Greetings!
Welcome to the May 2009 edition of the Electrical Contractors' Association newsletter LiveWire.
We hope that you will be able to participate with a number of
upcoming Association activities. Please review the
newsletter and learn more about the NECA 2009 Convention, availability
of ELECTRI International publications, the many Research and Education
Committee programs that are being offered through the ECA, as well as
the programs offered through National NECA's Management Education
Institute (MEI), legislative visit with Congresswoman Judy Biggert,
among other areas.
We hope that all signatory contractors
within the Cook County area will make the commitment to the industry
and join our Association. Please contact the ECA office at:
(708) 531-0022 or by fax at: (708) 531-0071 or visit our website
at: www.ecachicago.com for membership information. Please give us some feedback about the ECA LiveWire Newsletter. We'd appreciate your comments. Best regards, ECA Chicago |
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ECA April Membership Meeting
The
Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) held its
April Membership Meeting on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at the Harry
Caray's Restaurant in Chicago, Illinois. The guest speaker,
Commissioner Richard Monocchio of the City of Chicago Department of
Buildings (DOB) gave a brief synopsis of his responsibilities as
Commissioner and discussed areas of concern for electrical
contractors. Highlights of his presentation included the
following: customer service is of the utmost importance; the DOB
assisted the City of Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid Committee with the recent
visit by the International Olympic Committee (IOC); the federal
stimulus plan is giving millions of dollars to Chicago to assist with
O'Hare International Airport work, improvements at Navy Pier, road
construction, housing projects, among other areas. He
acknowledged the positive impact of the Electrical Contractors'
Association of City of Chicago's membership that assisted with the
initial evaluation of the on-line electrical permitting system which
has expanded to many other areas. Due to the current economy,
permitting consists primarily of rehab work rather than new
construction. Commissioner Monocchio stressed that the DOB will
continue to enforce the building code to the best of their
abilities. He briefly discussed Inspection Division changes and
Inspection appointments being made on-line. He concluded by
inviting the Association to participate with an Advisory Committee
consisting of various industry groups that meets periodically in regard
to DOB activities. After the question and answer session, the
Commissioner was met with a round of applause. We thank
Commissioner Monocchio for his time and efforts to inform our members.
Pictured from left to right:
Commissioner Richard Monocchio, City of Chicago Dept. of Bldgs.,
Brad Weir, ECA President, Kelso-Burnett Co. and
Michael Reynolds, Chicago Dept. of Bldgs. | |
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NECA Convention
Complete registration information for the 2009 NECA Convention will be  distributed
soon. The "NECA 2009" brochure will include information on the NECA
Trade Show, educational seminars, and social events. Please read
the brochure carefully, paying attention to the registration, payment,
and cancellation policy information.
Please visit www.necaconvention.org to
register for the NECA Convention/Accommodations on-line.
Registration begins on May 15, 2009. Visa, MasterCard and
American Express are accepted credit cards. The regular NECA
Convention registration fee is $895 per NECA member, and $375 for the
member's spouse. However, those who register on or before July
24, 2009 will receive the "early bird" price of $825.00 for members and
$335.00 for the member's spouse. If NECA Show only: $75.00;
If Management Seminars only: $450.00.
IF NOT STAYING IN A HOTEL BOOKED THROUGH CONVENTION MANAGEMENT RESOURCES (CMR), REGISTRATION FEE IS AN ADDITIONAL $155.00.
After
ECA members have sent NECA their registration information/payment(s) or
have done so on-line, we ask that they please send a copy of their
completed registration form (or copy of on-line transaction) to the
Association office. This will allow us to have a record of
the registration information, should any member need any assistance
after registering.
NECA is offering numerous educational
opportunities that are being held pre-convention as well as during the
Convention. Lighting Workshops, NJATC Training Tracks, Codes and
Standards Tracks, LEED information in regard to responsibilities of the
electrical contractor among other areas are available pre-convention;
Management Seminars and Technical Workshops are held during the
Convention. Details of these conferences can be found in the "NECA
2009" brochure.
The Chicago and Cook County Chapter has
reserved a block of rooms at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel - detailed
information regarding the hotel can be found at: http://www.fairmont.com/seattle
or by calling the hotel direct at: (206) 621-1700. The room
types based on availability in the room block are: Fairmont
Deluxe King Bed Rooms (standard room) and Fairmont Executive
Suites. The Chicago & Cook County Chapter has requested that
the bulk of the block consist of the Executive Suites due to the
Fairmont's discount pricing; however, the Fairmont Deluxe King Bed
Rooms (standard rooms) are to be made avilable upon
request. The deposit for either room is $300.00. The actual
room rate for the Deluxe is $235.00 before the early-bird cut-off date
of July 24th at that point it will be $255.00 and the actual room rate
for the Deluxe Executive is $255.00 before the early-bird cut-off date
of July 24th at that point it will be $275.00.
If at all
possible, reservations should be made by credit card for both the
Convention registration and accommodation reservation. If you're
paying by check, the accommodation amount as well as registration fee
to the Convention must be separate checks and both made payable to
"NECA."
The Trade Show will be held at Washington
State Convention and Trade Center; however, several events will be
off-site. The Opening Reception is being held on Saturday,
September 12th at the Sheraton Hotel Ballroom. The Opening
General Session is scheduled for Sunday, September 13th and will
feature Howard Behar, Vice President of Sales and Operations for
Starbucks. The Closing General Session is scheduled for
Tuesday, September 15th and will have Eric Weihenmayer, world-class
blind adventurer, as the presenter. The Closing Celebration is
arranged for the evening of Tuesday, September 15th and will have a
custom performance by Cirque Dreams at McCaw Hall. Further
information on all Convention and Show activities can be found in the
"NECA 2009" brochure.
Also, the Chicago and Cook
County Chapter function is scheduled for Sunday, September 13th at a
location to be decided. Again, registration opens on May 15th and
you can visit on line at www.necaconvention.org for registration information. |
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ELECTRI International Publications
The
Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) Research
and Education Committee is pleased to inform you of the latest reports
from the ELECTRI International - The Foundation for Electrical
Construction, Inc.
The first report, "Ideal
Jobsite Inventory Levels to Improve Profitability" - (Index #:
F2804) examines the impact excess quantities of materials can have on
labor hours.
The second report, "The Emergence of the IBS
Contractor" - (Index #: F2803)focuses on the future market for an
IBS contractor and identifies ways that the electrical contractor can
fulfill this role.
The third report, "Electrical
Pre-Construction Planning Process Implementation Manual" - (Index
#: F2806) examines the relationship between pre-construction
planning and project performance and devises a process through which
electrical contractors can improve planning methods to achieve
increased productivity.
Copies of any ELECTRI
International publication may be ordered by calling the NECA Order Desk
at: (301) 215-4504. The cost of any additional report is
$20 each.
However, each report is also to be made
available as a FREE PDF download on the National Electrical Contractors
Association (NECA) on-line store at: www.necanet.org/necastore. Later this year, ELECTRI International reports will only be available in the PDF or 'print-on-demand' formats.
You
may contact the ECA office at: (708) 531-0022 for a copy of each
document, as well. Still another opportunity to receive the
report(s) is by attending the May 13, 2009 ECA Membership Meeting -
based on quantities available, a copy of each will be made available to
one accredited representative per member firm that is interested in
obtaining the publication(s).
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ECA Educational Programming Update
The recent NECA MEI seminar called, "Advanced Project Management
Workshop Series: Risk Identification and Mitigation" was
held on Monday, April 13, 2009 at the Marriott Oak Brook Hotel, Oak
Brook, Illinois. It was well-attended and the program
offered experienced project managers an opportunity to explore the
types of risk they confront each day. Throughout the session,
each participant had an opportunity to collaborate with other
experienced project managers to better understand the role of project
management in their business.
Also, just a reminder
that there are other upcoming educational opportunities available
through the efforts of the ECA Research and Education Committee.
The NECA MEI program called, "Principles and Practices of Project
Scheduling" is to be held on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at the Hyatt O'Hare
Hotel, Rosemont, Illinois. This program offers a comprehensive
overview of basic scheduling concepts and their applications to
electrical contracting, including the use of arrow and precedence
diagrams and bar charts and computational techniques used in precedence
networks. Resource loading, the use of the schedule as a project
management tool, and the communication of scheduling information will
also be discussed. Topics covered include basic scheduling
concepts, project and work breakdown structure, bar charts and the
two-week look-ahead, and activity duration and
scheduling. Registration information has already
been forwarded to the ECA membership.
In
addition, the Basic Electrical Estimating Workshop has been scheduled
for May 18-21, 2009 at the Hyatt Lodge in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Registration information has already been sent to all ECA
members. We hope that you will be able to take advantage of these
programs.
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| ECA IIT IPRO
The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of
Chicago (ECA) has worked with the Illinois Institute of Technology
(IIT) with its Interprofessional (IPRO) Program for three
semesters. The students have completed the project that focused
on "green" technologies and electrical construction. A web-based
template to aid electrical contractors who pursue or are about to
embark on bidding "green" projects has been finalized and is currently
being reviewed by the ECA Student Relations/IPRO Subcommittee. It
is anticipated that this template will be made available as a resource
for electrical contractors to utilize.
The ECA thanks all of the members who
volunteered their time to initiate, as well as review the progress of
the students with this project. We also thank the ECA Executive
Commitee for pursuing this educational endeavor.
Finally, we wish to thank the IIT facilitators and the students for
their particiaption with this unique project.
The ECA Subcommittee is reviewing the option(s)
for sponsoring another IIT IPRO for the Fall
Semester.
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NECA IIT Student Chapter
The Association is pleased to announce that the NECA IIT Student
Chapter had their first meeting on April 23, 2009 at
IIT. The meeting gave the students the opportunity
to familiarize themselves with the ECA, the Chicagoland electrical
construction industry, NECA and our member contractors. We
appreciate the support of the membership and anticipate many joint
efforts with the students. |
May Meeting Location Changed
The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of
Chicago (ECA) Membership Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, 2009
will be held at a different location than previously reported.
The meeting will be held at the Wyndham Drake Oak Brook Hotel, Oak
Brook, Illinois. The venue was changed to accommodate an ECA
Research and Education Committee pre-meeting presentation by Alan
Linder, Truland Electric regarding the state of the industry. We
hope that all ECA members will be able to attend.
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| Visit with Judy Biggert
A number of ECA Legislative Committee members, as
well as at-large members were on-hand to meet with Congresswoman Judy
Biggert on Tuesday, April 14, 2009. The discussion ranged from
the impact of the economy on all sectors of business to issues
pertaining to the electrical construction industry. We wish to
thank Congresswoman Biggert, as well as our ECA representatives in
supporting the industry.
Pictured above from left to right are:
Daniel Durkin, Sr. Durkin Electric Company, Inc.,
Richard Saklak, The Best Guaranteed Electrical Contractors, Inc.,
James McGlynn, Sr., McWilliams Electric Company, Inc., Congresswoman Judy Biggert,
David Witz, Continental Electrical Construction Company and
Thomas Halperin, Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago |
| Electrical Design Library Publication
The
Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) has
recently received the latest ELECTRICAL DESIGN LIBRARY monograph.
The publication is called, "Your Solar Energy
Options." The report discusses progress on costs and production
of solar energy, as well as newer solar technology, energy efficiency,
among other areas.
This document and other reports are available on-line at: www.electricaldesignlibrary.com. You may visit the ECA website at: www.ecachicago.com
in the "Latest News" area. This report will also be made
available at the May 13, 2009 Electrical Contractors' Association of
City of Chicago (ECA) Membership Meeting. You may also contact
the ECA office at: (708) 531-0022 for a copy(ies).
We hope that you will find this document useful and informative.
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February 2009 Industry Statistics |
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2008 |
2009 |
Number of Contractors
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918 |
867 |
| Journeymen & Apprentices Employed |
10,891 |
10,038 |
| Monthly Hours Worked |
1,314,833 |
1,064,341 |
| Cumulative Hours Worked for Period |
2,694,356 |
2,161,717 | | |
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UPCOMING EVENTS
May 4 - May 7, 2009
NECA Legislative Conference and PLC Summit
Washington D.C.
May 13, 2009
ECA Regular Membership Meeting
--NEW LOCATION--
Drake Oakbrook Hotel
Oak Brook, IL
May 14, 2009
NECA MEI "Principles and Practices of Project Scheduling"
Hyatt O'Hare Hotel
Rosemont, IL
May 18 - 21, 2009
ECA Basic Electrical Estimating Workshop
Hyatt Lodge
Oak Brook, IL
May 20 - 22, 2009
CISCO - Public Construction Value Conference
Edgewood Restaurant
Itasca, IL
Registration info.:
(630) 472-9411
June 3 - 4, 2009
ECA 38th Annual Spring Conference
Grand Geneva Resort
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
June 18 - 19, 2009
NECA MEI "Project Management for Electrical Contractors"
Location TBA |
We Need Your Comments
The
Association urges all members to utilize the many resources that are
available on-line at the ECA website. We hope that the
information provided will help you better run your business, by helping
you become aware of what's new in the marketplace not only in the
Chicago area, but nationwide.
Available in
the On-Line Resources section of the ECA Website is the Equipment
& Material Member Exchange.
Visit the "Member's Only" section and unlock all the features
provided to ECA members.
The Events area of the
site is constantly being updated. Please view the calendar for
upcoming educational programming, as this dynamic is
ever-changing. We hope that you will take advantage of the
on-line surveys, polls, etc. Your participation will assist in the
development of future programs offered by the Association.
Please
let us know how we're doing and send your comments via e-mail.
Visit the "Contact Us" portion of the website.
We look forward to your visit to: www.ecachicago.com.
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