NECA Blog

All The Latest News from NECA

Jul 31

More Safety Than Ever at NECA 2012 Las Vegas

Safety Roundtable

Sunday, September 30, 2012 at 1:00 am – 2:00 pm

The Safety Roundtable is being conducted for the third consecutive year. The roundtable allows for two-way discussion on NECA’s Safety related activities and electrical industry needs. Participants will have the opportunity of hearing and engaging in the lively discussions. Learn more about education offerings at NECA 2012 Las Vegas >>

NECA Safety Forum

September 29-30, 2012
Presented by NECA Premier Partner Westex™

The Safety Forum focuses on how rapid changes in the electrical industry are requiring electrical contractors to be on the leading edge of many safety and health requirements. Clients now demand evidence of effective safety performance and the integration of safety and health management systems to jobsite safety. Safety and health has evolved from a regulatory drive activity to and business development tool.
NECA’s Safety Forum brings together a collection of leading industry presenters that provide clear vision of existing and new safety rules and how to implement effective compliance strategies. The Safety Forum isn’t exclusively for safety professionals; business owners, project management staff and supervisory personnel who want to know how this evolving aspect of the industry could affect their duties will benefit, too. See the full schedule, and register now >>

Electrical Transmission & Distribution OSHA 10 Course

Saturday and Sunday September 28-29, 2012
8:00 am – 5:00 pm

The ET&D OSHA 10 Hour is introductory awareness course for electrical line construction. The course is conducted over a two days of classroom instruction. The course objective is to train trainers to enhance accident prevention, review electrical safety principles and how it relates to today’s electrical line construction industry. It’s intended to prepare workers to gain an understanding of how to identify concepts and techniques of electrically safety related work practices of line workers. The course also covers an overview of OSHA construction safety regulations with an emphasis on electric generation, transmission and distribution (1910.296 and 1926 Subpart V). Upon completion participants will receive an OSHA 10 Hour card with the ET&D Partnership logo. (Course is not part of the Safety Forum or Weekend Package) Pricing: $450

Register Now >>

Jul 20

NECA Energy Forum – A Great Opening Act For NECA Las Vegas 2012

Saturday, September 29, 2012

1–4:15 p.m.
Mandalay Bay

Want to make the most of your time in Las Vegas? Want to learn about the hottest topics in energy efficiency and business development? Make plans to be at the Energy Forum on Saturday, September 29 starting at 1:00 pm. And, best of all, if you have a full convention registration, access to the Energy Forum is included!

Electrical contractors offer the solutions for all the emerging technologies affecting building performance, operating costs and occupant productivity. The 2012 NECA Energy Forum will explore the many ways NECA contractors are growing their businesses by expanding into the energy solutions market. The Forum, hosted this year by NECA Vice Presidents Stan Lazarian (District 9) and Dan Schaeffer (District 7), opens at 1 p.m. with keynote speaker David L. Pogue, Global Director of Sustainability for CB Richard Ellis, Inc., speaking on the sustainable energy practices that can make a real difference in the costs of property management and how electrical contractors can connect with owners and managers.

Following the opening keynote, Rob Colgan, NECA Executive Director of Market Development will moderate a panel discussion on “Opportunities in the Energy Solutions Market: Technology and Policy Shaping Tomorrow.” Leaders from across the business community will provide insight and perspective on the energy solutions market. Representatives from wholesale merchandising, electric vehicle manufacturing, and the academic community will share their knowledge about specific electrical contracting opportunities in their business sectors.

A second expert panel on “Developing New Business for Electrical Contractors” will complete the plenary content for the Energy Forum. NECA contractors from across the country will discuss the different ways their companies implemented business development programs to pursue and get energy solutions work. No two methods are exactly the same; each strategy reflects the unique strengths and goals of these individual NECA contractors. NECA Director of Market Development Mir Mustafa will moderate the panel and field questions from participants. The business development panel will appeal to contractors with established business development strategies who want to expand, as well as to contractors who want to get started.

“Energy solutions work and business development go hand-in-hand. You can’t be successful in one without the other,” said Stan Lazarian, chair of NECA’s Energy Solutions Task Force.

“Electrical contractors shouldn’t just hope that this work finds them one day. We have to be proactive,” said Dan Schaeffer, chair of NECA’s Business Development Task Force. “The Energy Forum helps contractors put all the pieces together to go where the industry is moving by putting technical knowledge and business development tactics together at one event.”

ABOUT THE 2012 NECA ENERGY FORUM: The 2012 NECA Energy Forum is an intensive Saturday afternoon program featuring an outstanding keynote speaker and expert panels that will inform and inspire NECA contractors to grow their businesses through energy solutions. The Forum will conclude just in time for the Green Energy Challenge finalists’ presentation, the annual NECA Student Chapter design competition where some of the brightest young minds from across the country present their energy solutions to the NECA audience and judges.

Your energy solutions education at NECA 2012 Las Vegas doesn’t have to stop with the Energy Forum. A series of related management workshops and technical workshops are offered throughout the Convention and the NECA Show.

The NECA Energy Forum was launched in 2011 to deliver industry-specific information about the market opportunities and business process of energy solutions work to electrical contractors. The NECA Energy Forum has become an integral part of the NECA convention and tradeshow experience and will continue to address topics like building automation and controls; energy efficiency; electric vehicle charging; energy storage; lighting retrofits; smart grid technology; solar/PV; and wind generation.

The 2012 Energy Forum is available for individual registration or is included with your with full convention registration for NECA 2012 Las Vegas, and will be held Saturday, Sept. 29, 1:00 – 4:15 p.m., at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Jul 19

Cooked: Meet Chef Jeff Henderson at 2012 Lifestyle Session

Lifestyle Session: Monday, October 1, 2012
10-11:30 a.m.
Mandalay Bay

Growing up poor with limited options, Jeff Henderson took the path too often followed by inner-city kids in southern California – dealing cocaine, until he was caught and convicted on federal drug trafficking charges at age 23. But just as his dreams for success had driven him to become a top drug dealers at a young age, his urge to succeed couldn’t be crushed in prison.

“I didn’t get arrested – I got rescued from the streets.” – Jeff Henderson

When dealing on the streets was replaced with one of the least desirable prison duties – washing dishes in the prison kitchen – Henderson found himself challenged anew by the ebb and flow of food preparation. Gradually he learned a new trade and he promised himself that when he was out of prison, he would become a chef.

With no formal education and a criminal background, Henderson struggled for years in the hospitality industry. But with persistence and determination, he was able to achieve his dreams, eventually becoming the executive chef of Café Bellagio in Las Vegas. His story was first told in the New York Times best-selling memoir, Cooked: My Journey from the Streets to the Stove. His follow-up book, The Power of Potential, comes out this fall.

Jeff shares that change and success do not come easily. Achieving them requires tenacity, positive reinforcement, and teamwork, but with the right tools, anyone can reach their full potential.

Today, Henderson is the Food Network personality behind The Chef Jeff Project, which takes at-risk young adults and commits to turning their lives around. On October 1 at the 2012 NECA Lifestyle Program, Chef Jeff will offer  effective and simple ways to implement strategies to navigate through the detours and roadblocks along the way. Chef Jeff will not only cook up some of his favorite recipes for attendees at the NECA 2012 Lifestyle Session; he’ll share of the stories that shaped his dreams and determination and how he found hope and redemption among in a sinkful of dirty dishes.

Want more Chef Jeff? Learn about his Foundation, The Chef Jeff Foundation, which is due to launch this fall, just in time for NECA 2012 Las Vegas! >> 

Jul 18

Welcome Makita Tools USA Back to the NECA Show!


Fans of Makita Tools have missed this familiar presence at the NECA Show for the past few years, but we’re happy to report that a NECA favorite is returning in 2012!

The industrial power tool maker has nearly 100 years of experience in advanced motor design and takes pride in using the latest innovation to engineer and manufacture the tools professional electrical contractors need on the jobsite. Come by Booth #1759 or visit www.makita.com for more information about their latest product developments.

Jul 05

Morning Mika: Knowing Your Value

A recent New York Times Q&A with NECA 2012 Las Vegas Opening General Session speaker Mika Brzezinski claimed that she refused to “perk things up” in the morning. As co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe and a best-selling author, Brzezinski has received accolades from the same television executives who would have seen her career end 10 years ago. So how did she do it? Along with co-host Joe Scarborough (who accompanied her to the NYT interview and photo shoot), Mika will discuss these issues, plus her outstanding chemistry with Scarborough that makes Morning Joe a must-see for news junkies and entertainment-seekers alike.

On Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski’s on-air demeanor is often described as confident, gutsy, and brutally honest. But off camera, the seemingly master communicator had trouble articulating her value to management and passed up multiple opportunities for salary increases and promotions. In her candid memoir, Knowing Your Value, Brzezinski shares how she found her voice and finally got the raise she deserved.

Her memoir All Things At Once became a New York Times best seller in January 2010, and her second book, Knowing Your Value, which examines the role of women in the workplace, reached #1 on the New York Times best sellers list for business books in spring 2011. She also writes “Getting What You Want” for Cosmopolitan, a monthly column about career confidence and empowerment.

Prior to joining MSNBC in January 2007, Brzezinski was an anchor of the “CBS Evening News Weekend Edition” and a CBS News correspondent who frequently contributed to “CBS Sunday Morning” and “60 Minutes.” She reported live from Lower Manhattan for CBS News during the 9/11 attacks.

Brzezinski is the daughter of Foreign Policy Expert and Former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. She graduated from Williams College with a degree in English and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Brzezinski lives in New York with her husband and two daughters.

Jul 05

What’s Next for NECA Safety Professionals?

Following the success of the second annual NECA Safety Professionals Conference, NECA will offer a specific selection of vital safety tracks presented at the new Safety Forum at the NECA convention in Las Vegas, Sept. 29-Oct. 2.

Presented by NECA Premier Partner Westex™, the Safety Forum focuses on how rapid changes in the electrical industry are requiring electrical contractors to be on the leading edge of many safety and health requirements. Clients now demand evidence of effective safety performance and the integration of safety and health management systems to jobsite safety. Safety and health has evolved from a regulatory drive activity to and business development tool.

NECA’s Safety Forum brings together a collection of leading industry presenters that provide clear vision of existing and new safety rules and how to implement effective compliance strategies. The Safety Forum isn’t exclusively for safety professions; business owners, project management staff and supervisory personnel who want to know how this evolving aspect of the industry could affect their duties will benefit, too.

The NECA Safety Forum will be held Saturday, Sept. 29 from 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. through Sunday, Oct. 1 from 8-9:30 a.m., following by the popular NECA Safety Round Table at 1-2 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

Jul 05

More about Mandalay Bay

It’s been 14 years since NECA brought its annual convention and trade show to Las Vegas, well before Mandalay Bay opened its doors. We thought you’d like to know a little more about where you’ll be for the electrical industry’s favorite annual event!

NECA 2012 Las Vegas will be the first convention held in a single location, with housing and meeting facilities under the same roof – but what a location it is! Two hotels, the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and TheHotel, book-end the convention center. Each hotel tower is magnificent with its own unique style and room accommodations. Both hotels are large enough to host industry events like NECA, but intimidate and family-oriented so that everyone will enjoy their time at NECA 2012 Las Vegas.

The Mandalay Bay Convention Center opened its doors as the fifth-largest convention facility in the United States, and the largest meeting facility located on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip.

The entire Mandalay Bay complex – from hotel to special resort features to meeting and event rooms – are luxurious without pretention. The clubs, restaurants, casino and outdoor water activities are amazing here.  Owing to the outsized nature of Mandalay Bay, it’s possible to really never leave and yet be fully entertained.

If you do want to hit the Strip or check out some of the city’s other sights, see visitlasvegas and Las Vegas Monorail website on getting around the city. You should also check out the NECA 2012 Las Vegas special tours and excursions.