NECA Blog

All The Latest News from NECA

Oct 10

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Announces 2016 Showstoppers!

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Magazine announces the 2016 Showstopper Awards. If you haven’t taken the time to check out the Showstoppers booth, you still have time! See the winning products below:

  • Acuity Brands nLight® Air simple wireless controls solution
  • Basor Electric Basorfil BF2 splicing system
  • Chatsworth Products Adjustable cable runway
  • ConEst Software Systems IntelliBid Estimating System
  • DeWalt 20V MAX area light kit with Bluetooth and built-in battery charger
  • Eaton locking devices for data centers
  • Eaton power lock devices
  • EZ Box Electrical Guard Tube
  • Garvin Industries AMR series multi-gang adjustable mud rings
  • Greenlee G-series Smart Pull
  • Greenlee Intellipunch 11-ton tool
  • Hilti Firestop Cable Disc
  • Klein Magnetic wire pulling system
  • Legrand EvolutionTM series 10” Poke-Thru
  • Leviton Dual-function AFCI/GFCI receptacle
  • Milwaukee M18TM Force LogicTM 6T Knockout Tool
  • Milwaukee Magnetic tape measure with finger stop
  • Southwire TappanTM Fire Alarm Cable in SIMpull® CoilPakTM
  • Southwire Tools Technician ProTM Bluetooth CAT IV multimeter
  • Thomas & Betts T&B Fittings ® Type 316 S/S LiquidTight fittings

Oct 09

WIN Leaders Hear From PR Guru on Communication at 2016 Roundtable

Approximately 60 attendees gathered for the 2016 Women In NECA Roundtable, an annual event that brings together leaders in the industry from around the country.

Marie Arcidiacono presented on “Let’s Talk About It: Communication, Gender & Powerful Speech.”

Later, Women In NECA combined forces with NECA Future Leaders to host a reception for female and young members of the community.

Oct 09

Ex-Boston Police Chief Shares His Boston Marathon Bombing Experience

NECA 2016 Boston

Among the highlights on Day 3 of NECA 2016 Boston were remarks made by the city’s former police chief, Daniel Linskey, at Sunday morning’s General Session.

Linskey, was in charge of Boston’s police during the Boston Marathon terrorist attack in 2013, spoke about how he has learned to handle leadership in times of crisis and his experiences during the bombing and its aftermath.

“All I ever wanted was to be a Boston cop. I got to live my dream,” Linskey told the audience. “The best way to learn leadership is to lead.”

Chief Daniel Linskey at NECA16’s Sunday General Session from NECAnet on Vimeo.

As he moved up the ranks, he did just that, saying he’s been on a quest for leadership “his whole life.” He didn’t pass on opportunities for leadership posts and made sure to step outside his comfort zones.

It’s important to “find out where you are” before the crisis and to be prepared to think differently if necessary, he said. During a crisis, among the things to do is to come up with a list of five actions to take.

“You better be the calmest and the coolest you have ever been and have a plan – or make your team believe you have a plan even if you don’t – because they’re going to want you to lead,” he said.

After the crisis, he added, keep your promises and be a human. Document what you did right after the action occurred and honestly identify what you did wrong and avoid repeating those mistakes.

As Managing Director at Kroll, Linskey now serves clients in diverse industries with experience in investigations, crisis response planning and risk management as well as personal, physical and operational security strategies. He’s also a homeland security/law enforcement news analyst for the local Fox affiliate in Boston.

Linskey praised the people of Boston who came together during the horrific attack, which killed three spectators and injured hundreds.

“I cannot tell you how cooperative our citizens were,” he said.

The show floor opened again Sunday – with more than 300 exhibitors interacting with NECA members – and a range of education course continued throughout the day.

Approximately 60 attendees gathered for the 2016 Women In NECA Roundtable, an annual event that brings together women in the industry from around the country.

Marie Arcidiacono presented on “Let’s Talk About It: Communication, Gender & Powerful Speech.”

Later, Women In NECA combined forces with NECA Future Leaders to host a reception for female and young members of the community.

Oct 09

NECA President Focuses on Future in Convention Address

National Electrical Contractors Association President David Hardt put his focus squarely on the future during his address at the Opening General Session on NECA 2016 Boston on Saturday.

“We need to do more to prepare for the future,” Hardt said. “The war for talent is impacting all aspects of the industry.”

He said it starts with the people of NECA, which is “what we’re all about.” That includes NECA members, Chapter staff and committees and task forces.

Most consequentially, Hardt outlined a new initiative called NECA Vision 2020. Vision 2020 will be the NECA plan to guide the association into the next decade. It will assess the future of the electrical construction industry in the United States as it is impacted by changes in technology, the evolving construction process, the viability of construction labor unions, the shift in generational leadership and the role of trade associations in society.

“The leadership of NECA is preparing for the future and planning for that success,” he said.

Hardt said he is proud of NECA’s longstanding relationship with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

“I see us continuing that relationship if we can individually grow,” Hardt said. “The better we are, the better we’ll be able to serve our customers.”

Later, former NECA President Dennis Quebe reviewed the last year’s activities of the Academy of Electrical Contracting, which included two events since NECA 2015 San Francisco.

Thirteen new Fellows were introduced, including Wes Anderson, Susan Ernst, Glenn W. Kingsbury, Jim Laub, Terry Lette, James McDonald, Lindsay T. Mills, Earl C. Restine Jr., Sonja L. Rheaume, David I. Samuels, Steve R. Washburn, James P. Young and Russ Zimmerman.

Also, Alex Owen, National Chairman of the NECA Political Leadership Council, spoke to the convention, thanking contributors to NECAPAC and encouraging new contributors to get involved in the political process.

“NECAPAC is funded by your contributions, but the energy it runs on is your participation,” Owen said.

 

Oct 08

Doris Kearns Goodwin Talks History

PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN TALKS ABOUT PAST WORK, 2016 CAMPAIGN

Renowned historian Doris Kearns Goodwin recounted her experiences with presidents past and present – and possibly future — and touched on the 2016 race for the White House during the keynote speech at NECA 2016 Boston on Saturday.

Chatting with Doris Kearns Goodwin at NECA16 from NECAnet on Vimeo.

About Republican nominee Donald Trump, she said: “We’ve never seen anything like him.”

A former White House intern who worked closely with President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s, Goodwin said, in a sense, she “lives with” these presidents when she reads about their lives, studies their work and writes about them.

Her book “Team of Rivals,” about President Abraham Lincoln, was hailed and had a profound impact on the relationship between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who is running to become the first female president in American history.

Among the changes she said she has noticed in the political discourse include:

  • The change in the relationship between the White House and the press
  • The “magic” of television and how they have affected debates
  • The increasing use of personal attacks and negative invective
  • The increasing use of public opinion polling
  • The escalating role of money in elections
  • The decreasing number of young people who want to enter public service

Finally, Goodwin lamented the deterioration in the relationship between the presidency and Congress.

“You’ve got to make that link,” she said. “Bring people to the White House, and get out of Washington.”

Goodwin signed copies of her books on the Convention Show Floor after her remarks.

Oct 08

Congratulations to the 2016 Academy of Electrical Contracting Inductees!

academyinducttes16Congratulations to the Academy of Electrical Contracting’s 2016 inductees!

  • Russ Zimmerman, Romanoff Electric Company, Toledo, Ohio
  • James P. Young, Young Electric Company, San Fransisco, California
  • Steve R. Washburn, Puget Sound Chapter, NECA, Shoreline, Washington
  • David L. Samuels, Robert B. Samuels Inc., New York, New York
  • Sonja L. Rheaume, Christenson Electrical and Technology Services, Portland, Oregon
  • Earl C. Restine, Jr., Fuller Electric, San Diego, California
  • Lindsey T. Mills, John Mills Electric, Elmira Heights, New York
  • James McDonald, J&M Electric, Missoula, Montana
  • Terry J. Lette, Preferred Electric Company, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Jim Laub, Cache Valley Electric, Logan, Utah
  • Glenn W. Kingsbury, Boston Chapter, NECA, West Newton, Massachusetts
  • Susan Ernst, Royal Electric Construction Corporation, Columbus, Ohio
  • Wes Anderson, Anderson Electric, Inc., Springfield, Illinois

Oct 08

Emerging Tech Leaders Gather for BizDev Meeting

Tommaso Deserti, of growing tech company Nest, led a discussion on Friday at the #NECA16 Business Development Meeting. Deserti talked about how he feels the world is becoming even more connected and noted the prevalence conversation related to the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT).

“Fast is the new normal,” he said.

Deserti noted how many products installed in the home can also be installed in an office space and that one in seven Nest customers actually have a “works with Nest” integration.

“They start with a product and then try to figure out what they can build around,” he said. “Nest is progressive and doing great things.”

Jason Potterf, with Cisco, and Jon Zelinsky, with Philips, continued the discussion citing figures estimating that 50 billion to 200 billion devices could be connected to the internet by 2020.

Lighting is one of those things, he added.

“It’s also a way for companies to transform their brand – using LED controls,” he said.

Among the things Potterf discussed was network-powered lighting and its key drivers, which include energy savings and building analytics, and the benefits of Power over Ethernet (PoE).

Bob May, Chairman of the Business Development Task Force, spoke at the beginning of the meeting, saying his work with the committee was a joy.

“The forward-looking ideas that came out were energizing,” he said.

May also talked about the Energy Study Mission, a new initiative that brings together NECA members interested in the energy sector. The first ESM took place in Colorado earlier this year.

“I encourage you to come out next year,” he said. He added that new awards have been established by NECA to recognize important projects around the country.

Finally, the meeting closed with a panel discussion of the Business Development Task Force members including: Dan Henrich of PDE Energy Solutions, who discussed practices for complying with NFPA 70E, and Lindsay Millls of John Mills Electric, who talked about the preparation of change orders and construction claims. Mike Doyle of Danard Electric and Anton Mikec of Lighthouse Electric Company spoke about the benefits of utilizing the NECA Store and the resources that are available there, such as the “Blueprint for Electrical Contracting Firm, Business Development.”

“You get connections through connections,” Mikec said. “A culture of business development is created in connections.”

 

Oct 08

Students Make Their Case at the NECA 2016 GEC

Three NECA Student Chapters presented their impressive proposals at the 2016 Green Energy Challenge on Friday as NECA 2016 Boston opened at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center.

Teams from the University of Toronto, the University of Washington and Iowa State University made presentations on projects focused on energy efficiency and savings to buildings for their respective clients. Each team developed a plan for a local elementary or secondary school:

  • University of Toronto (working as Northern Lights Solutions) – University of Toronto Schools
  • University of Washington (Cascadia Electric) – St. Joseph School
  • Iowa State University (Cyclone Electric) – Edwards Elementary School

The jury for this year’s Challenge included a host of electrical contractors and industry partners.

After each presentation, which lasted about 15 minutes, the Student Chapters fielded questions from the jury. They jury held deliberations directly after the presentations, and a winner will be announced at the Opening General Session on Saturday.

Poster presentations were also displayed at the Challenge. They came from two of today’s finalists, Iowa State and the University of Toronto, as well as Kennesaw State University, Oregon State University, Penn State University, Ball State University, Purdue University and the Illinois Institute of Technology.

 

 

 

Oct 08

Revolutionary Discoveries!

Last night, NECA 2016 Boston attendees gained exclusive access to the Museum of Science, a mecca of revolutionary discovery! By popular demand, the Blue Wing’s main stage featured the return of Milwaukee Tool’s Tool Shed Band. Guests visited the Theater of Electricity sponsored by Southwire and an outdoor Oktoberfest, sponsored by Thomas & Betts. And, for those who just couldn’t stop – Milwaukee’s sponsored After Party kept the good times going late into the night.

NECA16 Opening Reception from NECAnet on Vimeo.

NECA members and their guests got exclusive access to the Museum of Science, a mecca of revolutionary discovery, as NECA 2016 Boston hit the ground running and welcomed thousands to New England for a convention filled opportunities for education, inspiration, networking, and fun.

Attendees also got to light up their night with the intriguing Theater of Electricity sponsored by Southwire. Indoor bolts produced by the world’s largest air-insulated Van de Graaff generator sparked exciting explorations of lightning, conductors, insulators, electricity, magnetism and storm safety.

By popular demand, the Blue Wing’s main stage featured the return of Milwaukee Tool’s Tool Shed Band.

There was truly something for everyone – interactive exhibits, inspiring encounters and tantalizing cuisine inspired by the regional elements of New England. Heavy hors d’oeuvres were served along with open bars featuring an outdoor Oktoberfest, sponsored by Thomas & Betts.

On Saturday, the NECA Show, the No. 1 trade show of its kind in the electrical construction industry, opened its doors at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center. NECA is proud to present the largest gathering of manufacturers and distributors showcasing thousands of solutions contractors need to save time and money on the job, and grow their business.

The Show Floor will reopen on Sunday and Monday.

Start your day at the Disruptive Technology Pavilion or in the Showstopper Showcase, the industry’s most prominent awards program sponsored by NECA and ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine. Check out all the winners while you see the newest products and services available!