ECA Industry Update

CEAEF Scholarship Applications Will be Accepted Through January 8, 2024.

The Chicagoland Electric Association Education Foundation is pleased to share the application period for the following seven academic scholarships:

· Electric Association Scholarship ($2500)
· The Kinander Family Scholarship ($2500)
· The Steiner Kerman Education Foundation Scholarship ($2500)
· The Joseph J. Archibald Jr. Memorial Scholarship ($2500)
· The Rosenstein Family Scholarship ($2500)
· The Anixter Family Scholarships (2 @ $2500)

Download the criteria and application to submit by January 8, 2024.

Electric Association members and their lineal descendants are eligible to apply. Please carefully review the scholarship criteria for complete details, deadlines, and a checklist of items to be included in each application.

If you have any questions regarding the scholarship program, please email: anovinger@eachicago.org.

NECA Emerge 2024: April 15-17, 2024

Las Vegas, NV

This groundbreaking conference consolidates specialized contractor areas and key business trends, streamlining efficiency and travel for NECA contractors and stakeholders. NECA EMERGE 2024 unites several industry-favorite meetings -- including Service & Maintenance and, Business Development, and low voltage and systems integration disciplines from the NECA-BICSI Summit -- merging them into one power-packed three-day conference.

Attendees can customize their experience, choosing from diverse tracks that include Service & Maintenance, Green Energy Initiatives, Low Voltage & Systems Integration, Business Development, Emerging Opportunities, and more! Get ready for a NECA event like no other and emerge prepared to take on new opportunities!

Click on the video below to learn more!

Midwest Regional Conference

March 11 - 14, 2024

Mark your calendars for next year’s Regional Conference in the Bahamas! Midwest Region NECA is planning an exciting event and hope to see everyone there for great education, networking, and fun activities.

Passports are required, so make sure yours is up to date!

Please Note:

Midwest Region NECA invites Council Members and their spouses to attend the Vice President's reception on March 10, a day before the conference begins. Council members, please take this into consideration when making travel plans.

At the end of the registration process, you can link directly to the hotel’s website to reserve your hotel room at the Atlantis Resort.

Room rates are as follows:

The Royal Tower Run of House - $399 (Single & Double Rate)
The Royal Tower Run of House - $449 (Triple Rate)
The Royal Tower Run of House - $499 (Quad Rate)

The last day to book housing is February 9, 2024.

NECA’s Executive Management Institute (EMI) is an intensive, three-and-a-half-day learning experience designed to enhance the leadership skills of current and up-and-coming executives and managers. Designed for senior executives in the electrical contracting industry, this program provides state-of-the-art management concepts and analytical tools that build on existing knowledge of electrical contracting businesses and the industry to increase the value and effectiveness of electrical contracting firms.

Download the brochure and registration form

For your application to be considered, you must submit the following:

A completed application form
A curriculum vitae (CV) or resume highlighting your relevant experience
A letter of recommendation from a senior leader in your company. If you are the most senior executive in your firm, a notation of this is sufficient.
Payment must be provided within one week of acceptance. Payment must be made via credit card. A link to make a secure payment will be provided following acceptance.

The Registration Fee of $3950 includes three and a half days of instruction, all course materials, and those meals and receptions/dinners indicated in the Schedule of Events. The Registration Fee does not include lodging, airfare, or other miscellaneous expenses. Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements and for securing ground transportation upon arrival. Upon review, accepted applicants will be notified and provided the information to make their hotel arrangements within NECA’s room block.

2024 MEP Innovation Conference (Jan. 29 - 31, 2024)

Registration is Open!

Once again, NECA, MCAA, and SMACNA have partnered together to host the 2024 MEP Innovation Conference. Immerse yourself in educational sessions, collaborative roundtable discussions, and hands-on exhibitor demonstrations that spotlight cutting-edge technologies that can improve NECA contractor productivity and profitability. Register now to network with peers from multiple trades across the country and to learn about industry advancements and the future of the MEP trades, January 29-31 in Orlando, Florida.

CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Document Crunch

Contractors who sign up for the service will have exclusive access to an ELECTRI-specific solution through Document Crunch’s innovative platform.

Watch Demo Video

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Satyam Verma at sverma@documentcrunch.com.

Click for NECA Alert (7/19/23)

Click for NECA This Week (10/24/23)

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NECA Education / NECA Labor Relations Offer New Program,

"Union Relations for Project Managers."

NECA Education / NECA Labor Relations are excited to announce a new course in the NECA Learning Center: Union Relations for Project Managers.

The two teams worked in collaboration to produce a 30 minute on-demand class which helps:

Explain the importance of understanding the local Collective Bargaining Agreement
Identify Category I language to determine what provisions will vary between locals
Describe the important provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement
Summarize the PMs role and interactions with the union
Describe your company's policies and practices
Explain the importance of the superintendent and foreman in the union relationship
Identify the impact union relations will have on a job

This course is designed to provide foundational knowledge for new Project Managers and/or members of your company who will interact with union represented employees or union officials. To register for this course, click the link below.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

NECA Government Affairs Update (10/10/23) --

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

DOL Final Rule on Updated Davis-Bacon & Related Acts

Federal Government Funding Announcements / Regulations

Compiled by NECA Government Affairs:

Please click the link for the latest funding announcements and regulations the Federal Government has posted.

Click Here for Update - 9/27/23

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.

CLICK HERE FOR LISTING OF APPLICABLE STIPENDS

ELECTRI Updates

IT’S OFFICIAL – ELECTRI is pleased to announce Arcadia Electrical Company as a new ELECTRI Council Founder. Company President Stephen Gianotti will serve as representative to the Council. Arcadia, headquartered in Ridgewood, NY, serves diverse markets, including commercial office buildings, residential towers, retail, schools, colleges and universities, hotels and public buildings. Arcadia has also established a new division focused on Energy Efficiency. To learn more, visit www.arcadiaelectrical.com

AND THERE’S MORE – The Arkansas Chapter – NECA has made the commitment to join the ELECTRI Council. Chapter Executive Cindy Estes notified ELECTRI of the members’ decision and announced that Chad Willmon, (Thomas Electric, Inc.) will be the Council representative. The chapter represents electrical contractors in five divisions located in El Dorado, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Little Rock, and Texarkana. These contractors provide electrical construction and maintenance service to industrial, commercial, and residential customers, throughout Arkansas and select counties in Oklahoma and Texas.

WHAT WE ALL LEARNED – Last week’s Council Room highlighted driving productivity and motivating the workforce. There were many excellent ideas and comments and you can watch it here and share it with your team.

THINKING AHEAD – ELECTRI has several key meetings each year. Here’s an advance notice for the places and dates for our 2024 Council meetings.

January 16 – 18, 2024 – Amelia Island, Florida

July 15 – 17, 2024 – Boston

September 28 – October 1, 2024 – NECA Convention, San Diego (ELECTRI Council meeting details TBD)

GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES - ELECTRI International has released its Future Infrastructure Growth assessment of the state-of-the-practice on emerging opportunities for the electric industry related to the ten-year $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). For ECs, the strongest opportunities within the IIJA are broadband, electric vehicles (EVs), and clean energy and power sectors. This ELECTRI report provides the EC community with an overview of the IIJA Act and areas closely related to their businesses, a survey, and structured interviews of electrical contractors. Researchers Anthony E. Sparkling, Ph.D., LEED AP BD+C and Kyubyung (Kyu) Kang, Ph.D. focused on understanding ECs’ perceptions of the IIJA, as well as identifying emerging business opportunities and threats to the industry. Download the full report (at no charge) at www.electri.org

WHAT WILL THE IMPACT BE? – Join ELECTRI’s Council Room on November 7 @ 3:00 PM Eastern for a deep-dive into ELECTRI’s recent research: The Impact of our Future Infrastructure Growth—Opportunities for Electrical Contractors. The panel will focus on the key findings of this research, how contractors and industry partners can benefit from the information and data provided by this project, and how EC contractors can take advantage of the influx of infrastructure work across the country from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Speakers will include the lead researcher, Anthony Sparkling, Ph.D. (School of Construction Management Technology, Purdue University), Research Task Force member Mike Emery (BreezeEV’s Director of EV Charging) and Kerri Stewart (Chief Strategy Officer, Miller EV Solutions, Miller Electric). Click here to access the full research report on the ELECTRI web site (no charge). Watch for the calendar hold coming soon.

OUR CONDOLENCES – ELECTRI extends its sincere sympathy to the family and friends of Gervase Rose, Roman Electric Company. Gerv was an active ELECTRI contributor and served as the Milwaukee Chapter rep to the ELECTRI Council for many years. He was a member of the Academy of Electrical Contracting and very involved with his NECA Chapter.

NEVER TOO EARLY – Mark your calendar for the next ELECTRI Council meeting – January 16 – 18, 2024 on Amelia Island, Florida. The closest major airport is JAX – Jacksonville, FL, approximately 30 miles from Amelia Island. Registration for the Council meeting, activities, and hotel accommodations will open November 1^st. Watch for the link next week. For more information about Amelia Island, check out this official website.

A NEW PARTNERSHIP – The ELECTRI Council selected Amelia Celoza, Ph. D. for the Foundation’s 2023-2024 Partnership for Career Advancement Award. Dr. Celoza received her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering. Her first project with ELECTRI will be to evaluate the impact of inexperience on BIM-based design coordination between the GC and MEP contractors and identify opportunities to address that impact. Amelia will join the Council for its meeting during the NECA Convention to discuss the project and get Council member input. She will also have several opportunities to talk with industry members during the trade show at the ELECTRI booth #629.

OUR SINCERE THANKS – Research projects often require a significant number of survey responses in order to reach meaningful findings and conclusions. The response to ELECTRI’s requests for EC industry participation in the research survey process has been outstanding this year. We appreciate your interest in helping the industry by sharing your experiences and data.

All ELECTRI Council members: Help steer the future of Electrical Contracting (EC) research by joining one of our task forces. Each of our research projects is assigned a task force of industry experts to work with the researcher. Your expertise will shape valuable outcomes for the industry. Let's advance the EC landscape together!

Fair Outcomes for Electrical Contractors for Schedule Compression and Out of Sequence Work- Timothy Becker, ASU
Managing Rework with an Early Warning System, Proactive Remedies, and Proper Documentation - Hala Nassereddine, NCM Consulting
MEP Contractors and GCs: What is the Cost of Inexperience? - Amelia Celoza, University of Colorado Boulder

If you want to participate in one of these new projects, please contact Amanda Harbison at Amanda@electri.org .

The Council Room panel reviewed the updated Change Order Guidelines and their importance. Attendees shared their process for pricing change orders more effectively and ways to communicate the update to many more contractors across the country. Click here to watch the Council Room session. Click here to download the full Updated Change Order Guidelines report.

EASY ACCESS – Last week we released the recap of the ELECTRI Summer meeting. For those of you looking for just the slides from the sessions, ELECTRI has organized all the session slides into one place, and they can be retrieved by clicking the following links:

Day 1 Slides - Click here

Day 2 Slides - Click Here

Day 3 Slides - Click Here

CHECK THEM OUT – The ELECTRI Council break-out sessions were filled with solid discussion and excellent recommendations. Click the links below for the white papers with the key take-away notes from the conversations.

ELECTRI International Quick Links

ELECTRI Meetings ELECTRI Research Council Room Sessions Prefab 101 Videos ConTech & Coffee/ITea & Coffee Think Like A Leader