All The Latest News from NECA
NECA’s phone system is currently down — if you need immediate assistance, or need to make a request to convention staff, please contact Katie (katie@necanet.org) or Beth (eie@necanet.org) via email. We will publish an immediate update when our phone system is back up and running. We apologize for any inconvenience — thank you for your patience.
Another reason to be excited about visiting San Diego for NECA’s 2011 Convention and Trade Show in October:
“Founded [in 1920] when the total San Diego County population was 112,000, the Electricians [in IBEW Local Union 569] have played an integral part in the development, construction and maintenance of major buildings and attractions, iconic landmarks, manufacturing and retail centers, schools, hospitals and homes … As you visit downtown, you can see IBEW members at work on the new Downtown Library — creating a state-of-the-art facility. And at the Convention Center, IBEW members, along with other Building Trades craftsmen and women, work on every tradeshow that comes to town.”
The above is quoted from an article in the June 29, 2011, edition of The Daily Transcript, which publishes San Diego business news. It was written by Tom Lemmon, the business manager of the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council AFL-CIO. READ More about the NECA/IBEW San Diego project on NECA’s website>>
In response to the anticipated demand for electrical workers, the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for the Electrical Industry (NJATC) and Thomas & Betts Corporation have agreed to develop a joint national apprentice-training program. The agreement also establishes a framework for all Thomas & Betts (T&B) programs and initiatives serving the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), for which the NJATC is the national training organization, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the NJATC itself.
Read more on NECA’s website >>
The 2010 NECA national award winners were recognized at Tuesday, Oct. 5’s closing general session. Award winners are listed below. Convention-goers also heard from NECA CEO John Grau and ELECTRI Council Chairman Mike Mazzeo. Paul Anthony, the “Voice of NECA” and general session emcee, was also recognized for his tenth appearance at NECA’s annual convention.
Former soldier and acclaimed author Michael Durant offered the event’s keynote speech. He walked the audience step-by-step through the catastrophe that changed his life 17 years ago when the Blackhawk helicopter he was piloting crashed in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Durant shared the insight about how small missteps and miscalculations can lead to great tragedies. He compared the U.S. volunteer armed services to the training and preparation performed by NECA contractors.
“When facing a tough task, practice is all the more important,” Durant said. “Dangerous things should never become routine, but they must be practices to avoid that potentially fatal hesitation – something the workers in your industry can understand.
“There’s a window of opportunity in everything we do,” he concluded. “But we should never sacrifice our credibility to go through that window. It’s a precious asset. I know you see that in your work.”
2010 NECA Award Winners
• 2010 Coggeshall Award ~ Howard D. Hughes
• 2010 Comstock Award ~ John Negro
• 2010 McGraw Award ~ Jonathan “Russ” Borden
• 2010 Association Executive Distinguished Service Award ~ James Willson, Los Angeles County Chapter
• 2010 Wendt Award for Exemplary Leadership and Service to the Electrical Industry ~ Michael Mazzeo
The 2010 NECA Show, featuring over 250 exhibitors with products and services specifically for electrical contractors, opened today immediately following the Opening General Session. The 103rd Electricians Pipe and Drum Band, sponsored by Helmets to Hardhats, led the crowd, and thousands of attendees flooded the halls to see the latest and greatest.
We know it’s going to be tough to see everything in one day. That’s why the NECA Show is open for three full days, to allow Show-goers enough time to meet the vendors and try out the products.
Exhibitors are also sponsoring a ton of giveaways on the Show floor, and the easiest way to keep track of everything is by following NECA Convention on Twitter, www.twitter.com/NECAConvention. Ginger Wilson is tweeting some of the exhibitors that catch her eye there, and she gets the first scope on cool prize giveaways at the booths, but you need to be on Twitter first! Once there, use the hashtag #NECA10 with your NECA 2010 Boston tweets.
Technical workshops will be going out during the NECA Show as well, so it’s a good idea to plan your schedule in advance. Don’t forget the new Showstopper Showcase that combines ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR’s Showstopper Awards with the NECA Show’s New and Featured Product Room. It’s a great chance to browse new items and updated services at your convenience, and follow up one-on-one with the exhibitors at the Show.
For the first time, the NECA Convention Store with its special NECA 2010 Boston gear and the COMPLETE library of NECA publications, plus this year’s commemorative gift, will be located on the NECA Show floor, right next to NECA’s main booth. We’re excited to be bringing so much good stuff to Boston, and we hope the new centralizing location will make it easier for you to get all your NECA information and materials.
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The opening reception for NECA 2010 Boston will get your NECA team spirit going for a fun-filled, entertainment-packed evening at Jillian’s-a great location with a great view of all the action at Fenway Park, on a night one of the greatest rivalries in baseball play out as the Red Sox host the Yankees! Join celebrity chef Bill Starbuck as he creates gourmet stations serving upscale hors d’oeuvres and tailgating fare, along with great cocktails and local beers that put Boston on the culinary map! Explore three floors of amazing entertainment, fun and games! Dance the night away to live bands or enjoy an exclusive club vibe with a great DJ. Jillian’s also offers more excitement, with eighteen lanes of bowling, more than 40 billiards tables and live sports on the bank of TVs at the bar. And the fun doesn’t stop there! Take a break from the action on one of the only rooftop lounges in Boston that overlooks the Green Monster in Fenway Park. Have a hand-rolled cigar and enjoy the exclusive view of the Boston skyline. See what your future has in store when you meet with a fortune teller. Remember the evening with a portrait from a local caricaturist. With something new on every floor, A Grand-Slam Night Out promises to be one of NECA’s best parties ever! |
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First of all, congratulations to you for taking advantage of NECA 2010 Boston’s pre-convention workshops. (We start them on Friday, Oct. 1 so folks attending the Oct. 2 Board of Governors meeting can participate, too.)
Second, you can add pre-convention workshops and tours to your existing registration online or call Katie at 301-215-4506 for help.
If you want to make the changes to your registration online, follow these steps:
1. Click on “Attendee Registration” at the top of the NECA 2010 Boston website.
2. Select “I know my username and password.” When prompted, enter your username and password if you are not already logged into the site.
3. The NECA 2010 Boston registration will display. Select “Review Your Registration” at the top of the page.
4. Your registration will display. Select “Would you like to update your registration?” from the top of the page.
5. Scroll down and select “Update Event Tickets” from “Registrant Events.” From here, you can enter the number of tickets you need for a pre-convention workshop.
6. Click “Update” at the bottom of the page. You are now registered for a pre-convention workshop!
Did you catch the season premier of Hell’s Kitchen? Then you saw one of our Lifestyle session leaders Chef Jay Santos in action! Santos will join his mentor Chef Andy Husbands, owner of Boston hot-spots, Tremont 647 and Sister Sorel and another Hell’s Kitchen alum, for a Wicked Good Chowda Smackdown for lifestyle session participants – some of whom will be asked to serve as kitchen helpers!
Stay out of this kitchen if you can’t take the heat these two friendly rivals can dish out – or better yet, join us for what’s guaranteed to be the best chowder cooking in Boston!
Learn more about the Wicked Good Chowda Smackdown!
