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Industry Events
RIC-RIT World Remanufacturing Conference
June 21-22, 2017
Rochester, NY 
2017 EASA Convention
June 25-27, 2017
Tampa, FL

Participating PEARL Technician Certification Program Companies
Advanced Electrical & Motor Control
Breaker Hunter, Inc.
Carolina Precision Switchgear, Inc.
Circuit Breaker Sales, Inc.
Civic Recycling & Equipment
Instel Power Products
National Switchgear
North American Switchgear, Inc.
Oregon Breakers, Inc.
Potomac Testing, Inc.
Quality Switchgear, Inc.
RG Industries
ROMAC
RS Electrical Supply, Inc.
Shermco Industries
South East Switchgear, LLC
Southland Electrical Services, Inc.
SouthWest Electrictech Services
Western Electrical Services, Inc.
WideSpread Electrical Sales, LLC
President's Corner
Welcome to PEARL's New Leadership
At the April conference, PEARL welcomed in its new leadership by appointing several new board members to help lead the organization in its mission to unite suppliers and to promote integrity and awareness for the industry. Howard Herndon, president of SouthWest Electritech Services, has been appointed as the new president of PEARL for a two-year term, succeeding Doug Powell. The full board now includes:

Howard Herndon - President
Dan Hook - Vice President
Joshua Rosenfield - Secretary
Bob Wrobel - Treasurer
Doug Powell - Past President
Michael Habeeb - Director
Don West - Director
Casey Blevins - Alternate Director
Stephen Reames - Alternate Director
Scott Vaughn - Alternate Director
Terry Wanamaker - Alternate Director

With the many updates and new initiatives PEARL has undergone and taken in the past year, the new board of directors is ready to continue to use this momentum to bring acceptance to the remanufacturing market and bring continued value to PEARL members. Things such as the launch of the second level of the Technician Certification Program, increased marketing exposure through press releases, and forward movement with the ANSI standard will help position PEARL as a leader in the industry and a partner to the community. 

PEARL's new leaders are encouraged and enthusiastic to continue to take the organization to the next level, and look forward to announcing more great things!
Electrical Industry News
Growing Movement Across Industry Sectors to Promote Remanufacturing
Remanufacturing is on the rise like never before as an officially recognized key industry of a greener future. In January, the U.S. government announced the game changing establishment of a public-private partnership in the $140 million REMADE Institute to research and develop remanufacturing. Within weeks, two further developments were designed to capitalize nationally and globally on this boost in momentum. Read more.

10 Little Known Facts about André-Marie Ampère
Almost everyone who works in the electrical industry knows the unit for measuring electric current is named in honor of  André-Marie Ampère, the person who discovered that a wire carrying electric current can attract or repel another wire next to it that's also carrying electric current. But there's so much more to know about him then electricity. Read more.

Reduce, Reuse, Repair
Video courtesy of EarthFixMedia via YouTube
Video courtesy of EarthFixMedia via YouTube
Thousands of tons of household goods enter local landfills each year, but many of those items can be reused. So Western Washington's King County is hosting free repair events to encourage residents. The program was inspired by local fix-it clinics like the Bellingham Repair Cafe and Portland's Fix-It Fairs. Repair clinics got their start in the Netherlands in 2009.

Workplace Electrical Safety Standard Up for Public Review
The new draft edition of CSA Z462 from CSA Group is now available for public review. This standard specifies requirements for workplace electrical safety necessary for the practical safeguarding of workers during activities such as the installation, removal, inspection, operation, maintenance, and demolition of electric conductors and electric equipment as well as work in proximity of energized electrical equipment. Read more.

Survey Shows 7 in 10 Electricians Concerned About Skills Gap
Klein Tools,  Lincolnshire, Ill., released the results of their annual State of the Industry survey on April 17. The survey, completed by 600 electricians (of whom 40 percent were union members and 60 percent were nonunion), highlights the industry's continued concerns over the scarcity of skilled workers (particularly younger workers).

Soft Starter 101: How Do They Work?
Motor damage takes place as a result of mechanical wear and tear and huge inrush currents. Typically, variable frequency drives (VFDs) help prevent wear and tear to mechanical components. VFDs slow starting and stopping of the drive train. A soft starter is a viable option if it is impossible to use a VFD with a motor. A soft starter minimizes the initial impact that a motor receives upon starting. The soft starter eases that impact once the operation stops.   Read more.
Leadership Corner
9 Ways to Retain and Reward Customers
In a time when competition  and pricing pressure affect the electrical industry, it's especially important to maintain and build your business by taking care of current customers.

Repeat business from loyal customers is a key revenue source and leads to referral business-the best marketing method. What's more, keeping current customers happy requires fewer resources than finding new ones.

Following are nine suggestions for retaining customers and rewarding them for their loyalty. Read more.
PEARL News
Reconditioned Electrical Equipment Now Included in the National Electrical Code®
Two significant code revisions recommended by the Professional Electrical Apparatus Reconditioning League (PEARL) were adopted for inclusion into the latest version of the National Electrical Code®, 2017 Edition (NEC®). These revisions represent the first time since its inception in 1897 that the NEC® makes reference to product condition, specifically allowing for reconditioned, remanufactured, and refurbished electrical product. Read more.

Newly-Branded Reconditioning Seals Now Available
The blue reconditioning seals with new branding are now available for full PEARL members. Please contact headquarters to exchange your current seals with the new ones. The green inspect and test seals, however, experienced some issues with the printer and have not yet arrived. They will be coming soon!

Welcome New PEARL Affiliate Member!
Woodstock Power Co.
Bala Cynwyd, PA

PEARL Board Meeting Scheduled for June 6
The PEARL Board of Directors welcomes you to join the June board meeting, Tuesday, June 6, 1pm-2:30pm ET. To join the call, please use the call-in details below. To receive the agenda and additional materials being reviewed, please email PEARL headquarters at pearl@pearl1.org to be included.

Dial: 866-210-1669
Participant Code: 936-3604#
PEARL Technician Certification Graduates
Level I Technicians
Congratulations to the following technicians who passed Level I of the PEARL Technician Certification Program!

Jordan Ramzy, Quality Switchgear, Inc.
Andrew Vatcher, The Electric Barn, Inc.
Ruben Reyes, ROMAC

Click here to learn more about how you or your technician can become PEARL certified.

Level II Technicians
Be one of the first graduates of the newly released Level II program! Full details and to apply can be found on the Technician Certification webpages.