Electrical Association

A Word from the Chair: Be Heard! Be Safe! Be There--the MEA Spring Conference and NCEL Expo

Written by Eric Seanger

The best reason to join us at the MEA Spring Conference and the NCEL Expo is this--business owners can't talk to their competition or their employees about their problems. We need friends in the business who we don't compete with to brainstorm with about our challenges. A few of us have parents or siblings to talk to when the going gets tough—but there is nothing like a room full of electrical contractors exchanging ideas, telling war stories, and sometimes even hiring each other for specialized work—to restore optimism.

Make your voice heard... Government Action Chair, Dutch Hasskamp, has been working closely with Bill Strusinski, John Ploetz and Judi Rubin to act on bills flying through the legislature. The world is run by those who speak up so thank you to the many members who have:

• Returned MEA's Government Action Surveys quickly so we know what to oppose and support.
• E-mailed, phoned, or written to their MN senator or representative. You have made a big difference in opposing harmful laws and supporting good ones.

Members are invited to attend the Government Action Committee meeting April 13 to decide what action to take during the last few weeks of the session. Contact the office to reserve a seat for this meeting and/or to get added to the Govt Action Alert e-mail list.

Be Safe... Come to the dinner meeting on April 13 to hear Paul Krmpotich, MEA's head of training, share his insights about "Once you lead an electrician to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), who can make him use it?" Electricians are smart, analytical and courageous by nature but even they can get in a hurry. It is amazing how powerful the hug of a child or the smile of a spouse can be in reminding electricians to take those few extra precautions. Paul will talk about what we can do to help electricians remember that safety is a family affair.

Residential & Service Council... Contractors who do residential and service work have asked for time at MEA's conferences to talk shop about their biggest problems and their best practices. Members who do this kind of work are invited join us on April 14 just before the NCEL Expo. Here are some of the questions that will be addressed: What is the latest forecast for the housing market? How can we bill accurately so we stop giving work away for FREE? How do we know which of our electricians are most productive? How do we make sure electricians complete all of the work on the order so we can avoid expensive complaints and call backs?

Best Value procurement allows for price and other factors... At this "members only" meeting, join us in discussing with a government procurement expert and contractors how "best value teams" can succeed in being awarded the project. While there will be no discussion of prices, members will share their reasons for their successes and failures under the other factors allowed by last year's law.

NCEL Expo, Rebate Programs, & New Products... MEA's meetings end on Wednesday morning so we can hit the product show and seminars at the NCEL Expo to get new ideas and great prices.

I would personally like to invite members to attend MEA's Spring Conference on April 13-14 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. The committees and Federated Appreciation Dinner will meet on April 13 and the Annual Board Meeting will be held on April 14. You can register by calling the office. Hope to see you there.