ECA Industry Update
Coming Soon! Big News about Powering Chicago's Role in the 2022 Chicago Auto Show

Powering Chicago’s getting ready to launch valuable new EV Infrastructure Planning Resources for Chicago and the Construction Industry, and publicly debut their new Mobile Field Trip truck at this year's Auto Show! (February 12th - 21st at McCormick Place)
Stay tuned for all the news coming soon to your inbox!
IBEW 134 / NECA Chicago Apprentice to be featured on Fox Sports (FS2) on February 6th
Check out second-year IN-Tech apprentice Chris Brieschke on the nationwide broadcast of the IDEAL 2021 Championships on Fox Sport 2

This show will highlight the 142 finals competitors, who emerged from over 32,000 electricians participating in qualifying events, battling against each other in new and exciting electrical tasks – all to be named The Best Electrician in the Country. 
Our very own Chris Brieschke was the Champion of the Team Competition, alongside his partner Journeyman Will Barnett from IBEW Local 117.

The one-hour special will air on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) next Sunday, February 6th at 8:00am CST (9:00am EST) and again at 6:00pm CST (7:00pm EST).

Learn more about the competition and apprentice Chris Brieschke on Powering Chicago
The Westin Chicago Northwest
400 Park Blvd, Itasca, IL 60143
Cocktails: 6:00pm,
Dinner 7:00pm
Awards Ceremony and Dancing to follow.
Spouses and guests are welcome and encouraged to attend!
Auction Open 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm

Please join the Electric Association
to celebrate the
EGC Award Recipients...
 
JP Simons Award Winner:
Blue Kinander Kelly, Electri-Flex Company
 
President's Award Winner:
Jean Bradfield, J.P. Simons & Company

Contact Ali Novinger at anovinger@eachicago.org with any questions or changes to your reservation.  Reservation changes and cancellations will be accepted through February 4, 2022. Refunds are not guaranteed after this date.
 
March 2, 2022 - 5:00p.m. to 7:30p.m.
Harry Caray's Steakhouse, Lombard

The Young Professionals of ECA Chicago are very pleased to welcome NECA's Leadership to talk about the future of electrical contracting, and what the next generation of Owners, Executives, and Leaders need to be successful in the coming decade. Members will have the opportunity to ask questions and have an open dialogue in this Town Hall style meeting.

5:00p.m. - Networking 
6:00pm - Town Hall Meeting
7:30p.m. - Event Conclusion
* Beverages and heavy hors d'oeuvres provided.
 
This event is open to ECA Members and their employees. Please contact Carrie Spaeth, or the ECA office, with further questions.
Women in NECA / NECA Future Leaders Conference (WIN/FL) -
Registration is Open!
Please click on the link for Registration information for the Women in NECA / NECA Future Leaders (WIN / FL) Conference being held March 14 - 16, 2022 at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. Members are encouraged to arrive in Tampa March 13th.

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 WIN / FL Conference on March 14 – 16, 2022.
NECA Legislative Conference --
Registration Open: Stipend Available!
For the first time since 2019, the NECA National Legislative Conference is returning in-person this March 28–31 at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C. Join fellow contractors from around the country for updates on Congress, electrical industry priorities, NECA’s lobbying and fundraising efforts, and more. Attendees will also hear from top guest speakers, and get an opportunity to have their voices heard by those on Capitol Hill. The format of these visits will not be the same as in the past due to visitation restrictions.

SPECIAL STIPEND
The ECA Executive Committee has approved for all applicable ECA members that register and attend the Conference, the Registration Fee, Transportation cost and Hotel cost will be reimbursed to the company following applicable receipt(s) submittal after the Conference.
While NECA cannot guarantee all members will be a fit for every Peer Group, NECA is committed to create an opportunity for any NECA member that wants to join a Peer Group. NECA supports the formation of Peer Groups as a valuable opportunity for members to grow their businesses. NECA does not actively participate in Peer Groups. Completion of this survey does not obligate joining a Peer Group. Please direct any specific questions to Ian Andrews, Field Representative. Any member interested in joining a peer group should complete the survey (click link below).
NECA Peer Groups Information
-- Please Complete Interest Survey--
Peer Groups are a business group of companies that operate in the same industry sector and are of similar size but different geographical, non-competing markets. Participants in Peer Groups have an opportunity to share experiences and gain perspectives from individuals in the electrical construction industry that do not operate in the same geographic market; thus, enabling an environment for trust and the open exchange of ideas and information. NECA has relationships with three outside professional facilitators: Maxim ConsultingHopeStar LLC, and FMI, to offer a range of high quality options to best fit member firm’s needs.
CISCO Annual Scholarships Available
CISCO has begun to accept applications for its long-standing Annual Scholarship Awards Program. The applications for these different categories can be found on CISCO’s website/homepage at www.cisco.org. The three scholarship program categories are: 1) Four-year college scholarships for high school seniors; 2) Two-year awards for seniors planning on attending a community college; and 3) Two-year continuing education awards to union members or contractor employees. The deadline to submit the applications is Friday, February 18, 2022. Interested students may email the completed applications, or send in the mail. For more information, call CISCO at (630) 472-9411.
ECA Chicago's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training for Electrical Contractors: 2022 Programs will be announced soon!

On behalf of ECA's Diversity Committee, thank you to everyone who completed our program evaluation survey! Our Committee is reviewing your feedback and will soon announce the line up of training opportunities for 2022. Stay tuned!
CSC 2022 Training Calendar Update
Please click on the link for the Construction Safety Council (CSC) 2022 Training Calendar Update.
CSC - ASA Construction Expo & Safety Conference
March 7 - 8, 2022
Please click on the link below for registration discount information for the Construction Safety Council (CSC) - Association of Subcontractors and Affiliates (ASA) 2022 Construction Expo & Safety Conference being held on March 7 - 8, 2022 in Oakbrook, Terrace, IL.

Stipend Available:
The ECA Executive Committee approved the educational stipends of the Registration fees for up to two representatives of participating ECA member firms for the CSC / ASA Construction Expo. and Safety Conference on March 7 – 8, 2022.
NECA Safety Recognition Program / eSafetyline "Safety Minute"
NECA's Safety Recognition program include two categories, Safety Excellence, and the Zero-Injury Achievement. 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 associations 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.

The program opens on January 3, 2022 and will close on March 1, 2022.
  1. Applications received after March 1, 2022 will not be considered as program participants.
  2. Finalist applications will then be sent to district for review.
  3. Safety Excellence and Zero Injury plaques will be sent directly to winning companies and will be recognized at association national, chapter and district meetings including the NECA Safety Professionals Conference.
  4. Only one application submission is required to be entered for both recognition programs.
  5. NOTE: the username and password for the recognition website is separate from your NECAnet username and password. You must register as a new participant every year.

Click below to apply:

There Are Four Parts To The Selection Criteria:
  1. Incident Rates
  • Recordable Cases
  • Lost Workday
  • Non-Fatal Cases Without Lost Workdays
  • Fatalities
  1. Experience Modification Rate (EMR past 3 years documented)
  2. OSHA Citations
  3. Operations and Best Practices
Note: Frequency and severity rating are important, but the rates will not be the sole source for determining winners.
 Man-Hours Categories:
  • 1 to 25,000 man-hours
  • 25,001 to 50,000 man-hours
  • 50,001 to 100,000 man-hours
  • 100,001 to 150,000 man hours
  • Over 150,001 man-hours

January 3, 2022: program opens.
  • March 1, 2022: applications must be received, no late applications will be accepted. 
  • March 21, 2022: applications will be evaluated and finalists will be selected. 
  • April 18, 2022: NECA will post Recognition of Achievement recipients on the website. 
  • May 16, 2022: NECA Safety Professionals Conference Recognition. 
  • June 6, 2022: plaques and letters will be distributed.

Click on the link for more information:

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Wes Wheeler at 202-991-6284 or at Wesley.Wheeler@necanet.org.
Please click the link below for an eSafetyline "Safety Minute.":
Free Webinars through the Employee Assistance Program
Members are invited to take advantage of the free webinars through the Employee Assistance Program.

ECA Members may log-in to the interactive work/life web portal for information on a variety of topics. Webinars are available at any time of day and our mobile app allows employees to access services such as counseling and work life resources right from the palm of their hand.
NECA This Week (1/31/22)
Please click on the link for the current edition of "NECA THIS WEEK."
Winter SubStance Issue / IMSCA Legislative Reception
Please click the link for the Winter 2022 Issue of SubStance Magazine - brought to you by the Illinois Mechanical & Specialty Contractors Association (IMSCA).  Included in this issue is an article providing insight on the impact the newly approved legislative and congressional maps will have on the 2022 election cycle.  

Also, please register for the IMSCA Legislative Reception to be held on March 22, 2022. Please click the link for Registration information. If you have questions about this information, please feel free to contact IMSCA staff by calling 217-523-4361 or by email jnewbold@boldnewstrat.com
ECA Stipends Available for Upcoming Programs!
The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) Executive Committee has approved a number of educational stipends for many special programs / conferences throughout 2022. All stipends / reimbursements are made after each conference with registration confirmation(s) and applicable receipts forwarded to ECA. Please click the link for the stipend opportunities.
Follow ECA Chicago on Social Media!
LinkedIn Public Page
In Case you Missed It...
Woman Working From Home Having Group Videoconference On Laptop
Webinar recordings available online for ECA Members!
If you missed a meeting or webinar by ECA, you can now log-in to the website and view the program you missed. Many recordings are now available, and more will be added daily from webinars held over the past year. Go to www.ecachicago.com and under the "Industry Resources" pull down menu, select "Member Education and Webinar Recordings". You will be prompted to log-in, and then you are free to browse webinar recordings you may have missed. Please contact ECA with questions (708)531-0022.
COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR ECA MEMBERS:
Stay up to date on the latest changes for our Industry including news releases, legislation and Government mandates, workplace safety and preparation guidelines, OSHA alerts, and more that affect electrical contractors in Chicago and Cook County.
 
SAVE THE DATES


February 12, 2022
Westin, Itasca, IL
 
 
Carmine's Restaurant
Rosemont, IL
 
 
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Drake Oak Brook Hotel
Oak Brook, IL
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED!
 
 
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Harry Caray's Steakhouse
Lombard, IL
 
 
Thursday, March 3, 2022 -- NEW DATE!!!
Maggiano's Banquets
Oak Brook, IL
 
 
March 7 - 8, 2022
Drury Lane Conference Center
Oakbrook Terrace, IL
 
 
Maggiano's Banquets
Oak Brook, IL
 
March 11, 2022
Maggiano's Little Italy
Schaumburg, IL
 
 
March 11, 2022
Paddy's Day Luncheon
Chicago Hilton & Towers
Chicago, IL
 
 
March 13 - 16, 2022
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
Tampa, FL
 
 
March 22, 2022
Sangamo Club
Springfield, IL
 
 
March 28 - 31, 2022
Oriental Hotel
Washington, D.C.
 
 
April 4 - 9, 2022
Hotel Pullman Eiffel Tower
Paris, France
 

April 12, 2022
Drake Oak Brook Hotel
Oak Brook, IL
 
 
April 20, 2022
Truluck's Restaurant
Rosemont, IL
 
May 11, 2022
Mastro's Steakhouse Chicago, IL

May 12, 2022
Maggiano's Banquets
Oak Brook, IL