Summer Conference Results--
Productive, Valuable, Interesting and Fun

by Judi Rubin, President

Members reported that they gained a great deal of knowledge from the product show and meetings, and had a wonderful time reconnecting and talking business over the many social events. The families had fun at the St. Paul Saints game, spouses and kids events in the Hospitality Suite, and the Lake Minnetonka boat cruise. A reminder—as members, you are invited to join us and to participate in the contractor action teams.

Education Committee… reviewed the recently launched self-paced exam prep course that has gained high interest from members so far. The committee also provided valuable marketing feedback on several of our up and coming programs from the contractor point of view. Education continues to be a top benefit to our members, and our committee has done a wonderful job to help develop those initiatives.

Workforce Development… is a hot topic! The committee has been instrumental in helping the association re-vamp its current recruiting video for use at schools, job fairs, and the website. Production for the new video will begin this fall. Roslyn Wade, formally of the MNDLI, attended part of the meeting as a special guest to discuss development of an introduction to electrical construction course for people interested in entering the trade.

Product Service Committee… reported on several new initiatives that were implemented to increase attendance and engagement at the product show. Feedback from the vendors was positive, and they enjoyed the new layout of the show and the connections they made with contractors. The committee will meet to develop further improvements for next year.

Board of Directors… a financial report was provided, which noted that the association is in excellent financial standing. Sales of the 2017 NEC books are strong. Federated Insurance explained cyber security precautions owners can use to protect their businesses. Bill Strusinski provided a briefing of issues affecting electrical contractors in the 2017 session.

Exchanging ideas with other contractors and enjoying time with family and friends continue to be important reasons for members to attend. Everyone was happy to be busy at work and glad to take time to focus on improving their businesses and have fun.

Please join us December 1-3 in Bloomington for the Winter Business Conference!