LiveWire - April 2024

Industry Events

ECA March Membership Meeting

The Electrical Contractors' Association of the City of Chicago (ECA) March Membership Meeting was held on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Drury Lane Conference Center in Oakbrook Terrace, IL.

The meeting highlighted recent developments in the industry and featured a keynote presentation by Wylie Davidson, motivational speaker and safety culture specialist. Davidson discussed the importance of working for a purpose and creating a legacy of safety.

NECA Midwestern Regional Conference

Over 500 individuals were registered for the NECA Midwestern Regional Conference that was held March 11 – 14, 2024 at the Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas. Amidst the scenic backdrop of the Bahamas, the sessions were well attended.

The Chicago & Cook County Chapter and the Northeastern Illinois Chapter held a joint dinner on March 12, 2024, at the Baths Collanade on the Atlantis's property. Over 120 individuals registered for the special event!

68th Annual Paddy's Day Luncheon

The 68th Annual Paddy’s Day Luncheon was held on Friday, March 15, 2024, at the Chicago Hilton & Towers.

Highlights of the program include the following:

Collen Cramer, President of Evergreen Supply Company, was the Big Shillelagh for 2024;
The Shannon Rovers made an outstanding appearance;
Mike Reynolds, Midwest Interstate Electric, won the 2024 Francis P. Cummins Award;
Next year’s Big Shillelagh was announced – David Witz, President of Continental Electrical Construction Company.

Advance the Service & Maintenance of Your Electrical Contracting Business in 2024

The ECA Research and Education Committee and the ECA Safety Committee proudly sponsored a 2-Day Master Class on March 25 – 26, 2024. The session was called, "2 Day Master Class - Advance the Service & Maintenance of Your Electrical Contracting Business in 2024" - "Dominate Your Market, Learn the Ins and Outs of Compliancy Utilizing NFPA 70E and NFPA 70B."

The program was held at the Hyatt Lodge Conference Center in Oak Brook. 25 registered for the seminar! The program was facilitated by Sean Samson, Samson Training, Ltd. & Kylie Taylor, Megawatt Training & Consulting.

ECA Membership Meeting - April 10, 2024

ECA Membership Meeting

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Union League Club

65 W. Jackson

Chicago, IL

(312) 427-7800

Registration / Networking: 12:00 pm

Lunch: 12:30 pm

Business Session: 1:15 pm

Event Concludes: 2:30 pm

Complimentary Valet Parking /Validated Garage Parking

The ULC requires at least Business Casual Attire

(Business casual includes a collared shirt, turtleneck, slacks, or skirt with blouse or sweater).

The luncheon program will feature industry updates and guest presentations from Grant Ullrich, Managing Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Buildings (DOB), and Jared Policicchio, Deputy Commissioner and Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer, discussing Chicago's proposed "Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance." We look forward to seeing you there!

Jared Policicchio

Deputy Commissioner, Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer

Grant Ullrich

Managing Deputy Commissioner, Chicago Department of Buildings

"Contracting with M/WBE Vendors- The Do's and The Don'ts" Seminar - April 10, 2024

The Pre-Membership Meeting Program is from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm.

April 10, 2024

Union League Club of Chicago

65 W. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60604

Join us for insight into the essential guidelines and pitfalls to avoid when engaging with minority and women-owned businesses in the electrical contracting industry. Discover strategies for diversity, compliance, and partnerships.

Jaemie L. Neely, Executive Director, Federation of Women Contractors

"Reasonable Suspicion" Seminar - April 11, 2024

Thursday, April 11, 2024

8:00 am - 10:30 am

Maggiano's Banquets

240 Oakbrook Ctr.

Oak Brook, IL 60523

(Breakfast included - to be available by 7:45 am)

Substance abuse in the workplace is a problem with negative consequences for employees and employers. Most people avoid having drug or alcohol use affect their work time and performance, but some employees struggle to keep their substance use from affecting their employment.

Bill Heffernan, co-founder of Employee Resource Systems, Inc. (ERS) and ScreenSafe, Inc.

Frontline Leadership Development Program - April 11, 2024

Save the Date: Join us on April 11th, 2024, from 2 to 4 PM, for the kick-off of a journey that promises growth, innovation, and success.

Why You Should Be Excited:

Learn from interactive workshops and real-life case studies.
Connect and grow with peers in an engaging, dynamic environment.
Master leadership skills that will elevate your career and our projects to new heights.

This program is free and open to all ECA Members and their Employees! Your participation is greatly encouraged. Please contact ECA with any questions.

Program Overview:

5:00 pm to 8:00 pm: Bowling, Bocce, and Networking.

NECA 2024 Legislative Conference: May 6-8, 2024

Washington, D.C.

This conference is the premier event for electrical contractors to hear about the top legislative issues affecting the industry and meet the leaders who are working to provide real solutions. During this three-day conference, participants will take part in high-level interactions with policymakers at the highest levels of the government.

NECA’s top legislative priorities for 2024 are aimed at optimizing the business climate for electrical contractors:

• Tax Code Updates

• Energy and Infrastructure policy

• Permitting Reform

• Apprenticeships

• Labor Policy

Learn More

Education

ECA / NECA Safety Forum “Workplace Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Training" - April 26, 2024

Friday, April 26, 2024

8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

DuPage / Local 701 JATC

28600 Bella Vista Parkway

Warrenville, Illinois

(630) 393-1701

Hear From:

John Newquist, CSC, is the instructor of the "Workplace Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Training."
Local 701 MAP representatives will be giving a MAP update
Local 134 MAP / ERS update by Kathleen Horton, ERS
Construction Industry Alliance Suicide Prevention update by Kevin O'Shea, Shamrock Electric Company, Inc.

There is no cost to attend this event, but advance registration is required.

This program is complimentary to ECA / NECA members.

To REGISTER, please click on the link below.

You must use the COMP CODE: ECA MEMBER when registering (ECA MEMBER is all uppercase).