NECA Blog

All The Latest News from NECA

Oct 14

2013 Showstoppers Announced!

The 2013 Showstopper Showcase, sponsored by ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine, features the newest innovations from NECA Show exhibitors. Every year, the top products are recognized by an industry panel for the best solutions they can offer the electrical construction industry. The 2013 Showstopper winners are:

Exhibitor                                          Product/Service

  1.  Southwire                              SIMpull CoilPak
  2. Mag Daddy                             Magnetic zip tie
  3. Amprobe                                  LT-10 lamp tester
  4. Day & Night Solar                Sun Commander series
  5. Milwaukee                              Heated Hoodie
  6. Greenlee                                  G-3 tugger
  7. LeGrand                                  ITray Cable Tray
  8. Eaton                                       Hospital-grade USB charger
  9. SP Products                            Four-way conduit support
  10. L.H. Dottie                             Eighty-piece master electrician’s toolkit
  11. Cree                                          LED 9.5W replacement lamp
  12. Viribright                               Benchmark 10W LED lamp
  13. Westex                                    TrueComfort flame-retardant clothing
  14. Spexco                                     Raceway crown
  15. Thomas & Betts                    Carlon non-metallic adjustable box
  16. Schneider Electric                Model 6 arc-resistant motor control center
  17. Leviton                                    Four-port USB charger
  18. Wahoo Innovations            Escort light pole and material cart
  19. Fluke Corp.                            1730 3-phase energy logger
  20. Trimble                                   TX5 3D laser scanning system

Please visit their booths to check out their winning products!

Jul 31

Technical Workshops are the Ticket

NECA Show-goers get to see the latest and greatest in products and services from nearly 300 exhibitors, as well as several special technical workshops from top industry insiders. NECA has partnered with our exhibitors to bring you 19 technical workshops covering topics like power quality, data center projects, improving productivity, alternative energy opportunities, new management tLED technical workshopools, security and life safety.

Technical workshops are free with admission to the NECA Show (for a complementary industry pass, click here), and they offer some of the most timely and valuable information available at the event. Electrical product developers, manufacturers and distributors often boast some of the best research and development teams in the industry. By studying trends and innovations, they create new technology and processes that help electrical contractors work smarter.

For a full schedule, including session descriptions, go to Technical Workshops under At the NECA Show. Most sessions will be offered more than once during the trade show.

 

Jun 19

Get Moving! New Utility Vehicles Join NECA Show Exhibitors!

Five leading utility vehicle manufacturers are bringing their newest models to the NECA Show floor in Las Vegas, giving this year’s expo a reason to get moving.

These are the cutting edge models for electrical contractors’ service vehicles,” said Julie Duda, NECA Show sales manager. “Especially with the emphasis on electric vehicle charging stations at this year’s NECA Show, the vehicle exhibitors are ready to provide answers to fit those needs for contractors as well.”

Vehicle exhibitors will include:

Oct 25

Steve Farber is Following Me on Twitter Now

Permit a moment of “told you so” to anyone who didn’t believe in the communication power of social media. Beth Ellis,  NECA’s executive director of convention/expositions, took the bold step of adding a Social Media Wall display to the NECA Show floor, and it has been an absolute hit among attendees, exhibitors and guests.

With four wide screens continuously broadcasting clips from the daily NECA Newscast from San Diego, ElectricTV stories, Chuck Fazio’s incredible photos of events and people from around the trade show and convention on Flickr, plus everyone who uses Twitter with the hashtag #NECA11, the Social Media Wall has been a gathering place to get the latest information about events, 140-character Tweets on sessions, and special deals from NECA Show exhibitors.

I live-tweeted some of my favorite quotes from Closing General Session keynote speaker Steve Farber from this morning’s session, and within a hour, the extreme leadership guru himself was following my Twitter account. He has multiple bestselling books. I … don’t (yet). But in the world of social media, we were able to connect and follow each other’s 140-character musings. That’s the power of social media. And I hope everyone who’s tagged a Facebook photo, added a wall post, or watched the San Diego Newscasts on YouTube enjoys the same sense of connection to their industry as I have this year.

Let us know how you’ve used social media at NECA 2011 San Diego in the comments below!

Oct 08

Fifteen Exhibitors Named Showstoppers at 2010 NECA Show

The electrical construction industry’s leading trade expo, the NECA Show, and publication, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine, joined forces at the recent 2010 NECA Show to create the first-ever NECA Showstopper Showcase, where 15 stand-out products and systems were recognized as the most significant of the event.

Judged by a panel of electrical contractors and magazine contributors, submissions to the new NECA Show Showstoppers Showcasing (replacing the former New and Featured Product Room) were evaluated on the Show’s opening day, Oct. 3. ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR’s annual Showstoppers feature recognizes the most innovative products and systems featured in this year’s exhibition among many new products submitted.

“We’re thrilled to honor these innovations selected by electrical contractors around the country,” said magazine publisher John Maisel. “They represent the best in emerging technologies for our industry and add excitement throughout the show.”

Displayed at the front of the show hall with blue ribbons, this year’s Showstoppers offered diverse products, equipment and systems from a range of manufacturers and systems developers.

Siemens Industry, Inc., won for the first 600V DC enclosed solar/photovoltaic disconnect switch UL listed for use with three, separate 600V DC circuits.

“We are pleased and excited that those viewing our display recognized that our new Solar Switches represent a significant design innovation to service the emerging solar energy market,” said Dennis Krizan, product manager, safety switches, Siemens Industry, Inc.

GE Energy won for its electrical vehicle charging station, showing both residential and commercial chargers. “The key to ours is the design,” said Chris Bowler, general manager of marketing, who demonstrated the charger’s retractable cord for ease of use.

“Nobody has ever addressed the transmission/distribution contractors,” said Todd McCormick, president, McCormick Systems, Inc., whose company won with transmission and distribution estimating software.

Schneider Electric also won for its electric vehicle charging station due to become available in two to three months. Its features include a delay function for charging at specific times of the day for better energy management.

“The biggest thing is that the bending and cutting are brought into the product along with a full range of factory fittings that results in a safe, low-cost installation,” said Gregory Cambrun, RCCD, national sales manager, Wiremaid Products Vision, for its Pro-10 series cable tray.

The 2010 Showstoppers winners include:

Sep 24

Guest Post: BlueVolt’s Tips on Getting the Most from Online Training

by Lisa Bordeaux, BlueVolt

The 2010 NECA Convention and Trade Show features opportunities to discover new products and services, learn about best practices, network with your peers, boost your company’s productivity, explore new markets, and enjoy the best of Boston.

One of the best ways to boost productivity is through online training. Before you attend this year’s conference and after you’ve returned home from Boston – and for those of you who can’t make it this year – be sure to check out BlueVolt online, www.bluevolt.com. This is a great way to keep up with the latest training courses available in your industry. NECA’s Management Education Institute, the NJATC and many NECA exhibitors use BlueVolt as their vehicle to get training out to NECA contractors. This is our seventh year exhibiting at the NECA Show, and we’re excited to hear connect with our users face-to-face!

The term “online training” can conjure up images of complicated technology or installing confusing software programs. The truth is, contractors don’t need extensive experience with technology to start training online. BlueVolt hosts NJATC and NECA authored courses which you can take in the comfort of your own home. Now you can earn your state-approved CEUs in your slippers!

Here are some tips from BlueVolt on how to get the most out of online training:

  • Set a goal for yourself. What do you hope to accomplish by taking this course? You may wish to add a marketable skill, like green building, or improve safety on the job.
  • Understand your learning style. Put what you’re learning into real-world situations. Most importantly, go at your own pace. If it takes you longer to retain information, take the time to think about what you’re seeing. There is no race to the finish line when it comes to online learning!
  • Eliminate distractions around you. Aim to complete your online course in a quiet room with minimal distractions. Close other programs on your computer so you can focus on the course. The sooner you complete, the sooner you can go back to emailing or browsing funny videos on YouTube.

NECA and NJATC Universities’ online courses are powered by BlueVolt. We strive to make online learning so easy, that all a contractor needs to update his CE/CEUs, or learn about a new product online, is a computer and an internet connection.

This fall, BlueVolt is offering several courses for NECA members, including LEED certification, Grounding and Bonding, green building and an introduction to using NECA’s Manual of Labor Units. I hope you will come by our booth at the convention to learn how you benefit from online training.

And with the 2011 National Electrical Code changes just around the corner, it is the perfect time to start learning online. BlueVolt is teaming up with NECA and the NJATC to offer online courses on Significant Changes to the NEC.

With technology continuing to advance, contractors cannot afford to fall behind. Major changes in the 2011 NEC are expected to incorporate green technologies and alternative energy. For many in the electrical business, the NEC changes can ignite panic, confusion and, at best, annoyance. But this doesn’t have to be the case.

About BlueVolt

Portland, Oregon-based BlueVolt connects and advances participants in industries through its leading online Learning + Marketing Platform, its comprehensive, quality learning catalog, and its talented professional services team. Platform participants include manufacturers, associations, distributors, contractors, and skilled professionals in the electrical, plumbing, flooring, welding, and HVAC industries. The Platform enables online training and learning experiences including social/collaborative, blended, on-demand and live multi-camera webcast with enterprise-level functionality and performance. BlueVolt’s unique approach to training encourages learning with its proven reward program that is valuable to both content consumers and content sponsors. As of August 2010, BlueVolt delivered over 734,000 courses to over 95,000 registered users.

About NECA Management Education Institute

NECA’s Management Education Institute (MEI) is the best education resource for all stages of an electrical contractor’s career – from estimator, to project manager, to executive with corporate responsibilities. MEI’s programs are developed with leading industry researchers and skilled instructors. NECA chapters work with NECA’s national office to deliver programs locally to their members.

Aug 05

Guest Post: Connecting at NECA 2010 Boston

by Nate S. Oland, National Account Executive, Federated Insurance

I’m really looking forward to the upcoming convention in Boston! It sounds like NECA has some great activities planned, and I intend to participate in as many as I can.  September 15, 2010, marks the one-year anniversary since Federated was chosen as an Official Partner of NECA. We’re very proud of our relationship with such a respected organization.

One thing I especially like about NECA 2010 Boston is the “Connecting the World” tagline that was chosen for this year. The electrical contracting industry is constantly evolving to keep up with the latest technology and regulations.

At Federated, we recently introduced Federated’s Shield Network, an online resource which is designed to help our clients connect to the latest in a wide range of risk management tools and services. Stop by our booth #1101, whether you’re currently insured with Federated or just looking for more information on our programs or Federated’s Shield Network. We want to connect with you!

Sep 13

2009 NECA Show Opens!

The NECA Show featuring over 240 exhibitors with products and services specifically for electrical contractors was unveiled today immediately following the Opening General Session. The Northwest Naval Band, sponsored by Helmets to Hardhats, opened the Show floor today with great fanfare, and thousands of attendees flooded the halls to see the latest and greatest.

NECA Show Opens to Fanfare
Couldn’t make it to Seattle? Check out over 100 products in the virtual New and Featured Product Room online. Ginger Wilson is also tweeting some of the exhibitors that catch her eye on twitter.com/NECAConvention. Subscribe to her tweets today — she gets the first scope on cool prize giveaways at the booths, but you need to be on Twitter first!