ECA Industry Update

The digital revolution is transforming the electrical and low-voltage industries and disrupting the way we operate. With a strong emphasis on sustainability, connectivity, and reliability, new technologies are rapidly becoming the norm. Power over Ethernet (PoE), Fault Managed Power (Digital Electricity), and microgrids, are among the technologies emerging as viable and cost-competitive sources of power.

Embracing change is crucial for members' continued success.

The NECA • BICSI summit will equip members with the knowledge, insights, and tools needed to:

Enhance and expand capabilities
Streamline operations
Open doors to new business opportunities

Also, the broadband bill has created immense opportunities for electrical contractors. The introduction of 5G technology will revolutionize communication and create new possibilities for contractors in areas such as infrastructure installation and supporting smart city initiatives. The expansion of rural broadband presents a chance to tap into untapped markets and bridge the digital divide.

Additionally, smart grid advancements are transforming the energy sector, and attending the technology summit will provide insights into the latest developments, enabling contractors to establish themselves as industry leaders.

NECA Virtual Estimating Classes

Registration is Open!

NECA’s Basic Estimating and Advanced Estimating Strategies Virtual Classroom program is now open for registration.

Registration is still very limited, so don’t delay!

Below are the registration links:

Basic Estimating : Monday, June 12- Tuesday, June 27, 2023 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET

Advanced Estimating Strategies: Monday, June 12- Thursday, June 15, 2023 | 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET

Registration for these programs is on a first-come, first-served basis. In the event, a program sells out, and you wish to be added to the wait list for that instance, please email education@necanet.org.

NECA - BICSI Conference

(June 26 - 28, 2023) --

Stipend Available!

Join two industry giants in Denver, CO, as they come together to address the needs of the low-voltage and the ICT Industry.

NECA & BICSI have joined forces to bring you the NECA • BICSI Summit 2023.

Topics include:

Power over Ethernet
Intelligent Buildings
Distributed Antenna Systems
Faulted Manager Power and More!

LEARN MORE

NECA Service & Maintenance Conference

(June 28 - 29, 2023) --

Stipend Available!

The goal of the first NECA Service & Maintenance Conference is to provide insight on how to navigate starting and running a service and maintenance-oriented division within your company, through expert presentations and NECA contractor-led panels and discussions.

The program is being held at the Hyatt Regency Denver.

LEARN MORE

STIPEND AVAILABLE

The ECA Executive Committee approved the educational stipends of the Registration fees for up to two representatives and their guest and/or spouse, if applicable, of participating ECA member firms for the NECA-BICSI Conference on June 26 - 28, 2023 and NECA Service & Maintenance Conference on June 28 - 29, 2023. The registrations will be reimbursed to the applicable companies after the Conference.

After you have registered, 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.

ELECTRI Updates

HR BEST PRACTICES – ELECTRI’s next Council Room on May 23 @ 3:00 PM Eastern will focus on HR functions including recruiting and retaining employees, working from home, managing field and office employees, onboarding, and other topics participants want to discuss. Invite your HR personnel to join the call to provide their insights and expertise. Watch for your Zoom invitation coming soon.

LATEST THINK LIKE A LEADER - As VP for Technical Sales at Atkore, Joe Gesino understands that leadership is a combination of people, strategy, and process. In every interaction, Joe pays special attention to doing things the right way. Click here for Joe’s interview.

NEW ELECTRI WHITEPAPER - Reality capture can compare progress on a timeline using artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically provide date/time stamps and location data for every image. This ELECTRI whitepaper explores the 360-degree camera as a reality capture device and how it can be used in the EC industry. Questions: Jared.Christman@electri.org

PLEASE TELL US - ELECTRI is identifying emerging trends in electrical work and providing decision-making tools to help with new market feasibility assessments. We need your data so we can provide ECs with a review of new/emerging electrical infrastructure advancements and needs. Please help by taking the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/65579XM Questions? Amanda@electri.org

SOPs – Success in the EC industry depends upon Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for consistency, standardization, teamwork, and a common vision for project execution. ELECTRI’s research on “Setting up the project for success with SOPs” will show how to define, assemble, deploy, and evaluate SOPs. Please share this survey with your employees. We need your input. Amanda@electri.org

NEED TO KNOW – Learn what you need to know about IT contracts. What are some common redlines? What needs watching in the contract language? Join Matt Lamb (CIO, Rosendin) and your colleagues on our ITea & Coffee Zoom call May 24 at 11AM Eastern. Questions? Jared.Christman@electri.org

Here's the Zoom link:

ELECTRI is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: ELECTRI - ITea & Coffee - IT Contracts

Time: May 24, 2023, 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88007895808?pwd=Tk5wVlhyMmM3RUxEYVpoMXRib1diQT09

Meeting ID: 880 0789 5808

Passcode: 176777

One tap mobile

+13092053325,,88007895808#,,,,*176777# US

+13126266799,,88007895808#,,,,*176777# US (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 880 0789 5808

Passcode: 176777

Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kbK81Lmr97

WHICH ONE WILL WIN? – NECA Student Chapters are applying now for the 2022-2023 NECA Student Chapter of the Year Award. We encourage Student Chapters in good standing to participate. NECA Chapters, help them out. Click here for the award application. Everything must be submitted by Friday, May 26 @ 5:00 PM Eastern. Questions? Anna.Jochim@electri.org

THE NEW REQUIREMENTS – Participants in last week’s ELECTRI Council Room webcast learned a lot about best practices and pain points on performing federal work, or work funded with federal dollars, that include Buy America requirements. You and your key staff members can review the Council Room conversation by clicking this link.

KEEP IT VISUAL. KEEP IT REAL. – 360-degree photo documentation tools are a low-cost, low-effort means of having complete visual project records. On site, someone walks the job and captures 360-degree photos and videos. Then, software automatically organizes these photos and videos by location and date of capture. There is a new class of easy-to-deploy photo record-keeping solutions on the market. ELECTRI research, conducted by Thomas Czerniawski, has produced a Guide to 360 Photo Project Documentation. The results include an implementation checklist designed to provide a step-by-step guide for electrical contractors to deploy 360-photo management successfully. The checklist includes five key steps:

Organizational Policy and Strategic Plan
Technology Ramp Up
Execution - Suggested Standard Operating Procedures
Experimenting with Advanced Features

Access the complete project at this link to go straight to project results.

2023 ELECTRI Council Meeting

July 17 - 19, 2023

The American Club

Kohler, WI

ELECTRI is excited to announce that registration is now open for the July 2023 ELECTRI Council meeting at the American Club in Kohler, WI. The meeting will take place July 17-19. Register for the meeting here. Once you register, you will receive the phone number to call to make your hotel reservation. All reservations must be made by calling the American Club directly as there is no online link.

Highlights of the meeting:

· Keynote speaker Steve Richman, Group President, Milwaukee Tool

· Breakout sessions on a variety of topics

· Discussion and voting on a new round of research opportunities

· Golf at the famous Whistling Straits course (costs generously covered by Graybar)

· Tactical Shooting activity (costs generously covered by BreezEV)

· A tour of Milwaukee Tool’s newest facility in West Bend, WI. This tour will end at 1PM on Wednesday, July 19th. Transportation will be provided to the Airport or back to the resort by Milwaukee Tool. Please make your travel plans accordingly.

Make your plans now to join ELECTRI this summer for an exciting agenda. If you have any questions, please contact Laura Holmes @ Laura.Holmes@electri.org

COUNCIL MEETING ROOM BLOCK– Reserving your room at The American Club for our July 17-19 Council meeting is very important as our room block is almost full. First, sign up for the meeting and then call the American Club to place your reservation., Here’s the meeting registration link. Questions: Laura.Holmes@electri.org

YOU GET TO DECIDE – There are 14 NECA Student Chapters participating in ELECTRI’s 2023 Electrical Contracting Innovation Challenge. Next, our industry leaders get to review the project proposals and select the three finalist teams to make in-person presentations during the NECA Convention in Philadelphia. If you are interested in learning where the most talented, industry-ready students can be found, please consider volunteering as a member of the jury for the ECIC competition. For additional information, contact Laura Holmes at laura.holmes@electri.org

WELL WORTH WATCHING – ELECTRI’s recent ConTech and Coffee webinar focused on Material Management Software. EC panelists reviewed their Material Management software journey. The conversation covered how they chose the software, how it got implemented in their workflow, and how it was integrated from their previous material management workflow. To watch and learn from the discussion, click the link here.

ELECTRI International Quick Links

ELECTRI Meetings ELECTRI Research Council Room Sessions Prefab 101 Videos Think Like A Leader

NECA NOW was a three-day Executive Leadership Conference that focused on professional and personal growth. The conference was held at the JW Marriott Hill Country Hotel in San Antonio, TX.

Please use the link below to observe and download the presentation slide decks from the conference.

2023 NECA Now Presentation Slides

NECA Project Excellence Awards

Application Process is Open!

The NECA Project Excellence Awards were created to recognize member companies for their outstanding commitment, professionalism and ingenuity in delivering an electrical project across 13 different market sectors! NECA wants to see the innovative and cutting-edge projects that your company completed in 2022. Get a chance to be celebrated on stage at our annual convention in September where the PEA awards will be presented!

The 13 different categories are:

Commercial/Institutional
Design-Build
Educational
Energy Solutions/Green Building
Health Care
Industrial
Low Voltage/Technology
Overhead Transmission
Residential
Street Lighting/Traffic Signal
Substation/Interconnection
Transportation & Infrastructure
Electric Vehicle (EV)

Deadline to submit is June 30, 2023. Applications submitted must be based on projects completed in 2022. View more information and rules here.

NECA National Events

NECA Safety Professionals Conference (5/24/23 - 5/26/23)

Registration is Open!

The NECA Safety Professionals Conference (NSPC) is open to all NECA Members, IBEW and electrical training Alliance members. Conference attendees will experience three days of keynotes and breakout sessions from industry leaders and safety experts.

Educational tracks include: Inside Electrical Construction, Leadership, NFPA 70E & Electrical Construction, Safety Management Regulations and Safety Management Risks.

May 24 - 26, 2023

Renaissance Nashville Hotel

Nashville, TN

CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION

NECA Business Development Conference - May 21 - 23, 2023 Nashville

Registration is Open!

This conference is designed to provide a platform for growth, collaboration, and game-changing opportunities that allows contractors to stay ahead of the curve and achieve their full potential.

The 2023 Business Development Conference will be held at the Renaissance Nashville on May 21-23, 2023. This conference is open to all NECA members, IBEW members, electrical training alliance, JATC personnel and industry leaders.

May 21 - 23, 2023

Renaissance Nashville Hotel

Nashville, TN

CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION

NECA Safety Award Winners

NECA’s Recognition of Safety Achievement program is an elite safety recognition focused on recognizing thriving companies that excel in multiple areas of their safety and health programs. Member companies that consistently have OSHA recordable injury and fatality rates at levels lower than the industry standard and implement internal company safety practices above and beyond basic compliance will receive the recognition.

The Zero-Injury recognizes those member-companies that have worked a full calendar year without recordable incidents.

The Safety Excellence is the association's premier recognition program and acknowledges member-contractors safety performance. When registering, contractors will automatically be entered into two Safety Recognition Programs; Zero Injury and Safety Excellence. Winners are selected based on their comparison to BLS data and electrical contractors.

Check out our District 4 winners!

NECA Safety Round Up

NECA Podcast Network

Throughout this monthly series, the NECA Risk Management Executive Directors of Safety will discuss specific topics within electrical construction safety. They'll welcome guests onto the podcast to talk about safety issues and obstacles the industry is facing. Prepare to learn about laws and policies that spread into everything from FLSA, Immigration, FACTA, Title VII, ADA and FMLA to Workers Comp, Leaves and Return-to-Work procedure. Other episodes revolve around protective cover, safety leadership, OSHA and Safety training practices, JSAs, HSAs and job briefings as well as incident investigation.

NECA Safety Round Up (buzzsprout.com)

#1: Introduction to NECA Safety, Inside and Outside (buzzsprout.com)

#2: NECA Safety Leadership (buzzsprout.com)

NECA Alert (5/16/23)

CLICK HERE FOR "NECA ALERT" (5/16/23)

NECA This Week (5/15/23)

CLICK HERE FOR "NECA THIS WEEK" (5/15/23)

NECA Government Affairs Update (5/15/23) --

Week in Review

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

CLICK HERE FOR UPDATE

Deadline Approaching: Submissions for the NECA 2023 Financial Benchmarker Report

The deadline is quickly approaching to submit your input for the Financial Benchmarker report. The report provides an in-depth analysis of key financial data and provides an industry standard that can be used for change order negotiations, audits, claims and more.

We’re asking you to complete the survey to provide valuable input in the development of the report. Linked below, the survey is confidential and should take less than 30 minutes to complete.

Feedback is due no later than May 24.

Download Survey ››

View FAQ Sheet ››

ECA Stipends Available for a Number of Events!

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.