NECA EMERGE Conference
April 13 - 15, 2026 | | |
The NECA EMERGE Conference was held April 13–15, 2026 in Atlanta, GA. This marked the second time this groundbreaking conference took place. Designed to happen every other year, EMERGE was created to address the evolving ways NECA contractors do business. Nearly a dozen Chicago Chapter members were able to attend the Conference, as well as participate with a special Chapter Dinner event. We thank Rick Jamerson, President Emeritus, Jamerson & Bauwens Electrical Contractors, Inc. and Tim Moylan, Gurtz Electric Co. for their assistance with the Business Development Breakout Session, "Recognition That Works: Leveraging Project Excellence Awards for PR & Growth."
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
| | NECA 2026 Future Leaders is Open for Registration! | | |
The 2026 NECA Future Leaders Conference will be taking place on Monday, June 15, 2026 to Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA. This is your opportunity to sharpen your leadership edge, expand your influence, and bring real value back to your company.
Registration is officially open for the NECA Future Leaders Conference — NECA Future Leaders is committed to enhancing leadership skill through education, innovation, and collaboration. With access to Premier Partners and industry-leading companies you can learn from the best!
Stipend Availability
The Executive Committee approved the registration fees, transportation and accommodation costs for all attendees of the NECA Legislative Conference to be held May 4 - 6, 2026 in Washington, D.C.
Benefits of attending:
- Networking with similarly positioned peers within the electrical industry for a broader network across the country.
- Professional and technical skill development opportunities.
- Unrivaled access to tours of Premier Partners and contractor member shops.
- Emotional intelligence development for a stronger skillset during career advancement.
- Collaboration beyond traditional networking to navigate industry evolutions and becoming champions of change.
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The ability to take key education and ideas back to your company for immediate implementation leading to personal and company growth.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION / REGISTRATION
| | 2026 NECA Project Excellence Awards
Applications Now Open! | | |
The NECA Project Excellence Awards recognize the most outstanding electrical construction projects completed by NECA contractors across 13 market sectors.
Projects must have been completed in 2025 and may be submitted in one of 13 categories. You can submit multiple projects but only one project per category. Categories include:
Commercial/Institutional
Design-Build
Energy Solutions & Green Building
Health Care
Industrial
Transportation & Infrastructure
Electric Vehicle (EV)
Winners are honored on stage at NECA’s Annual Convention this October, placing your company in front of industry leaders, peers, and future partners!
Submission Deadline: July 13, 2026
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.
| NECA/ELECTRI Project Management Apprenticeship | |
NECA and ELECTRI International invite you to invest in your company’s future by sponsoring an employee in the NECA/ELECTRI Project Management Apprenticeship, a one-year, U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Program designed specifically for electrical contractors. This national apprenticeship program prepares aspiring project managers with the technical expertise, leadership skills, and business acumen needed to successfully manage complex electrical construction projects while they continue working full time.
CLICK BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION.
| | NECA 2026 Legislative Conference is Open for Registration! | | |
The 2026 NECA Legislative Conference will be taking place on Monday, May 4, 2026 to Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC. This conference is the premier event for electrical contractors to hear about the top legislative issues affecting the industry and meet the leaders who are working to provide real solutions.
Registration is officially open for the NECA Legislative Conference — the premier event for electrical contractors to hear directly about the legislative issues shaping our industry and to engage with the leaders working to deliver real solutions. Over three impactful days, attendees will participate in high-level interactions with policymakers at the highest levels of government, including members of Congress who will speak directly to conference participants. This conference allows NECA members to advocate on the issues that matter most to contractors!
NECA’s top legislative priorities for 2026 are aimed at:
- Surface Transportation Reauthorization
- Securing Prosperity Through Tax & Retainage Reform
- Greenlighting Growth with Transmission Permitting Reform
Stipend Availability
The Executive Committee approved the registration fees, transportation and accommodation costs for all attendees of the NECA Legislative Conference to be held May 4 - 6, 2026 in Washington, D.C.
Why attend?
Members of Congress
Get firsthand insight from members of Congress on the priorities of the 119th Congress and what proposed legislation could mean for contractors, job sites, and the future.
Congressional Meetings
Turn advocacy into action by participating in congressional meetings and engaging directly with elected officials on the issues that matter most to electrical contractors.
Networking Receptions
Enjoy networking receptions that bring NECA members together to connect, collaborate, and build relationships that last beyond the conference.
PLC After Party
Celebrate a day of advocacy done right and kick back with colleagues over a drink paired with something sweet. By invitation only.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION / REGISTRATION
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NECA Safety Professionals Conference
May 18 - 20, 2026
In a rapidly evolving regulatory and risk landscape, safety leaders need more than updates, they need strategy. The 2026 NECA Safety Professionals Conference (NSPC) is designed exclusively for safety experts who are committed to strengthening their company’s safety culture, improving compliance, and driving measurable results in the field.
If you’re ready to enhance your company’s safety standards and lead with confidence, NSPC is where you need to be on May 18-20 in Atlanta, GA!
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS / REGISTRATION INFORMATION!
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Advanced Executive Leadership Seminar (AELS)
May 31 - June 5, 2026
Duke University Campus, Durham, NC
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Now known as the Advanced Executive Leadership Seminar, CALS has been enhanced to provide a concentrated, high-impact learning experience for senior leaders in the electrical contracting industry. Providing focused executive-level education, this program is designed to strengthen strategic and operational skills through an immersive learning experience.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
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New Publications in the NECA Store
NECA has collected, analyzed and interpreted hundreds of data points, so our members can use these crucial reports to develop strategies, optimize processes, and improve decision-making, leading to better outcomes and a competitive advantage in the market.
CLICK HERE for the latest additions to thestore.
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Industry Alliance Network (IAN) Education Hub
Introducing the Industry Alliance Network (IAN) Education Hub, a central resource connecting members with top-tier training, professional development and certification programs from our Premier Partners and Ambassadors.
Why it matters: The Hub offers a unified platform for members to access high-quality educational content.
- Through NECA's partnerships with leading manufacturers and service providers, members gain access to specialized courses, technical training, and emerging technology insights
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NECA Business Development Information
NECA is updating its Business Development contact list for 2025! This list will be notified about Business Development resources, events and exclusive sessions. Please complete this short form and let NECA know the Business Development contact person(s) for your company.
Complete Business Development Contact List Form >>
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NECA: 125 Years, Spotlighting Acts of Service
As NECA prepares to celebrate its 125th anniversary, they are looking to honor the remarkable service projects by NECA members.
From organizing drives to volunteering at shelters to beautification projects, these acts exemplify the spirit of giving back. The ECA encourages members to share their story of service, regardless of the year of completion.
Complete the form linked below to submit your content for a chance to be featured before a NECA 2026 Las Vegas General Session.
CLICK HERE FOR SUBMISSION FORM.
NECA Gives Back - Tunnels to Towers 2026
In conjunction with NECA's 125th Anniversary, NECA is promoting the "Tunnels to Towers" Charity organization throughout the year. Please click the link below regarding the "Tunnels to Towers" effort.
CLICK HERE FOR TUNNEL TO TOWERS CONTRIBUTION INFORMATION.
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NECA Government Affairs
Please click the link for a recent update from NECA Government Affairs.
NECA Government Affairs 4/2/26
If you have any questions regarding the update, please reach out to NECA Government Affairs at: (202) 449-8418
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DOCUMENT CRUNCH
ECA Has Renewed for 2026
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The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) has renewed the Document Crunch service for the membership for 2026. Please review the information below and register for this unique service!
Document Crunch’s mission is to empower construction teams to confidently make informed decisions that reduce risk and deliver better project outcomes. Their AI Risk Reduction Platform is built specifically for construction and gives teams the power to review documents in seconds, guide decisions with best practices, and assist with on-the-job questions and tasks. Document Crunch and NECA/ELECTRI have partnered to offer an exclusive solution that enables those better project outcomes for your business.
Faster Reviews
CrunchAI greatly reduces contract review times, typically done in just a few minutes!
Unmatched Insight
Deep and thorough AI-driven analysis of your contract gives a holistic view, benchmarked against 12 common areas of risk for electrical contractors.
Top 12 Contract Issues for Trade Contractors:
1. Pay if Paid
2. Right to Stop Work
3. Consequential Damages
4. Liquidated Damages
5. Liability Caps
6. Indemnity
7. Delays
8. Subsurface Conditions
9. Hazardous Materials
10. Design Responsibility
11. Payment Terms
12. Material Price Escalation
Understand Major Issues
Generative AI summaries provide easy consumption and understanding. Quickly learn if the contract language meets NECA best practices.
Suggested Redlines
For issues that fall short of best practice, CrunchAI creates and suggests language alternatives to bring the contract up to standard.
ECA members, who sign up for the service have exclusive access to an ELECTRI-specific solution of Document Crunch that will assess your contracts and quickly identify these top 12 critical risk provisions within your contracts. As part of the ELECTRI Document Crunch partnership, the platform’s enhanced benchmarking service is available to you to understand your levels of risk related to your peers.
Document Crunch
Click Here for Demo Video
Sign Up for Access
Click Here for recent Update.
If any questions, please contact Miah Veselinovic, Document Crunch at: mveselinovic@documentcrunch.com.
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April Webinars
ELECTRI’s webinar series continues this month with Offsite Construction, Service & 70Brew, IT & Coffee, and our Council Room Session. If you haven’t joined us yet, these sessions have drawn strong participation from across the industry. We hope you’ll join us for these sessions or share the links with others in your company who may be interested.
Meeting times and registration links are listed below.
Best Practices in Offsite Construction - Emerge Recap and Lessons Learned - FRIDAY
On April 17th at 1:30PM eastern join us for a webinar focused on best practices in offsite construction, led by industry experts:
- Dan Radocay – Lighthouse Electric
- Mica Ashmore – Alterman
- Seth Liubakka – Baer Manufacturing
- Jeffery Adams – Rosendin Electric
📅 A Calendar invite will be sent to those registered for the series or you can connect through this link on the 17th.
📩 To receive future invitations, please sign up for the invitation list here
Service & 70Brew: Opportunity for Agreement
The April session will be held on the 21st at 3PM eastern.
📅 A Calendar invite will be sent to those registered for the series or you can connect through this link on the 21st.
📩 To receive future invitations, please sign up for the invitation list here.
Council Room Session: - Redefining Project Success: What Electrical Contractors Need to Measure in 2026
Join ELECTRI on April 23rd at 3PM eastern. The definition of a "successful project" for electrical contractors has quietly shifted over the past five to six years — but have our benchmarks kept up? Rising material volatility, evolving labor dynamics, increasingly complex project delivery methods, and tightening margins have introduced new layers of risk that many contractors still aren't tracking with the same rigor as traditional cost and schedule metrics.
This month's Council Room Session takes an honest look at what truly constitutes a successful project in 2026 and where the gaps are between what we measure and what's actually driving profitability — or quietly eroding it. We'll open with a brief framing of the issue before turning the conversation over to you. This is a peer-driven discussion, and we want to hear directly from contractors about what's changed on the ground, what risks are catching teams off guard, and where the industry needs better answers.
Your insights during this session will help shape the agenda for deeper exploration at our Summer Meeting in July, so come ready to share what you're seeing in the field.
Key Discussion Points:
- How should we define and measure "project success" today versus five or six years ago — and where have our metrics fallen behind the reality of the work?
- Hidden risk areas that have grown significantly but remain under addressed, including supply chain unpredictability, scope creep in technology-dense projects, and the true cost of workforce shortages on execution quality.
- Where and why profit margins have eroded over time, even on projects that appear successful by conventional standards.
- Open forum for participants to share firsthand experiences, emerging challenges, and strategies that are — or aren't — working for their teams right now.
- Identifying priority topics and unanswered questions to carry forward into our Summer Meeting conversation in July.
📅 A calendar held will be sent to the Council or you can connect through this link on the 23rd
IT & Coffee: Vendor Management
Join us on Tuesday, April 28th at 11AM eastern. This session will be led by Matt Lmab with Rosendin Electric.
📅 A Calendar invite was sent to those registered for the series or you can connect through this link on the 28th
📩 To receive future invitations, please sign up for the invitation list here
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Get Involved: Join a Task Force
We invite you to help shape the direction of these projects. Volunteer to serve on a research task force: Sign up here!
Lend Your Expertise: Participate in Surveys
ELECTRI needs contractor input to ensure our research is grounded in meaningful, real-world data. Take the surveys
Share Your Tools
PCA Researcher Deniz Besiktepe is developing resources to support onboarding and project planning. If you have sample onboarding guides or project checklists, please send them to denizb@purdue.edu.
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Share Your Insights on Jobsite Safety For a New Study
NECA is partnering with CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training and Dodge Construction Network on a new study focused on jobsite safety, and your input is essential. This survey will help track trends in safety practices across the U.S. construction industry. Please click the link below. Thank you for your participation!
CLICK HERE FOR NECA SAFETY SURVEY.
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