LiveWire
February 2022
Upcoming Events
ECA Regular Membership Meeting
Carmine's Restaurant
Rosemont, IL
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!   
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Presented by Mark Federle, PhD., P.E., CPC; Marquette University
Drake Oak Brook Hotel
Oak Brook, IL
800 am - 4:00 pm
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
Oakbrook Terrace, IL


ECA Regular Membership Meeting
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

March 14 - 16, 2022
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
Tampa, FL

March 28 - 31, 2022
Oriental Hotel
Washington, D.C.
  
April 4 - 9, 2022
Hotel Pullman Eiffel Tower
Paris, France
"Effective Client Communication" Seminar - Jan. 13, 2022

The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) Research and Education Committee was pleased to have presented a webinar called, "Effective Client Communication." The seminar was conducted by David Ashcraft, Advantage Learning Systems. The program was held on Thursday, January 13, 2022 from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm. at the Drake Oak Brook Hotel.

Pictured is David Ashcraft,
Advantage Learning Systems
"Mentorship: Quit Talking About It and Do It" Seminar - Jan. 26, 2022

The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) Research and Education Committee was also pleased to have presented a seminar called, "Mentorship, Quit Talking About It and Do It." The seminar was conducted by Nic Bittle, Workforce Pros. The program was held on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. at the Drake Oak Brook Hotel.

Pictured above is Nic Bittle, Workforce Pro.
April 12, 2022
Drake Oak Brook Hotel
Oak Brook, IL
 
 
April 20, 2022
Truluck's Restaurant
Rosemont, IL
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The ECA is on Facebook:
The ECA is on Linkedin:
Registration is open for the ECA Membership Meeting - Wednesday,
February 16, 2022
 
Please join us for the ECA Regular Membership Meeting.

Please join us for the ECA Regular Membership Meeting.
The luncheon program will feature industry updates, and a guest presentation from James Farrell, NECA Government Affairs Executive Director. We hope that you will be able to attend and learn more about the activities planned for NECA's Legislative Conference, as well as an update on NECA's Government Affairs efforts.
 
This luncheon event is scheduled as follows:
ECA Membership Meeting
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Carmine's Restaurant
9850 Berwyn Avenue
Rosemont, IL

Registration / Networking: 12:00 pm
Lunch: 12:30 pm
Business Session: 1:15 pm
Event Concludes: 2:00 pm
James Farrell,
NECA Government Affairs Executive Director
REMINDER!!
Stipends for Upcoming Events!

ECA Educational / Conference Stipends for 2022
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.
 
Listed below are the stipend opportunities:
 
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 Safety Conference EXPO on March 7 – 8, 2022.
 
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 13 – 16, 2022.
 
The ECA Executive Committee approved the educational stipends of the Registration Fee, Transportation costs and Hotel costs for each attending ECA member for the NECA Legislative Conference on March 28 – 31, 2022.
 
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 Safety Professionals Conference on May 16 – 18, 2022.
 
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 Midwestern Region Conference on June 11 – 15, 2022.
 
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 Convention on October 15 – 18, 2022 in Austin, TX.
CISCO Updates
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.
CISCO Annual Meeting (March 11, 2022)
The Construction Industry Service Corporation (CISCO) will be holding their Annual Meeting on Friday, March 11, 2022 at Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant, 1901 E. Woodfield Road in Schaumburg, IL. The event is to feature the presentation of the CISCO’s Pride in Construction Awards. In addition to the awards, two individuals and one entity are to be recognized as Educator of the Year, Public Body of the Year and Labor Advocate of the Year. Three of the six project winners included two ECA member firms and another NECA member firm. 

These are the project winners with the ECA / NECA members highlighted:

·        New Construction - Chicago (+$20m): Midway Security Checkpoint Expansion; GC - F.H. Paschen; Cook County.

·        New Construction - Suburbs (+ $20m): Forester Hotel; GC - William A. Randolph; Lake County.
·        New Construction - City/Suburbs (Under $20m): Kane County Multi-Use Facility; GC - R.C. Wegman; Kane County. Kane Co. facility – Scheffler Electric (NECA member)

·        I-294 Mile Long Bridge; GC - F. H. Paschen; Cook County. -- John Burns Construction (ECA)

·        Queen Bee School District Additions/Renovations; GC - Riley Construction; DuPage County.

·        Residential: Westerly; GC - James McHugh Construction; Cook County. – Aldridge Electric, Inc. (ECA)

Congratulations to all the award winners! 

We hope you register, soon, for this event. Please click the link below for the CISCO website.
IMSCA Legislative Reception
IMSCA’s next Board and Membership Meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 22nd from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Sangamo Club in Springfield, IL. Our board and membership meeting will be held the same day prior to IMSCA’s 2022 Legislative Reception from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Sangamo Club. This event will be co-hosted with the Illinois Construction Industry Committee. All IMSCA members are encouraged to attend this important event to discuss issues important to the Illinois construction industry with your legislators. Please click on the link for the 2022 Legislative Reception registration form. Please return the registration form by email to [email protected]. The deadline to register for the reception is Friday, March 11, 2022. All Legislative Reception attendees are invited and welcome to attend IMSCA’s Board and Membership meeting earlier in the day.

If any questions, please contact Jessica Newbold Hoselton, Executive Director, Illinois Mechanical & Specialty Contractors Association (IMSCA) at (217) 523-4361.
NECA IIT Student Chapter Update
 
The ECA Student Committee would like to thank, Mike Meyer, Project Manager for ECA member firm, Continental Electrical Construction Company. Mr. Meyer also serves on the ECA Student Committee. He was able to give a presentation to the NECA IIT Student Chapter via Blackboard (video conference) during a virtual IIT IPRO class / Student Chapter session on Thursday, January 27, 2022. The topic was “Aspects of a Bid Proposal.”  As of this writing, Mike Block, Vice President, Block Electric Company, Inc. will also make a presentation for the students on February 3, 2022. Mr. Block also serves on the ECA Student Committee. Mike will also discuss Bid Proposals / Presentations to Clients to assist the students working on the Electrical Contracting Innovation Challenge. This year’s challenge focuses on a design / build electrical system for a new university center.
 
Mr. Meyer discussed a number of issues that focused on the various aspects of a Bid Proposal, including the following:
 
- Client submits the Bid Manual, Bid forms, drawings, etc.
 
· The object is to communicate to the customer all that
is covered.
 
·  He reviewed a sample scope letter.

Scope areas can include:
-  Lighting, Lighting Controls,
-  Distribution, Substations,
- Owner Furnished Contractor Installed (OFCI) items,
- Feeders, Busways, Grounding, Lightning Protection,
- Fire Alarm, Tele/Data, Security,
- NETA Acceptance Testing, among other areas.
 
Qualifications must be clarified ----
Getting on the same page with the Customer:
-  Expectations set, obligations clarified;
- Overtime aspects, tax clarification -
- items not included / specific exclusions;
- LEED compliance;
- Commodity pricing at time of Bid;
- Pricing breakdowns, labor and materials;
- The students can emphasize past efforts, and
history of experience in Statement of Qualifications;
- Resumes needed, technical and engineering
capabilities can be acknowledged;
- Be very descriptive and thorough; organizational
chart, project schedule can be included;
-  Again, communication is crucial.

We thank Mike Meyer and Mike Block for their time with the students! The students look forward to continue working on the ECIC 2022!
Pictured above is Mike Meyer, ECA Student Committee member, Project Manager, Continental Electrical Construction Company.
Pictured above is Mike Block, ECA Student Committee member,
Vice President, Block Electric Company, Inc.
Safety Update
CSC Update
For a listing of coursework available through the Construction Safety Council (CSC) for the month of February 2022, please visit:  www.buildsafe.org.

CSC - ASA Construction Expo. & Safety Conference
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
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. Registration closes on March 1, 2022!


Industry Statistics
Stay on top of monthly data for our industry: number of contractors active, quantity of people employed and total hours worked.
100 Anniversary Milestone for Two ECA Member Firms!
McWilliams Electric Company, Inc.
Taylor Electric Company
The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) congratulates member firm, McWilliams Electric Company, Inc., as it celebrates 100 years in the industry! We wish Jim McGlynn, Sr. Scott Swayze, Jerry McGlynn and all of the staff at McWilliams Electric Company, Inc. many more years of success in the industry!

Here is a recent message from McWilliams Electric Company, Inc. on reaching this unique milestone:

Here at McWilliams, our team has been proud to serve our customers since 1922 with complete satisfaction before, during and after each project. Over the years, our innovative team has evolved our installation methods to meet the needs of each project, site and client. Here is to 100 years of quality service and many more!

Thank you all for the continuing support it would not be possible without any of you. 

To Our Employees,
You all deserve a big round of applause for all your hard work and unconditional dedication. You are the proudest and most valued employees because without you, nothing would have been possible.

To Our Customers and Suppliers
You are not just our partners, you are the assets that we value most. We are proud to have you with us on this journey. We want you to know that your trust and support has always been the biggest drive for our continued growth!


CLICK ON THE LOGOS FOR THEIR WEBSITES!
The ECA also congratulates Taylor Electric Company for celebrating 100 years! We wish Kendra and Karen Dinkins, Bryan Taylor and all of the staff at Taylor Electric Company much continued success!

Here is a brief message from Taylor Electric regarding its history in the industry:

Taylor Electric Company was founded in 1922 by Sam Taylor, with his son Rufus Taylor joining the company in 1958 and later assuming the role of president. Throughout our history, we have been honored to provide services for many types of projects. Initially, we focused on smaller and mid-size jobs in the commercial and industrial sectors. Our many early successes positioned us over the years to bid on larger projects, including internationally recognized architectural landmarks. Now we are focused increasingly on vertical commercial and residential/hospitality projects, along with facilities maintenance of large-scale venues with complex electrical components.

Sam Taylor believed in himself and the people he hired and trained. He also believed that a man’s word was his bond and that it was not even necessary to sign a contract to do electrical work. It was he who first associated the words “A Name You Can Trust” Taylor Electric Company. Rufus Taylor carried on his father’s tradition of trust, escalated the company’s growth, and began contracting with major companies to provide electrical services for new construction and the rehabilitation of multi-unit residential and special-use facilities. Leading the current expansion of Taylor Electric Company is the fourth generation of Taylor family members. Their strong work ethic and commitment to the company’s ongoing success carries on the family’s reputation for integrity and innovation.