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Industry Events
PowerTest
Feb. 26-March 2, 2018
Washington, D.C.
2018 PEARL Conference
April 12-15, 2018
Greenville, SC

Haunted Encounters of the Electrical Kind
Halloween is today, so as our treat to you, we've unearthed 10 scary stories based on allegedly true events and involving - what else? - electricity. Read more.
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
Electrical Industry News
Storm Season
As tropical storms of late summer strengthened one by one into major Atlantic hurricanes and three - Harvey, Irma and Maria - made landfall in the United States and its territories, the people of the electrical industry in the affected areas did what they do best. They battened down the hatches against the storms' fury and prepared themselves to respond to whatever damage the storms left behind. Devastating winds, torrential rains and historic floods have all come this season, and now the long process of restoration and recovery has begun.  Read more.

Goldman Says Marketing Not "Fully Appreciating" What's Sending Copper Higher, as it Ups Forecast
Goldman Sachs upped its target for copper prices based on the outlook for global growth and because the market now faces a potential deficit next year, not the surplus it and others previously forecast. Read more.

Strategy Analysis of Recycling and Remanufacturing by Remanufactureres in Closed-Loop Supply Chain
The paper investigates interactions in a two-period closed-loop supply chain consisting of a single manufacturer and a single remanufacturer. In the context of recycling and remanufacturing by the remanufacturer, the manufacturer and remanufacturer choose different production strategies. By comparing the costs, profits and equilibrium quantity of supply chain members in decentralized and centralized models, we focus on the conditions under which the remanufacturer chooses to sell the remanufactured products and compete with the manufacturer. Read more.

Training vs. Retaining: It Needn't be a Choice
Being careful with the budget is a core function of good managers. The training budget is no exception. Is your care because you are trying to get the most bang for your training buck? Or do you restrict training out of fear of losing trained employees? Read more.

To Bid or Not to Bid
As an electrical contractor, you must consider some important factors before choosing the best projects to bid on, the most important of which is to only bid work that has the potential to make a profit. Estimating time is expensive and valuable. Most estimating departments do not need estimating practice. So use your time wisely, and only select the best projects to bid. All contractors need work, but only work that is right for your company. Before deciding to bid a project, make sure the decision was made on principles that fit your company's capabilities. Read more.
Leadership Corner
The PEARL$AFE Leadership Corner is focused on professional and leadership development and ways to increase your business's internal effectiveness.  

10 Things Great Bosses Do Every Day
We've all heard the adage, "People don't leave bad jobs; they leave bad bosses." It makes great fodder for after-work gripe sessions, but is there really any data to back the claim up? As it turns out, there's a ton.

In one study, 61% of those working for bad bosses said they were looking for another job, while just 27% of those working for good bosses were considering alternate employment. And here's one that's really startling: 65% of people with bad bosses said they've sometimes misrepresented the truth at work, compared to only 19% of those with good bosses. Just as great bosses bring out the best in us, bad bosses bring out the worst.

Great bosses change us for the better. They see more in us than we see in ourselves, and they help us learn to see it too. They dream big and show us all the great things we can accomplish.  Read more.
PEARL News
PEARL Certifies its First Level II Technician!
Earlier this month, PEARL certified its first Level II technician, Tylor Pereza of SouthWest Electritech Services.  Open to all Level I Certified Technicians, this level is designed to measure competency at a Skilled or Journey level for more complex reconditioning tasks. Level II technicians can work independently and inspect, test, and perform reconditioning procedures, following PEARL and other industry standards, on a wide range of electrical power equipment. They can also accurately interpret equipment drawings, specifications, and electrical schematics at the component level as it relates to the PEARL reconditioning standards.

Congratulations to Tylor! To learn more about PEARL Technician Certification, click here.

PEARL Collateral Material Survey - Update
Earlier this month, PEARL conducted a survey on branded collateral materials to better understand member needs and how these materials would be used. This survey went out to the main contacts of all PEARL member companies. We appreciate the feedback we received and plan to use it soon. A congratulations goes out to the following people who were randomly chosen to receive a $50 Amazon gift card!

Sarah Baumann, Megger
Lucero Soriano, Halco Testing Services
Scott Wearmouth, Civic Recycling & Equipment

Sign Up to Receive Buy/Sell Requests!
With the launch of the new  PEARL Member Community, the buy/sell program, PEARL Link, has also migrated to the Community . This allows for more members to receive these buy/sell notifications and to expand on business transactions. Get started today! A FAQ document has been created to help familiarize you with the Community and some of the basic features. A recorded demonstration of the Member's Only area and the Community can also be viewed to provide further step-by-step guidance.

2018 PEARL Membership Dues Coming Soon
With only two months left in 2017, dues notices will be coming out in the first part of November for 2018. These notices will be first mailed to the primary contact of the PEARL member company, with subsequent email reminders to follow. PEARL members who do not renew by March 1, 2018 will be considered deactivated.

PEARL Board Meeting Scheduled for November 1
The PEARL Board of Directors welcomes you to join the November board meeting, Wednesday, November 1, 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  [email protected]  to be included.  

Dial: 866-210-1669
Participant Code: 936-3604#
PEARL Technician Certification
Level I Technicians
Click here to learn more about how you or your technician can become PEARL certified.

Level II Technicians
Congratulations to our first Level II Technician!

Tylor Pereza, SouthWest Electritech Services

Learning more about how  to apply can be found on the Technician Certification webpages .

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Sent by: Andrew Van Wasshnova, General Manager
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