March of Dimes 2023 Construction & Transportation Awards Luncheon

The March of Dimes 2023 Construction & Transportation Awards Luncheon was held on Friday, October 20, 2023, at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. 

This 29^th Annual event honored a number of “those in the construction and transportation industry who have demonstrated exceptional achievements both in their respective fields and within the local community.” Powering Chicago and ECA member John Burns were Gold Level Sponsors; ECA member Taylor Electric Company were Silver Sponsors – the Rufus Taylor Award was awarded to Mary Person, Senior Vice President of Public-Private Initiatives at Clayco. Tara Szwabowski, Corporate Secretary, John Burns – March of Dimes Board member introduced the Ambassador Family – the Holstein family. Congratulations to all of the honorees and those who continue to support the efforts of the March of Dimes to help families be healthy and strong for generations to come!



Pictured above is:

Tara Szwabowski, Corporate Secretary,

John Burns – March of Dimes Board member, who introduced the Ambassador Family –

The Holstein family.

ECA Regular Membership Meeting - October 18, 2023

The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) October Membership Meeting was held on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at INTECH in Alsip, Illinois. The ECA's guest speaker was Don Finn, Business Manager / Financial Secretary, Local Union #134 IBEW. Mr. Finn provided an industry update. The session was open to all signatory contractors. We thank those who were able to join us for the opportunity to meet Business Manager Don Finn and network with their peers in the industry! 

We thank Don for his time at the meeting!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Pictured above from left to right are:

Gene Kent, INTECH Director,

Don Finn Business Manager / Financial Secretary - Local Union #134 IBEW,

Erin Keane, EIT Administrator and

Bob Fimbianti, ECA President, LInear Electric, Inc.

Electric Association Membership Awards Program

The Electric Association Membership Awards Dinner was held on Thursday, October 19, 2023, at the Carlisle Distinct Banquets in Lombard, IL. The Electric Association Awards program recognizes leadership and excellence in the Chicagoland Electrical Industry. Congratulations to two ECA members who were selected:  Richard Jamerson, Jamerson & Bauwens Electrical Contractors, Inc. (Gold Medal Award), and Jerry McGlynn, McWilliams Electric Company, Inc. (Hall of Fame inductee).

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Pictured above from left to right are:

Rick Jamerson, Jamerson & Bauwens Electrical Contractors, Inc. and

Jerry McGlynn, McWilliams Electric Company, Inc.

President's Party & Holiday Celebration

ECA Chicago is pleased to announce the 2023 Presidents Party & Holiday Celebration will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2023, at the Union League Club of Chicago.

Saturday, December 2, 2023

6:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Union League Club of Chicago (ULC)

65 W. Jackson

Chicago, IL

(312) 427-7800

Reception / Dinner / Entertainment and more:

• Cocktail Hour – Desiree Irwin, Soloist
• Dinner – Thomas Linsk Trio
• Photographer on-hand throughout
• Other surprises

*Dress Code: Formal / Cocktail Attire

**Complimentary Valet Parking is Available

Hotel Accommodations:

Hotel Block Available at the Union League Club at a discounted rate for ECA members:

Based on availability, there are Standard Guestrooms at $199.00 per room plus a 20% per night surcharge.

Reservations must be made by calling the ULC at:  (312) 427-7800 or (800) 443-0578 by November 11, 2023.

REGISTER NOW

The Young Professionals of ECA cordially invite you to our 2023 Oktoberfest! We have an exciting day filled with great food, beer, and networking at BuckleDown Brewing on October 26, 2023 (6 pm - 9 pm)!



Thursday, October 26, 2023

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

BuckleDown Brewing

8700 47th Street

Lyons, IL 60534

Test your skills as BrewMaster, as our group will have the opportunity to participate in the brewing/development process of making a Kolsch-style beer.

REGISTER NOW

IMSCA Update: October 23, 2023

The Illinois General Assembly returns to Springfield this week for Week 1 of 2 for the Fall Veto Session. The attached legislative update includes an overview of potential legislative issues that are likely to receive action during the upcoming legislative session.  

VETO SESSION PREVIEW

"Auditing Your Tech Stack"

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Hyatt Lodge - Oak Brook

8:00 am - 11:00 am

The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) Research and Education Committee seminar called, "Auditing Your Tech Stack" is being conducted by Denise Devine, Partner and Operations Expert, SteelToe Consulting LLC.  The program will be held on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 from 8:00 am - 11:00 am. at the Hyatt Lodge Conference Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523, (630) 568-1234. Breakfast is to be made available at 7:45 am.

THE FEE FOR THIS PROGRAM IS $100.00 PER ECA MEMBER.

Program Description:

In this presentation, we will cover the steps to optimize your tech stack and enhance your team's workflow. First, we'll discuss the importance of auditing your existing tech stack using an audit worksheet to identify all apps and tools in use, assess their significance and identify areas of overlap. We will also explore the creation of a technology committee, involving subject matter experts who understand workflow processes to identify needs, challenges, and areas of improvement. Additionally, we'll address the importance of establishing a budget to ensure long-term affordability, discussing budget considerations with the tech committee and IT, enabling informed tool selection and incentivizing tech stack consolidation. Finally, we'll highlight the significance of measuring the tools' impact and evaluating workflow improvements, gathering feedback from team managers to assess the effectiveness of adopted tools, and making necessary adjustments to maximize benefits.

If you're interested in attending the "Auditing Your Tech Stack" seminar, please click on the link below to register or go on-line at the ECA website at: www.ecachicago.com (Event Calendar portion). 

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Please contact the ECA with any questions at (708) 531-0022. We look forward to your participation with the program!  Thank you for your continued support of Association activities.

Denise is a Partner and Operations Expert at SteelToe Consulting LLC, a firm that specializes in helping construction companies integrate and implement modern construction technology and workflows to improve and streamline their businesses. Her focus is on providing operational excellence training, employee and executive coaching, and providing process value stream analysis. Denise began consulting and training programs in 2013 for companies across the construction, automotive, big data, real estate, and finance industries. Her formal education includes an MBA, BA and Certifications in Professional Coaching, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Earned Value Management. With over a decade of experience in project management, analytics, and LEAN, her expertise lies in enhancing team and company performance. Most recently Denise supported a mid-sized electrical contractor as the Operations and Business Development lead where she coordinated and improved business operations and processes, launched a new division, enhanced the organization’s image, and developed and implemented growth strategies, including reducing waste by LEAN optimizing the Program Management process. 

ECA / NECA Joint Safety Forum

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

The Electrical Contractors’ Association of City of Chicago (ECA) Safety Committee along with the Northeastern Illinois Chapter, NECA Safety Committee was proud to sponsor two programs, "NFPA 70B: Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance" - 2 hours, and “NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace" - 4 hour Refresher. The seminars were held on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute (INTECH) in Alsip, Illinois. The Safety Forum had over 50 registrants. Derek Vigstol, e-Hazard facilitated both presentations (summaries below). Adam Meza, National Safety Apparel made a brief presentation between the sessions. We thank both presenters for their time with the Safety Forum!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Pictured from right to left from the Joint Safety Committees (and presenter) are:

Deborah Erbach, Continental Electrical Construction Company,

Jerry McGlynn, ECA Safety Committee Chair, McWilliams Electric Company, Inc.,

Terry Carr, Connelly Electric,

John Coppe, Jamerson & Bauwens Electrical Contractors, Inc.,

Pete Simkus, Connelly Electric,

Derek Vigstol, e-Hazard, and

Tony Sage, Taylor Electric Company.

The Power of Better Episode 6!

In the latest episode of The Power of Better, District 230 partners with Powering Chicago signatory electrical contractor Low Voltage Solutions located in Lockport, Illinois.

Subscribe to Powering Chicago's YouTube channel to keep up with the upcoming episodes of "The Power of Better!"

ECA 2023 Membership Meetings - Educational & Special Events Programming

Please click on the link for a listing of upcoming programs sponsored by the Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) Research & Education Committee, as well as National NECA events, Chapter programs. Registration links provided in pdf.

2023 Programming

SAVE THE DATES

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