Help MEA Protect You and Your Business

YOUR ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT. . . maximizes MEA’s ability to protect you when the Legislature goes into session. Bill Strusinski is MEA’s quarterback, Judi Rubin is our General Manager, and we are the offense, defense and owners. Bill and Judi can get laws and regulations changed, and even killed, without our help. We hire them to be our voice and they do a great job for us. But when they need our help, they send a Government Action Alert email to members. Responding to that email and contacting your legislator cranks up the volume of your voice in direct proportion to the number of responses.

Regulators and legislators listen to YOU. For example, two years ago Bill Strusinski, Judi Rubin, Eric Seanger, and Ken and Andrew Javens met with the leadership of the Department of Labor (MN DLI) about proposed changes to the electrical statute that would have possibly doubled the amount of recordkeeping for many of us (among other things). It sounded like a great idea, but the burden it would have put on you could have required hiring additional staff and could have reduced the time you could spend working for your customers. Legislators are not running a small business. They could not possibly know the effect these requirements would have on your office operations. If we want good government, it is our job to provide this information! Once the leadership at MN DLI understood the amount of time that it would take for a small contractor—they evaluated other ways they could get this information—and pulled the bill!

MEA Members . . . be sure to subscribe to MEA’s Government Action Compliance Updates if you want to receive email updates about new laws, new regulatory compliance initiatives, and more.

MEA Nonmembers . . . If you are not a member, you can receive the alerts for as little as $33 a month (depending on your company size), as well you would be providing the financial support that allows MEA to spend even more time fighting for electrical contractors by becoming a member of MEA.

Solar Construction Booming in Minnesota . . . as a result of renewable energy mandates backed up by tax credits. As a result, there are enough new “solar gardens” to produce more than 10 times the state’s current solar load. This growth will create a huge opportunity for electrical contractors who 
• are interested in diversifying into a field with great growth potential
• have a skilled team of solar installers
Solar is so important that the MN CCLD electrical team have created a full page of links to solar information on the MN DLI website at www.dli.mn.gov/CCLD/ElectricalSolar.asp. Jeff Keljik, MEA’s director of education, is investigating training options for members interested in adding solar as a specialty field.

Thank you for allowing me to be Chair of your Board of Directors. I knew that the return on the time I invested would result in increased knowledge. If you want to learn how to improve your operations and leadership . . . join a committee and come to the meetings. While my term will end in mid-April . . . there are many smart, successful electrical contractors who can step in and lead the association. Volunteer today to serve on a committee—go to the “Join Now” page or http://tiny.cc/ay2e9x. To learn more about MEA, please join us at the Spring Leadership Conference April 11-13. We invite you to join us!