There are many education opportunities at NECA 2024 San Diego. To whet your whistle for everything being offered, check out what these presenters had to say about their upcoming talks. Don’t miss these and plenty of other education sessions offered at the convention and on the trade show floor, including several roundtable discussions. You can view the full schedule here.

Standards and safety

Babak Memarian is the director of safety research at The Center for Construction Research and Training, and Sara Brooks is a certified industrial hygienist at CPWR. They will be presenting “Pre-Task Planning and Post-Job Review: Continuously Improve Your Site Safety Planning Process” on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 10:30 a.m.-11:20 a.m. on the trade show floor, Booth #2457. Memarian and Brooks talked to us about how to create a good pre-task planning and more.

1. What makes CPWR’s pre-task planning (PTP) package a good choice for contractors looking to upgrade or change their current site safety plan?

CPWR’s PTP package provides comprehensive, step-by-step guidelines and applied tools to help contractors initiate, assess and continuously improve their PTP process. It is based on extensive research findings and direct input from industry experts and workers. This package is publicly available free of charge.

2. What are the hallmarks of a good PTP?

A good pre-task planning process should be built on direct input from frontline workers who perform the task to reflect task challenges and current site conditions. Moreover, it should be easy to implement and interactive, supplemented with visual aids to enhance worker buy-in and prevent complacency.

3. What tips do you have for creating an effective PTP?

An effective PTP must reflect actual site conditions and be updated whenever conditions change. This requires direct worker involvement and input. In addition to the crews’ immediate tasks, it should also recognize and address hazards posed by other trades working nearby. An effective PTP needs to be complemented with a post-task review, or an end-of-shift debrief, to discuss what went well and what new issues or hazardous conditions emerged during the shift. This can help crews adjust their plans for the next shift and continuously improve their work processes to reach optimum results.

Business/financial management 

Robert Kirkpatrick, managing partner at Broadside Advisors, is presenting “Mergers and Acquisitions in the Electrical Contracting Market” on Monday, Sept. 30 from 8:00-8:50 am and 9:00-9:50 a.m. in Room 9. Kirkpatrick shared how contractors can stand out in the market and what he hopes attendees will take away from his session.

1. What’s one way businesses can stand out in the electrical contracting market?

One way to stand out is to have a medium to large size business (for your area), well organized/managed, with a sizable amount of service work.

2. How can contractors know what buyers are looking for?

One thing that buyers crave is predictability in your cash flow. It allows them to get more comfortable on borrowing to finance the transaction, and ultimately leads to a higher valuation.

3. What do you hope attendees take away from this session?

I hope attendees walk away with an understanding of where the mergers and acquisitions market currently stands, as well as the basic steps in a transaction and how to position their business for the best outcome when they decide to sell.