the national electrical contractors association...

The National ElectricalContractors Association

Annual Report2003

L O C A L P R O G R A M S • N A T I O N A L I N F L U E N C E • G L O B A L R E A C H

2 National Electrical Contractor’s Association Annual Report 2003

Table of Contents

3 Message from Ben Cook

3 Message from John Grau

4 Labor Relations

6 Government Affairs

7 NECA Convention and Meetings

8 Standards and Safety

9 Management Education Institute

10 Marketing

11 Services

12 Electrical Contractor Magazine

13 Contacts

In the .pdf version of this annual report, you canclick on a topic to the right in the table of contentsto jump to that page.

3Annual Report 2003 National Electrical Contractor’s Association

Messages from President Ben CookandCEO John Grau


A Message from NECA President Ben Cook

Some accomplishments are so bigand filled with potential that they au-tomatically gain status as obvious turn-ing points. The impact of other activ-ities lay the foundation for gains in thefuture. That’s how it’s been for NECAin 2003 — a year of progress, achievedor initiated.

One of those achievements in the“big and obvious”category was the en-actment of the NECA-IBEW Voice-

Data-Video National Agreement designed to build and retain astable and qualified workforce to help signatory contractors im-prove their competitiveness in technology-driven markets. It wasanother major accomplishment when NECA formed an officialAlliance with OSHA, which acknowledges our association’s lead-ership and long tradition of promoting worker safety and healthand will boost NECA’s ability to continue to develop and deliv-er effective safety resources.

Also this year, Electrical Contractor magazine brought forthan entirely new publication, Security & Life Safety Systems mag-azine, which is already delivering vital information and educa-tion to thousands of participants in this marketplace. Anotherhighlight was the establishment of NECA’s Political LeadershipCouncil to reinvigorate our association’s national governmentaffairs effort. The list goes on.

Through such activities as these and numerous others (in-cluding the development of new Management Education Pro-grams, the application of Electrical Contracting Foundation re-search, and continuing strides in implementing NECA’sLong-Range Strategic Plan), NECA has brought immediate andongoing benefits to its members and the entire industry. As re-vealed in these pages, 2003 has been a very good year — and thestart of many good years to come.

A Message from NECA CEO John Grau

Tough economic times have notdeterred NECA from its unrelentingmission. By recognizing changing con-ditions and meeting challenges head-on, our association has continued toadvance the interests of its membersand the electrical contracting indus-try in meeting the needs of increas-ingly demanding customers in the21st century.

This focus is evident in pivotal eventsranging from the 2003 VDV/Integrated Building Systems Con-ference & Expo — the first NECA-sponsored VDV program toaddress integration as a focal point of the market mix and an im-portant element of today’s electrical contracting industry — tothe NECA Show, beginning its 50th year as the industry’s pre-mier exposition by featuring cutting-edge technologies and pro-viding information and education to help contractors broadentheir knowledge and skills.

Similarly, NECA has combined insight with progressive ac-tion in its work on new projects and ongoing initiatives. An ex-ample of the former is the groundwork laid for establishing theElectrical Technology Institute to foster information exchangeand increased cooperation among North America’s electrical con-tractors.An example of the latter is NECA’s work in our fifth yearas an ANSI-accredited standard developing organization.

In addition, day-to-day efforts have enabled our associationto improve our use of communication and information tech-nology and expand our outreach to diverse segments withinNECA’s membership and the broader electrical industry. In fact,NECA’s activities in 2003 show clearly that our association is notonly attuned to emerging trends and changing market demandsbut is also the leader in shaping the industry we represent.


I N F L U E N C E • G L O B A L R E A C H

NECA’s labor relations activities are key to maintaining astrong, working industry and are considered to be amongthe most important of NECA’s functions as the leader in elec-trical construction.These are highlights of 2003:

Council on Industrial Relations (CIR)

The Council’s ability to address the real problems of the in-dustry while equitably resolving local disagreements is why theCIR remains the most unique and effective dispute resolutionvehicle available in the construction industry.

The CIR’s caseload was up from the last two years. The inter-im meeting process continued to work well with approximately60% of filed cases being solved at home in 2003. This upwardtrend in CIR cases could be attributed to a number of things, butit seems that a slightly down economy and increased health carecosts have played a major role.

Voice-Data-Video National Agreement

In June 2003, the Voice-Data-Video National Agreement (VD-VNA), procedures for becoming signatory, and a letter of assentwere consummated and distributed to all NECA chapters. Theyare also available on www.NECANET.org. The agreement be-tween an employer and the IBEW is a result of several years of

meetings and negotiations by the NECA VDV Task Force andnational staff. It serves to fill the void in areas across the nationthat do not yet have a local agreement to address the voice-data-video market.

National Substance Abuse Policy

A working group of NECA contractors, chapter and nationalstaff was formed in June 2003 to respond to the InternationalBrotherhood of Electrical Workers’ (IBEW) willingness to discussa national drug policy. Several conference calls and meetings withthe IBEW committee took place in 2003 as NECA worked toachieve a new policy that will be beneficial to both parties.

Labor Relations Conferences and Seminars

Approximately 220 NECA members and chapter staff attendedthe national Labor Relations Conference held October 19-21,2003 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Featuring a range of topics, fromlegal issues to owners’ perspectives to the mechanics of negotia-tions, this conference took a broad view of the labor relationsfunctions of NECA while the annually conducted Mutual GainsBargaining Workshop focused specifically on the interest-basedor “win-win” style of negotiations. A Mutual Gains BargainingWorkshop was held at the Voice-Data-Video (VDV) Conferencein Las Vegas in March and another is scheduled for the March2004 VDV Conference.

Employee Benefits Conference

This conference was created to keep trust fund administra-tors and trustees informed of current information that mightpossibly affect them. This year’s Employee Benefits Conferencewas held in Phoenix,Arizona, January 16-17. There will be a con-ference January 15-16, 2004, in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Flori-da area; and, to take advantage of an opportunity to coordinatemeetings with the National Coordinating Committee for Mul-tiemployer Plans, a conference will be sponsored in December2004 in Florida.

Labor Agreement Summary

When inside agreements are sent in for review, as required bythe National Bylaws, Article III, Section 13, pertinent wages andconditions are now being posted on the www.NECANET.org pri-vate site for members’ convenience, replacing the old paper basedsystem. The Labor Relations office is investigating the feasibility

Labor Relations

of expanding this service to include outside, residential, VDV,and other agreements.

National Labor Management Cooperative Committee(NLMCC)

The NLMCC is in its eighth full year of operation with im-pressive results. A number of programs have been establishedand prioritized including an internal national magazine for elec-trical workers and their employers (The Quality Connection),advertisements in 23 national and regional publications, bannerads on electronic magazines, websites for apprentices, regionalmeetings, and a joint partnering program for local areas.A num-ber of other local programs have also been funded. Key amongthe national programs has been the Career Action Kits inform-ing students and teachers of the opportunities for careers in ourindustry. A series of personal CDs were developed and distrib-uted for the specific markets of end users, non-union recruits,high school students, lineman recruits for chapter and local unionuse. Partnering is about communications between NECA andthe IBEW, labor and management, and the customer and therehave been over 130 programs since 1998.

State of the Industry Survey

The eighth survey was conducted over the summer. Resultsfor the survey, are being posted on the www.NECANET.org pri-vate site. As in the earlier surveys, this year’s returns showed thatthe majority of IBEW local unions with whom our chapters dealare cooperating with the chapters to regain market share. Thesurvey also provided important information on the types and ef-fectiveness of market recovery programs, local union organizingefforts, man-hours, and agreement provisions. It has also beenindicated by many areas that health insurance costs are drivingtheir local negotiations.

Employment Statistics

Inside Construction Trends, 1992-2001 was posted onwww.NECANET.org in the spring of 2003. The report formatwhich includes IBEW district data has made significant progresstowards more careful comparisons of the productive workforceand payroll in the inside electrical construction industry. It usesa “productive”share of employees and wages computed from the1997 Construction Census. The IBEW, National Electrical Ben-efit Fund (NEBF), and CLRC have cooperated on this report.

Annual Report 2003 National Electrical Contractor’s Association 5


Davis-Bacon

NECA continued an ongoing service to the local chapters withtheir Davis-Bacon programs through the communication of time-ly information and assisting in the resolution of local problems.Davis-Bacon wage determinations are available for members andchapters through the www.NECANET.org members-only siteand the Government Printing Office site on the World Wide Web.This program has been shown to be particularly effective in as-sisting chapters to correct discrepancies, which are discovered intheir locally posted prevailing rates. Guidelines for respondingto the new wage surveys were also posted to www.NECANET.org.

Juristictional Disputes Board

A NECA representative now sits as a member of the Joint Ad-ministrative Committee that oversees the Board’s operations.The National Jurisdictional Disputes Board has traditional sup-port from NECA as it endeavors to keep jurisdictional disputesto a minimum.

Market Recovery and Organizing

An aggressive effort must be maintained on all levels if we aregoing to regain market share. Experience has taught us that lo-cally developed solutions are most often the best possible pro-grams for regaining lost work. These efforts will only be suc-cessful if both labor and management support them. However,we as employers must be aggressive and use these programs inorder for them to be effective. Labor Management CooperationCommittees, Mutual Gains Bargaining Workshops and Partner-ing Programs can contribute significantly in these efforts. TheIBEW announced a new emphasis and reorganization of theirorganizing efforts and expressed the hope that NECA membersand chapters would be willing to assist their efforts to the extentpossible.



Every year NECA continuously tracks ongoing legislativeand regulatory issues,and launches new and continuing ef-forts accordingly. The Association invests significant time incarefully cultivating relationships and alliances to win theear,confidence and votes of Representatives who make thedecisions that affect our industry.

At times issues move slowly, often taking years to reach a res-olution. However, through victories large and small, and with de-termination, NECA has followed its track record of success andmade positive progress.

CQC Conference

The 2003 Campaign for Quality Construction National IssuesConference was held in May.

As in past years, the efforts and actions of NECA members whoattended the conference were instrumental in raising awarenesson issues important to our industry. Among the issues of focus atthis year’s conference were the Contractors Accountability Act,funding relief for Multiemployer Pension Plans, energy issues, andprevailing wages in innovative federal program financing.

Meeting attendees also heard the inside scoop about what washappening on Capitol Hill from Members of Congress, includ-ing Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Congressman Collin Peterson(D-MN), Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH), Sherwood Boehlert(R-NY) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY). The legislators spoke onvarious initiatives and offered tips on how NECA members’voic-es can be heard.

ECPAC and the Political Leadership Cuoncil

The Electrical Construction Political Action Committee (EC-PAC), continues to be a strong force in Washington, DC.

Electrical contracting needs greater visibility, greater access,and greater influence to achieve greater results for each of us. Onthe Hill, larger PACs, those with more than a million dollars, havegreater influence. They are the big players and command atten-tion. NECA wants to be a part of that elite crowd and recently seta goal to take its PAC to the million-dollar level.The Political Lead-ership Council was launched in 2003 as a means to assist in reach-ing this goal. And, with more than $406,000 at the writing of thisarticle, the Association is nearly halfway there.

With the inception of the newly formed Council, NECA isquickly headed in the right direction and stands to soon becomean even more powerful force. The Council works to keep NECAmembers more fully engaged so that the Association will have agrowing impact upon the business, labor, and tax issues that arecritical to our industry’s strength and prosperity.

NECA Working Closely With IBEW

NECA has a history of working well with the InternationalBrotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and this year workedin conjunction with the IBEW on a record number of issues.

In March, Bob White, NECA’s Director of Government Affairs,and Bruce Burton with the IBEW Legislative Affairs Departmentspoke jointly at the annual Voice-Data-Video Conference in LasVegas. They made clear to an audience of NECA and IBEW mem-bers the issues on which the two organizations are able to worktogether to make a stronger impact. Issues included applicationof prevailing wage, pension and energy issues, and compensatorytime in lieu of overtime pay. The partnership will continue.

NECA Fights to be Heard on Energy Bill

Cross-subsidization is when a utility uses ratepayer funds tosubsidize a non-utility affiliate. NECA has fought for years to putan end to this unfair competitive practice.

The Association came as close as it has ever come to a work-able solution to the problem of cross-subsidization when Sena-tors Feingold (D-WI) and Brownback ( R-KS) introduced anamendment to the Senate energy bill in July.

Unfortunately, NECA fell two votes short of passing theamendment, which would have created a distinct separation be-tween utilities and their unregulated affiliates. At press time, anenergy bill was still unresolved and NECA remained committedto resolving the problem.

Government Affairs


Annual Report 2003

The NECA Convention and Show

For the first time, the NECA Convention and Show took placein Orlando, home to Disney World and numerous other attrac-tions. NECA’s was only the third event to take place in Orlando’sbrand new convention/exposition facility.

Record Attendance

More than 5,000 contractors, electricians and other electricalconstruction industry professionals walked the floor on the open-ing day of the annual NECA Show. In spite of the still sluggisheconomy, the Show did exceptionally well with exhibit space sell-ing out early and experienced healthy registration numbers.Thanks to the outstanding efforts of the Florida Council, a coali-tion of the South, North and Central Florida NECA Chapters, topromote the Convention locally, NECA had a nearly record-breaking number of walk-in attendees.

Two hundred and fifty exhibitors were on hand, providingvisitors access to the industry’s latest time and money saving toolsand services.

General Sessions

NECA condensed the Convention into two time-economicgeneral sessions. In the family-oriented spirit of Orlando, the twosessions were separated by a day reserved for family entertain-ment. John Grau, NECA CEO kicked off the Opening GeneralSession with association news. Well-known writer Dave Barry,whose columns and wit are enjoyed by people around the world,followed with his own special brand of humor.At the Final Gen-eral Session NECA members listened to another literary giant,Bob Woodward, famous for breaking the Watergate scandal inthe Washington Post.

Educational Opportunities

In 2003, NECA continued to offer attendees free technicalworkshops. These informative sessions offer free educationalopportunities so that attendees can learn about the latest in-dustry technologies. Topics included wireless technology, elec-trical safety, best practices and more. The Management Semi-nars offered courses based on recent research studies conductedby the Electrical Contracting Foundation. Classes covered qual-ity training for improved productivity, operation model formaximizing profitability, early warning signs of project distressand many more current issues important to the modern elec-trical contractor.

VDV 2003

The fourth annual Voice-Data-Video (VDV) Expo and Con-ference was held in the Las Vegas Hilton March 10-12. Over 1,700professionals attended the event. A series of educational openconferences were available at the Expo and Conference. Sessionscovered topics such as fiber optics, copper wiring, home au-tomation/networking, and security work.

Regional Conventions

Each year, NECA’s regional offices hold Regional Conventionsto bring industry and Association news to members on a locallevel. The events are especially helpful in making available op-portunities for networking and offering various managementeducation programs to a more focused audience. Each conven-tion hosts industry experts to speak, among other activities. NECAmembers also receive reports from officers on Association andcommittee activities.

ConventionL O C A L P R O G R A M S • N A T I O N A L



NECA safety and standards programs help improve NECAcontractors’ business by raising the level of constructionquality;maximizing safety and productivity on job sites;andcontrolling costs associated with OSHA compliance, insur-ance, and bonding.

National Electrical Installation Standards (NEIS)

NECA’s quality standards for electrical construction haveachieved broad acceptance throughout the industry. They helpbuild NECA contractors’ reputation for professionalism and re-liability and position our association as an industry leader.

There are 23 NEIS in print, and a CD-ROM subscription pro-gram has been introduced.

Workplace Safety

NECA released two important new references during 2003:Contractor Action Plan for OSHA Inspections provides the es-

sential information needed to avoid unexpected violations, ex-plains how to manage the actual inspection, and describes waysto eliminate or reduce citations and fines.

100 Safety Training Talks for Electrical Construction Work is acollection of “toolbox talks” developed especially for the electri-cal contracting industry, in CD-ROM format. They cover work-place electrical hazards and other common construction safetyrisks, and are used by foremen and supervisors to deliver dailyon-the-job safety briefings.

Electrical Codes

NECA maintained a leadership role in the NEC, cornerstoneof the electrical construction industry. This included publicationof the NFPA’s Residential Wiring, authored by Brooke Stauffer,NECA’s executive director of standards and safety. Our Associa-tion also continued spearheading industry opposition to the up-start ICC Electrical Code. Efforts by NECA and its allies pre-vented regulatory adoptions of ICC’s code nationwide.

U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration

NECA-OSHA National Partnership.The NECA and OSHA na-tional offices entered into a joint agreement to cut workplace ac-cidents through a focus on education and training, outreach andcommunication, and a continuing dialogue on safety and healthissues. In return, OSHA pledged to reduce “nuisance”inspectionsand concentrate more on resolving significant safety issues.

Crane Negotiated Rulemaking Committee.NECA is actively par-ticipating in a yearlong drive to develop practical OSHA safety rulesfor construction cranes by consensus, rather than fiat. The negoti-ated regulatory approach brings together all affected interests tohammer out a draft rule, which is then sent out to public review.

Power Line Safety Rules

NECA and its major line contractors are developing a part-nership to improve safety in line construction. It will involve con-tractors, labor, customers, and regulators to develop measures toreduce trauma incidents in this sector.

The Transmission and Distribution Safety Partnership wasinaugurated in fall of 2003. Partners agreed that one of the mostimportant tasks before the group was to change the culture ofwhat is inherently a hazardous business.

Construction Specifications

2003 marked the third year of advocacy by NECA and its al-lies to minimize the extent of changes to the familiar 16-divisionformat in the next release of CSI’s MasterFormat model specifi-cation system. More information is available at www.ibs-16.org.

Insurance

NECA contractors were ready for hard market conditionsthanks to the advance notice, seminars and negotiation adviceoffered by the Association. Getting at the core of problems, amovement for construction tort reform has been launched tolower risks and insurance costs in the future. New relationshipsare also being explored with insurance representatives in prepa-ration for a revived economy.

Standards & Safety


L O C A L P R O G R A M S • N A T I O N A L

The Management Education Institute (MEI)

The Management Education Institute (MEI) oversees the de-velopment of educational programs that provide value as a mem-ber service.

Currently, the MEI curriculum consists of 34 courses, in-cluding seminars introduced in 2003 on alternative dispute res-olution, harnessing technology to increase productivity and anew advanced estimating class, which includes a software show.

A number of MEI seminars were developed in 2003 to be helddirectly at an individual firm location. One large NECA mem-ber, located in Boston, Massachusetts, has contracted directlywith MEI to conduct 10 MEI seminars at its offices, attendedsolely by its employees. MEI intends to expand this type of train-ing for large contractors to allow large firms the option to savetraining funds by hosting courses in their own offices.

Working Relationship with the Electrical ContractingFoundation

The relationship between the Electrical Contracting Founda-tion (ECF) and the MEI now plays a critical role in the develop-ment of new curriculum. To foster an enhanced relationship in2003, MEI was moved strategically into the Foundation’s fold.This change has created a better working connection betweenthe two entities. Now cutting-edge research products producedby the Foundation and focusing on improvement of businessand project management practices are packaged as seminars anddelivered through the MEI program.

MEI also benefits from Wendt Scholarship grants, adminis-tered by the ECF and awarded to chapters with insufficient fundsto host management education programs. In 2003, 13 chaptersreceived funds totalling $25,500 from the Wendt Scholarship.

Executive Management Institute

MEI launched its new Executive Management Institute in2002, targeting senior leaders as well as designated future lead-ers of the electrical contracting industry. Serving as a “capstone”to the MEI management development program, the ExecutiveManagement Institute addresses the critical issues and challengesfacing industry leaders.Weeklong “institutes”were conducted asleadership-building retreats designed to update and strengthenboth the knowledge base and management capabilities of par-ticipants. The last EMI session for 2003 took place in Miami,

NECA works to develop and disseminate knowledge anddata essential to successful management of electrical con-tracting businesses.

Florida from November 12-17 and there was a waiting list forthis popular course. Three classes will be held in 2004.

Electrical Project Supervision

The Electrical Project Supervision (EPS) series has becomefully established at the local level and there are now 265 chapterand regionally based instructors providing supervisory traininglocally and on a flexible schedule to meet the needs of NECAmembers and their employees. MEI conducted more than 80 EPSstudent training sessions involving over 2,300 students, accountingfor almost half of the student enrollment in MEI training pro-grams. The EPS program operates at the local level but is cen-trally maintained, evaluated and updated through MEI.

An agreement was reached between NECA and the Interna-tional Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) to license theEPS program to the Painters and Allied Trades Labor Manage-ment Cooperation Initiative (LMCI). This licensing agreementevolved because the LMCI recognized NECA’s EPS program asthe best supervisory training program in the construction in-dustry.

In 2003, a customized program focused solely on line con-struction foreman was added to EPS program curriculum,. andthis course is also now being taught locally.

Management Education



NECA has seen a busy year with several projects underway.NECA’s marketing services activities are intended to in-crease business opportunities for NECA’s diverse members.The Association serves Line and VDV contractors in additionto commercial and industrial specialist companies of all sizesand geographic locations.

Branding NECA

The development of a NECA Brand has been the major fo-cus in 2003. The project is designed to create a brand identitythat accurately represents the best of what NECA is, so that it caneffectively communicate that identity to the customers that usemembers’ services.

The real challenge is to ascribe a personality to NECA – tocreate a person to which the public can relate. The brand willonly succeed if the personality is a true representation.

Critical elements shaping the brand identity are the mission,vision, and values of the organization and a strategic objective of“more business for NECA members.” Surveys, interviews andother forms of market research guided the project through 2003.NECA’s Marketing Committee identified the essential qualitiesof the organization and its members and created audience mapsof specific customer groups.

Through the years, NECA has attempted to expand its sphereof influence and to better the working environment for electri-cal contractors and their customers. The Association has consis-

tently taken the lead in labor relations, standards development,skills training, management education, and industry research.The new branding effort will highlight this leadership, and makeNECA’s name synonymous with those efforts and tell customerswhat to expect when they hire a NECA contractor. It will alsohelp members recognize that they are innovative, detail-orient-ed problem solvers that offer complete electrical and communi-cations solutions to their customer’s business problems.

The NECA Brand is now ready to move from developmentto recognition through a brand identity implementation processto begin in earnest in 2004.

Value-Added Services

NECA Value-Added Services offer discounts to members onuseful products and services from office supplies to fleet man-agement. New additions to the menu include Constructware,NEBS, and ScreenNow. Constructware offers project manage-ment software for electrical contractors. NEBS is a major sup-plier of business forms and office products. ScreenNow providespre-employment screening services online to help NECA mem-bers make better hiring decisions. Another recent addition is theAmerican Express Corporate Card.

Electrical Design Library (EDL)

NECA published four new issues of the EDL this year. Topicsincluded quality VDV installations; aspects of electrical testing;technology and regulatory issues affecting lighting; and pro-curement practices in electrical construction. The EDL series isdistributed through chapters to electrical contractors, specifiers,and construction users. Each issue provides an overview of newtechnologies, contracting methods, or other topics. The EDL ed-ucates while promoting the services provided by NECA mem-bers.

NECA Connection

NECA continues to maintain and fine-tune the NECA Con-nection service to improve data integrity and resolve coordina-tion issues. NECA assists members in customizing individualcontractor profiles, making the referral service work as intend-ed. Increasingly, the NECA Connection has attracted customersthat must locate contractors to perform electrical and VDV workat multiple locations and across local jurisdictional lines. The As-sociation receives numerous requests for contractors with na-tional or broad regional account capabilities. NECA will be in-vestigating expanding the search capability of the NECAConnection.

Marketing


L O C A L P R O G R A M S • N A T I O N A L

LABOR RELATIONS HELPS MEMBERS BY negotiating the mostcompetitive terms in national agreements; promoting standard-ized contract language; working to reduce the overall cost offringe benefits; keeping members up to date on Department ofLabor actions; collecting current information on labor trends;publishing current information on labor litigation; assuring apositive image for unionized electrical construction; working withthe NJATC to increase employee skills; helping implementnational construction and maintenance agreements.

THE COUNCIL ON INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS PROMOTESMEMBERS’ INTERESTS BY helping to settle local labor disputeswithout job interruption.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS REPRESENTS NECA IN THE CAPITALBY monitoring federal legislation; publishing guidance for federalregulatory compliance; fighting governmental red tape; reportingon industry-related court cases; seeking to reduce the number ofcivil lawsuits; working with allied associations.

ECPAC HELPS TO PROMOTE A CONTRACTOR-FRIENDLYLEGISLATIVE ENVIRONMENT BY supporting pro-NECA legisla-tors.

SAFETY SERVICES BENEFITS MEMBERS BY assuring a safework environment for member employees; enabling members tocomply with OSHA standards; minimizing expenses from injuriesand fatalities; lowering members’ workers’ compensation experi-ence modification rates; providing safety training; working closelywith OSHA to develop standards.

CODES AND STANDARDS PROVIDES MEMBERS WITHTECHNICAL SUPPORT BY working on National Electrical Codecommittees; representing contractors’ interests in the formation ofstandards; promoting safe, efficient equipment standards;working with allied organizations. www.neca-neis.org

MANAGEMENT EDUCATION INSTITUTE HELPS MEMBERSRUN THEIR BUSINESSES BETTER BY publishing importantbusiness data; providing tools for members to accurately accountfor job costs; providing management, foremen, and future leaderstraining; publishing the Manual of Labor Units and the FinancialPerformance Report. www.neca-mei.org

MARKETING SERVICES HELPS MEMBERS CAPITALIZE ONMARKET OPPORTUNITIES BY promoting members’ services;linking customers and members through the NECA Connectionwww.necaconnection.org; promoting contractors’ interests to

manufacturers, distributors, and utilities; providing marketingseminars; identifying emerging markets; publicizing industryactivities; conducting market research.

NECA’S INSURANCE PROGRAM HELPS MEMBERS BYsecuring the best, most competitive coverage; tracking insuranceindustry trends; monitoring insurance-related legislation;providing maximum insurance capacity and availability; commu-nicating all pertinent insurance information; resolving memberinsurance problems in a timely manner; developing and imple-menting specialized insurance programs.

THE NECA CONVENTION AND SHOW PROVIDES an econom-ical opportunity for members to exchange ideas; the best educa-tional seminars available; an exceptional display of electricalproducts and services. www.necashow.org

VDV EXPO is the first voice-data-video exposition cateringspecifically to electrical contractors and other professionals in theelectrical construction industry and offering the latest VDVproducts, information and education. www.vdvexpo.com

NECA’S FIELD STAFF WORKS DIRECTLY WITH MEMBERS BYmediating local labor disputes and counseling members on laborissues.

WWW.NECANET.ORG is the link to the latest industry informa-tion and more.

Services


“The Lead Dog Always Has the Best View.”Electrical Con-tractor magazine has lived by this slogan for three yearsnow; and this vision has guided the publication to greatersuccess and growth in 2003, even in a time of nationaleconomic downturn.

NECA’s nationally circulated Electrical Contractor magazinehas come to be well known for high-quality content and is a pil-lar in the world of construction-related publications. A formi-dable competitor, the magazine enjoys readership that exceeds85,000, making it the undisputed largest publication in the in-dustry. Its reach and influence go far beyond NECA and work tostrengthen the image of both the Association and its members.

Aside from size and strength, Electrical Contractor serves as asource of solid, reliable information about the electrical con-struction industry. The magazine employs the largest editorialstaff in the industry; and each month they pull together storiesfrom writers across the country on a variety of subjects relatedto the business, installation techniques and tools of electrical con-struction.

Electrical Contractor is recognized as the leader in editorialquality, quantity and breadth and depth of information cover-ing not only traditional electrical power but also voice-data-video(VDV), integrated building systems (IBS), and security and lifesafety. The publication conducts market research and provides aprofile of the industry that is so well respected it is often used by

the U.S. government as a source of accurate and current infor-mation about the electrical construction industry.

According to an independent readership study conducted byErdos and Morgan in 2003, Electrical Contractor is preferred bya three-to-one margin over its nearest competitor. The study alsoindicates that NECA’s magazine is received and read regularly bymore people. Seventy-two percent of readers said that ElectricalContractor is most useful in their work as compared to only 27percent for the nearest competitor.

In the tough business climate that was a defining character-istic of 2003, Electrical Contractor not only held its own finan-cially but actually grew. The magazine’s revenue is an importantsource of income for NECA, providing the second largest con-tribution to the Association’s annual budget. This funding helpsNECA to expand programs for members, increase influence inthe industry, and strengthen efforts to support industry interestson Capitol Hill.

Security + Life Safety Systems

NECA continued to publish Security+ Life Safety Systemsmagazine, a new, bi-monthly magazine launched in 2002 to servethe interests of the 44,000 contractors who are actively involvedin installing these types of systems. The publication offers edito-rial content focused on evolving trends in the rapidly expandingfield of VDV/IBS construction work. Six issues were producedin 2003.

www.ECMAG.com

Electrical Contractor’s web site provides 24-hour access to thesame, late-breaking information offered in the printed publica-tion. The site was completely redesigned in 2002 and the result-ing traffic in 2003 has been astounding. www.ECMAG.com nowreceives more than 150,000 page requests per month from con-tractors worldwide.

Electrical Contractor



Contacts

REGIONAL OFFICES

Eastern Region344 Main StreetWakefield, RI 02879(401) 782-9229Richard A. Parenti, Executive Director

Midwestern Region5205 N. Ironwood Road, Suite 202Glendale, WI 53217(847) 517-2937R. Drew Gibson, Executive Director

Southern Region5001 Highway 190, Ste. D6Covington, LA 70433(985) 893-2920David Roberts, Executive Director

Western Region7250 Redwood Boulevard, Suite 360Novato, CA 94945(415) 492-2043William F. Kuhr, Executive Director

PRESIDENTBen CookOklahoma Electrical

Supply Co.Brownwood, TX

SECRETARY-TREASURERJ. Michael ThompsonNECABethesda, MD

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERJohn M. GrauNECABethesda, MD

VICE PRESIDENT/COODaniel G. WalterNECABethesda, MD

VICE PRESIDENTSDistrict 1

Edward T. McPhee, Jr.McPhee, Ltd.Bristol, CT

District 2Rex A. FerryValley Electrical ConsolidatedGirard, OH

District 3E. Milner IrvinRiverside Electric CompanyMiami, FL

District 4Gervase R. RoseRoman ElectricMilwaukee, WI

District 5Howard D. HughesHughes Electric CompanyFort Smith, AR

District 6James E. MackeyNetVersant Washington, Inc.Seattle, WA

District 7David F. FirestoneCommonwealth Electric Company of

the MidwestLincoln, NE

District 8William G. Dale, Jr.W.G. Dale Electric CompanyCheyenne, WY

District 9Robert F. DaoustDel Monte Electric CompanyAlamo, CA

District 10Walter T. ParkesO’Connell Electric CompanyVictor, NY

At LargeRobert EgiziiEgizii Electric, Inc.

(a division of EEI Holding Corp.)Springfield, IL


3 Bethesda Metro Center, Suite 1100Bethesda, Maryland 20814

phone: 301-657-3110 • fax: 301-215-4500WWW.NECANET.ORG

Index No. 9032 • NECA Annual Report © 2003Internet Distribution Only 01/04

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