NECA Blog

All The Latest News from NECA

Oct 01

“Prison doesn’t work for everyone, but it worked for me:” Chef Jeff at Lifestyle Session

“Prison doesn’t work for everyone,” Chef Jeff Henderson likes to say. “But it worked for me.” Henderson shared his inspirational story during the Lifestyle Session on Monday morning at NECA 2012 Las Vegas to about 200 people.

Born in Los Angeles to a single mother, Henderson was a drug dealer and went to prison at the age of 24. It was while he was sulking away in prison that his true calling in life was revealed to him. It wasn’t on the streets – it was in the kitchen.

“I discovered my gift in prison … once you know who you are, you can become anything you want to be,” he said.

His talk, a high-energy mix of inspiration and business principles, emphasized the realizing the power of potential. Henderson is undoubtedly a commanding presence and was alternately funny and poignant in his portrayal of a life, once lost, and now found.


Henderson is a best-selling author and continues to cook as the star of “The Chef Jeff Project” on Food Network. But he isn’t only passionate about food; he’s passionate about reaching out to young people who might be facing the same issues he did. He knows that he can help them out – because he was them.

“I’m not going to (play) the victim card,” he said. “I don’t justify my poor decisions because I grew up poor. I grew up with a dream.”

Watch Chef Jeff Henderson at 2012 Lifestyle

Sep 30

Youngstown State University Takes Top Prize at 2012 Green Energy Challenge

Students from Youngstown State University took top prize at the fourth annual Green Energy Challenge, sponsored by the National Electrical Contractors Association and ELECTRI International – The Foundation for Electrical Construction.


Winners were announced from the four  finalist teams following team project presentations at the conclusion of NECA’s Energy Forum on Saturday, Sept. 29. Youngstown came in second at last year’s competition, and the students were thrilled by their first win.

The University of Washington team came in second, and Iowa State University was third. Georgia Tech came in fourth. This was the first year four teams were included in the finalists’ presentations. Christian McCuen from the University of Washington was recognized as Best Presenter. The winners were announced at the annual NECA Student Chapter Summit on Sunday, Sept. 30.

For the 2012 Challenge, teams selected a facility on their campus, conducted an energy audit of the building’s power and lighting systems, and designed and proposed a retrofit for both systems. Teams were encouraged to use NECAWORKS in their proposals.

Finalist proposals can be viewed online.

Congratulations to Youngstown State University and their NECA chapter affiliate, Mahoning Valley Chapter, NECA!

 

Sep 30

Action and Accomplishment: NECA President Dennis Quebe’s Goals

Following a video-recorded welcome by U.S. Senator Dean Heller of Nevada, NECA President Dennis Quebe took the stage to open Sunday’s General Session. He described his travels over the past nine months, saying he “found the whole process exciting, frustrating, and stimulating all at the same time.

“NECA has been working hard make labor agreements more competitive, government more responsive, and to find new market opportunities for all of us,” Quebe said. He emphasized the need to move beyond discussion by characterizing the theme of his presidency as “action and accomplishment. Our industry needs “less talk and more action.”  He summarized the three main priorities he has as NECA President:

1. CW/CE Classification – Quebe advocated for CW/CE classification in every IBEW labor agreement.  He is committed to making Category 1 language for CW/CE and said that it is the best tool the industry has but is not being used to its potential.  “I know the reasons why, but after seven or eight years of talking about it, it’s time to complete the job.  Local unions must embrace the reality of our marketplace.  NECA members must aggressively change their business models to employ CWCE in the mix.”  Quebe said NECA is sponsoring training sessions around the country to teach and encourage members to use this tool.

2. Labor Agreement Benefits Package – While expressing pride in the benefits NECA members promote and their role in ensuring a quality workforce, Quebe said, “We can’t set ourselves apart to the point these benefits prevent us from securing projects.”  He cited the inflexibility and ineffectiveness of the benefits as currently structured.  “We are looking for short- and long-term solutions to these problems.”

3. Going After New Business Aggressively – “The name of the game is sales and market development,” Quebe said.  He recalled a 1950s NECA campaign called ‘Sell More and Bid Less,’ saying, “That sounds like something we need to revive in this decade.”

Quebe emphasized the importance of finding new market opportunities and actively selling them if the industry wants to prosper and grow. NECA is hiring business development professionals and charging them with finding new market opportunities for the industry.  He encouraged members to attend the business development meeting starting at 2 p.m. on Monday and recommended all NECA members add a business development person to their companies. “There are plenty of business opportunities for our industry.  We just need to find and take advantage of them.”

Sep 30

Rex Ferry Introduces 13 New Academy Fellows

Rex Ferry, NECA past president and current Chairman of the Academy of Electrical Contracting, reported on the activities of the Academy over the past year during Sunday’s General Session.

Ferry reported on the Academy’s 44th annual meeting held in June in Colorado Springs. He described the keynote address by former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens, whose presentation focused on leading with strength and compassion through adverse circumstances.  He also noted that two papers presented at the meeting are now available for download at the Academy’s website.

Ferry then introduced the 13 new Academy fellows selected during the annual meeting:

  • Joseph S Boddiford, Jr. (Lee’s Electrical Contracting, Baltimore, Maryland)
  • Jimmy D. Coker (Coker Electric, Pine Bluff, Arkansas)
  • Thomas Demcsak (Scholes Electric & Communications, Piscataway, New Jersey)
  • Michael T. Glasman (Groff Electric, Tacoma, Washington)
  • Douglas Hague (Shelley Electric, Wichita, Kansas)
  • Jarret D. (Jerry) Hayes (United Electric, Marietta, Georgia)
  • David Long (Miller Electric, Jacksonville, Florida)
  • Anthony J. Maloney, III (Koontz-Wagner Electric, South Bend, Indiana)
  • Gregory A. Rick (Rick Electric, Moorhead, Minnesota)
  • Daniel B. Walsh (United Electric, Louisville, Kentucky)
  • Wally Hook (Northern Indiana Chapter, NECA)
  • Gerald W. Schulz (Michels Power Division of Michels Corp.,Neenah, Wis.)
  • Tom Wolden (New River Electrical, Cloverdale, Virginia)

Ferry congratulated the new Fellows with, “Your presence here makes clear your commitment to furthering the horizons of the construction industry.”

Sep 30

“Washington Needs to Follow Your Example:” Morning Joe to NECA Members at Opening General Session

Joe Scarborough set the informal tone of the keynote presentation at Sunday’s General Session by introducing Mika Brzezinski, his co-host on MSNBC’s weekday morning program, Morning Joe.

“NECA, meet Mika.  Mika, meet NECA.”

What followed was a wide-ranging and off-the-cuff discussion between the two ideologically-opposed hosts on a range of topics including media bias, partisan division in Washington, the struggling economy, entitlement reform, and their own personal experiences as a former Congressman (Scarborough) and growing up as the daughter of President Carter’s National Security Advisor (Brzezinski).

Scarborough dominated the session with a comedic touch and by reveling in what he described as a rare opportunity to speak to a management-minded audience.  The hosts teased each other, with Scarborough delivering zingers like, “I was raised in Southern Baptist churches across the South, and she was raised in various Marxist groups in Manhattan.”  He drew laughter when he likened Mitt Romney to “Bob Dole on crack” and admitted, “my parents are so conservative they think Richard Nixon was framed.”


One of the major points of the talk was the need for both political parties to work together more effectively for the American people by putting “America’s best interest above their political interest.”  Brzezinski agreed with Scarborough that working with people of different viewpoints is possible.  “Our family celebrates the friction that makes our country and makes the world go ‘round,” she said.

Scarborough drew on his experience in Congress during the Clinton Administration and offered examples of Republicans and Democrats working together, despite deep philosophical differences.  He specifically cited job creation as a by-product of this cooperation, drawing applause from the crowd of business owners when he said, “We got Washington out of the way of small business and let them create jobs.  Washington doesn’t create jobs.  America creates jobs.”

Scarborough expressed hope that more bipartisan relationships such as those between Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton in the 1990s, and Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill in the 1980s, could be formed in the future to deal with several impending crises such as the so-called ‘fiscal cliff.’  “We’re missing that in Washington and we have to get it back.  We can work with people we disagree with.”

He offered praise and drew applause from the electrical contractors in the audience when he said, “That’s the wonderful thing about this industry.  You all have a working relationship with the union.  You figured out how to make it work.  Washington needs to follow your example.”

Sep 30

Plan, Prevent, Protect: At the Safety Forum

NECA’s first Safety Forum at convention yesterday brought together a dedicated group of safety professionals from both high voltage and inside electrical contractors.

The group kicked off with a breakfast discussion led by Scott Margolin from Westex, who offered up compelling evidence for the important of PPE when electricians are working hot. Margolin’s presentation included dramatic slow-motion video of the damage that occurs in an arc flash incident. “You can see there’s a lot of molten copper in there,” he commented. “That metal is more than 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. So even if you’ve avoided the initial blast, the real damage can occur after the incident.”

Westex was a key supporter in bringing safety to the forefront of education programs at NECA 2012 Las Vegas. In addition to the Safety Forum, management seminars and technical workshops on safety are scheduled throughout the event.

“Safety has to be a partnership, not just between employees and employers, but between manufacturers and users,” Margolin said. “We learn what the true concerns and hazards are from contractors, and we can respond to those needs.”

Mike Johnston, NECA executive directors, standards and safety, was gratified by the discussions at the forum, “Shifting a safety culture in the electrical industry requires education, communication, and cooperation, as well as a thorough understanding of the specific hazards involved and how to avoid them – that’s the goal of “safety through design,” he said. Another valuable aspect of this conference was the focus not only on what safety rules require, but how to effectively implement them.

NECA Vice President George Adams  has made safety a core value of his company by frequently asking, “is this the best we can do?” Adams challenges the notion that “productivity is king,” believing productivity, quality and safety have equal value. He wrote about his experiences in a recent column published by the Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce.

Sep 26

Are You Flying Into Terminal 3 at McCarran Airport?

If you are arriving at NECA 2012 Las Vegas attendees via any of the the following airlines, you’ll be coming into McCarran Airport’s updated Terminal 3, so we’ve put together so helpful tips for navigating your way through it. Terminal 3 airlines include:

  • Alaska Airlines
  • Frontier
  • Jet Blue
  • Sun Country
  • Virgin America
  • Virgin Atlantic Airways
  • United Airlines
  • Hawaiian Airlines

Here’s what you need to know about arriving and departing from Terminal 3.

  1. When arriving at McCarran Airport’s Gate D, the Terminal 3 airlines listed above are split off to the new Terminal 3 at McCarran International Airport.
  2. To facilitate transportation needs upon exiting, you’ll find the 8-mile roadway system added for the new three-story, 1.9 million sq. foot facility. Be prepared to travel along this new roadway expansion when exiting the airport.
  3. Baggage claim and ground transportation are on Level 0.
  4. Passengers entering Terminal 3 for their return flight will be able to use new self-boarding equipment – simply self-scan your pre-printed boarding pass or mobile device and board your flight, without the presence of a flight attendant.

For more information about the new Terminal 3 facility, check out a downloadable PDF flyer provided by the McCarran airport passenger website. This document includes the terminal’s new restaurant and store listings, maps, and travel guides.

Sep 12

Almost There!

Still deciding if you’re going to join us for NECA 2012 Las Vegas? We want you to be there, but we’re almost out of rooms at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. You can still make room reservations through NECA’s online registration until Sept. 19, or email necahousing@cmrus.org for direct confirmation. Updated hotel information will be posted on the housing registration website. We’ll do everything we can to accommodate you and your guests.

Aug 29

Just Announced – Stuart Diamond Will Be Labor Relations General Session Speaker

Negotiator-extraordinaire Stuart Diamond impressed attendees at this year’s Labor Relations Conference so much that NECA has invited him to lead the special Labor Relations Generation Session in Las Vegas.

You’ll actually have two chances to hear Diamond on Monday, Oct. 1: his management workshop/consulting session, Getting More Every Day, from 8-9:50 a.m., and the General Session, starting at 10 a.m. Diamond will focus on the problems and prospects of emerging markets and international business challenges in an environment of change from his latest bestseller, Getting More.

Diamond’s Getting More presentation discusses how the business world is notoriously perceived as combative, dominated by an aggressive conflict model of negotiation. However, Diamond shows how moving from this combative model provides a massive advantage. Counter-intuitive to its core, his process focuses on finding and valuing the other party’s emotions and perceptions to create far more value. In this presentation, you’ll learn how to ask questions of the other party, glean the “pictures in their heads” and ultimately, persuade them. Armed with new persuasive power, you and your business will be more competitive than ever before.

Diamond is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author, Wharton Business School professor and president of the Global Strategy Group. In addition to advising corporate and government leaders in more than 40 countries on negotiation and cultural diversity, Diamond’s negotiation course at Wharton is consistently ranked as one of the school’s most popular. He has taught negotiation at Harvard Law School, from which he holds a law degree and is a former Associate Director of the Harvard Negotiation Project.

As president of Global Strategy Group, Diamond advises companies and governments on negotiating foreign investment and devising strategies, structures and marketing to compete effectively on an international scale – essentially the skills of planning and persuasion – for some of the world’s leading companies.

Diamond will sign copies of his latest book on negotiation, the New York Times bestseller Getting More, following the General Session.