events!

Please click on the link for a previous edition of "NECA ALERT."