LiveWire
December 2020
Upcoming Events
January 13, 2021
ECA Regular Membership Meeting
Alex Willis, Leadership Surge
Registration Information
to follow, soon.
Greetings!

Please review this month's LiveWire newsletter. We hope you enjoy the local and national industry updates. As a reminder, every Monday we send an e-mail to the membership concerning upcoming events and every Thursday, we send an Industry Update e-mail. Also, we invite you to join us on Facebook and LinkedIn!   
January 20 - 22, 2021
ELECTRI Conference 
Virtual Conference


January 25 - 27, 2021
NECA-IBEW Employee Benefits
Virtual Conference


March 8 - 12, 2021
NECA WINFL Conference
Tampa, FL

November Membership Meeting
The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) October Membership Meeting was held on Tuesday, November 17, 2020. The program was a VIRTUAL session and featured industry updates, and featured Robert Hoxie, Chief Development Officer (CDO), City of Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA). Commissioner Jamie Rhee was unavailable for the meeting.
Pictured above is Robert Hoxie, Chief Development Officer (CDO), City of Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA).
Quick Links
 
(The collective bargaining agreements, industry statistics, among other industry information is available on the website.
No log-in is required.)

 
ECA Educational Programming
The ECA Research and Education Committee held its final program for the year as a virtual session. The 2021 Education Schedule is currently being developed.

"How to Design Your Company's Internal Processes for Maximizing Profitability" - 11/12/2020

The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) Research and Education Committee recently held a webinar called, "How to Design Your Company's Internal Processes for Maximizing Profitability." The event was arranged in lieu of an “in-person” program from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm on Thursday, November 12, 2020. The seminar was conducted by Dr. Heather Moore; MCA, Inc. and assisted by Sonja Danesghari, MCA, Inc.
Pictured above at the start of the webinar are the presenters
(lower portion of picture from left to right):
Dr. Heather Moore and Ms. Sonja Danesghari, MCA, Inc.
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The ECA is on Facebook:

The ECA is on Linked-in:
Chicago Christmas Tree Lighting
Powering Chicago was able to be a Presenting Sponsor in regard to the official City of Chicago Christmas tree lighting ceremony that was held on November 19, 2020. The official Christmas tree stands in Millennium Park – a 45-foot Blue Spruce with 65,000 lights extending up to 4.7 miles of Christmas lights. Similar to year’s past, this year’s tree was lit by Powering Chicago, through its partner contractors and union electricians. A special thanks goes to ECA member, All Tech Energy for lighting this year’s tree! Also, we wish to thank Rick Jamerson, ECA President, Jamerson & Bauwens Electrical Contractors, Inc. and Don Finn, Local #134 Business Manager for helping Powering Chicago introduce the lighting ceremony!
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The ECA is on Facebook:

The ECA is on Linked-in:
Powering Chicago's "Holidays Campaign!"
Powering Chicago Kicks Off Holiday Lights Campaign with Giving Tuesday Donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana 
Chicagoland residents are asked to post a photo of their holiday lights using the #HolidayLightsChi and #PoweringChicago hashtags on Facebook

Powering Chicago, the voice of Chicago's unionized electrical industry, announced today a $10,000 donation to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana (RMHC-CNI) in honor of Giving Tuesday. The impact of the donation will be doubled thanks to a dollar-for-dollar matching gift by a RMHC-CNI funder, helping RMHC-CNI provide accommodations and support to families who are guests at a Ronald McDonald House this holiday season while their child is hospitalized.

The donation also marks the launch of the Powering Chicago’s Holidays campaign, which asks Chicagoland residents to post photos of their holiday light displays. Submitted photos will be collected and shared with families staying at Chicago area Ronald McDonald Houses, lighting up their holiday season throughout the month of December. To accomplish this, photos submitted by Chicagoans will be selected to be displayed on digital boards at each of the five Ronald McDonald Houses in metro Chicago, which enable families to remain together for the duration of the child’s hospitalization.
 
To participate in the campaign and share a holiday lighting display with Powering Chicago, Chicagoland residents are asked to take a compelling photo of their holiday lights displays - whether inside or outside their home - and post it on their Facebook page as a public post with the #HolidayLightsChi and #PoweringChicago hashtags. Through December 21, submitted photos will be selected at random to be displayed in Ronald McDonald Houses in the City of Chicago and suburban Cook County. Powering Chicago will post regular updates throughout the campaign, and those who submit photos are encouraged to follow the Powering Chicago Facebook page to see whether their holiday lights display is selected to help light the way for families as part of a digital display in a Ronald McDonald House.
 
You can visit the Powering Chicago website for further details.
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The ECA is on Facebook:

The ECA is on Linked-in:
NECA 2020 LIVE!
As you are aware, the NECA 2020 LIVE (virtual Convention) was held October 5 – 8, 2020. The event encompassed the many aspects of a premier Convention & Trade Show the industry expects.  Over 350 individuals from all of our Chicago & Cook County Chapter members were registered for this event! The NECA 2020 LIVE was sponsored by Powering Chicago!  The registered attendees can review the Convention programming until December 31, 2020!
Electrical Contractors' Association
of City of Chicago (ECA)
Chicago & Cook County Chapter, NECA
Five Westbrook Corporate Center
Suite #940
Westchester, Illinois 60154
Phone: (708) 531-0022
Fax: (708) 531-0071
NECA / GoCanvas -- KPI
The construction industry is changing and the importance of good data is greater than ever before. NECA has entered a strategic alliance with GoCanvas to meet NECA contractor's data tracking needs and ultimately help mitigate risk. Through the GoCanvas and NECA Strategic Alliance, NECA members can streamline their day-to-day operations and focus on what they do best.

WHAT IS NECA OFFERING?
NECA Attendance Tracking - NECA contractors can track attendance on work sites and projects in just a few seconds each day and see how they benchmark against other contractors in their region and nationally. Access to the attendance tracking KPI is completely free to NECA members.

GoCanvas Safety Management Toolkit and Much More - NECA contractors can harnesses the power of digital process automation for everything from work orders to timecards. NECA members receive an exclusive discount on the GoCanvas solution. NECA members can get started by visiting the KPI landing page below and filling out the form with their information. 


Over 80% of the decisions made in the field and back office have little to no oversight which limits contractors’ ability to measure successes and failures. The future of construction will be based on data and clearly defined Key Performance Indicators (KPI). 
Check out the video above to learn about what the
KPI Initiative has to offer.
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CISCO Project of the Year Award
-Deadline: December 4, 2020
CISCO’S Project of the Year Award is kicking off its 16th year of accepting applications for some of the best construction projects of the past 18 months. (June 2019 – December 2020).The award gives general contractors, owners, engineers and architects a chance to submit projects in six different categories that include the areas of new construction, renovation/rehabilitation, residential construction and infrastructure.The deadline for applications is 5:00 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, 2020. To download the application form, click here. For more information, contact Gary Karafiat, Director of Communications & Public Affairs at 630.472.9411 or via email: gary@cisco.org.












CISCO Scholarships Available
As a reminder, the Construction Industry Service Corporation (CISCO) has begun to accept applications for its long-standing Annual Scholarship Awards Program. Applications for for this program are available by clicking on one of the three types of scholarship awards below. 

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.

For more information or questions, please contact CISCO at (630) 472-9411.
CEAEF Scholarships Available
The Electric Association scholarship is awarded annually to a lineal descendant of an EA member, and is based on academic and personal achievements. Preference may be given to a student enrolling in a degree program that will lead to a career in the electrical industry. All ECA member firms are EA members.

It is anticipated that the following Chicagoland Electric Association Education Foundation (CEAEF) Scholarships (below) are to open soon for application for the 2021 Academic Year:

  • 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)

Please visit the Electric Association website at www.eachicago.org for application information.
CBC Merit Awards
-Entry Deadline is 1/15/21

The Chicago Building Conference (CBC) has opened up their Merit Awards application process for 2021 for both CBC members and non-CBC members. The CBC 2021 Merit Awards competition recognizes the most outstanding construction projects from the past three years in the Chicagoland area. Entry deadline is January 21, 2021. Project Details deadline is February 9, 2021 (projects must be completed by December 31, 2020.

NECA IIT Student Chapter
The Chicago & Cook County Chapter, NECA’s Student Committee sponsored a NECA-IIT Student Chapter meeting on Thursday, November 19, 2020. The Student Committee thanks Mr. John Bone, ELECTRI International Director as the guest presenter. His topic was “Innovative Technologies Impacting the Electrical Construction Industry.”  

Topic areas included the following:
  • Changes in the industry impacting design and construction;
  • Project Delivery Methods;
  • KPI;
  • Work Diversification;
  • Overall costs of a building in construction;
  • Impact of LED / Sanitizing LED Lights;
  • Various energy monitoring apps;
  • The concept of digital electricity;
  • Microgrid systems;
  • Lighting controls;
  • Building Automation Systems;
  • Emerging Technology, among other areas.

We thank Josh for his presentation, as it offered the students valuable insight into so many areas.

2021 NECA/ELECTRI Student Competition
NECA and ELECTRI have revised the Student Competition for 2021. The students are to design a new Residence Hall. The students will lean more about the competition in December, as the competition begins in January 2021. We wish the students the best of luck with the new competition!
Safety Update
-CSC December Schedule
For a listing of coursework available through the Construction Safety Council (CSC) for the month of December, please visit:  www.buildsafe.org. 
Industry Statistics
Stay on top of monthly data for our industry: number of contractors active, quantity of people employed and total hours worked.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT!
Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
Must Be Completed by December 31, 2020!
 
IDHR Illinois Sexual Harassment Training Guidelines
As you are aware, Senate Bill 75, Public Act 101-0221 was signed into law by Governor Pritzker in August 2019. Under this Act, Illinois employers are required to train employees on sexual harassment prevention by December 31, 2020, and on an annual basis thereafter. This requirement applies to all employers with employees working in this State. Employers must either develop their own sexual harassment prevention training program that equals or exceeds the minimum standards (link below) for sexual harassment prevention training outlined in Section 2-109(B) of the Illinois Human Rights Act, or they may use the model training provided by the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR). The IDHR has a model sexual harassment prevention training that can be used by Illinois employers. The model training program can be downloaded by clicking the link below. The training can be downloaded as a PowerPoint presentation or alternatively, it can be downloaded in a PDF format. Additional resources, guidance and Frequently Asked Questions can also be found by visiting the website.