When I ask an electrical contractor, “How do you market your company?” the usual answer is, “We have a website and use Facebook.” While a website and social media, in general, can be great platforms, it takes a lot more to...
I don’t know if it is a construction industry thing or a personality thing, but it seems like, as electrical contractors, we think we can do it all. The downside is that we can easily be consumed by low-value tasks that must...
As an experienced electrical contractor, you should always have some semblance of a business plan for the year ahead in January. But this month, try taking a different tack. We challenge you to write a pretend obituary...
In part 1 of this series, we surveyed the current condition of the construction industry in view of the increasing deficits of capable manpower and project managers that plague it unendingly. In part 2, we highlighted rewards...
The Cricket Valley power plant in Dover Plains, N.Y., promotes a highly efficient and environmentally responsible process that converts clean-burning natural gas into electricity. E-J Electric Installation Co. was responsible...
NECA’s president, Larry Beltramo, has a mission to further develop growth for the association and aid the electrical construction industry with the rapid transitions underway. As contractors navigate the changing tides of...
If you’re reading this, you’re probably an electrical contractor. You’ve poured thousands of dollars into your dream, from licensing and insurance rates to overhead and equipment costs. Your commitment is evident, but are...
“All politics is local,” said former Massachusetts congressman Tip O’Neill, who rose to the lofty position of Speaker of the House. Decades ago, when O’Neill was credited with the expression, someone could have made a similar...
Every electrical contractor agrees good project managers are hard to find. The first place contractors usually search for high-promise candidates is among the ranks of their best foremen. In part 1 of this series, we covered...
Staffing shortages have plagued the construction industry in recent years and are likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Part of this larger issue is a constant shortage of project managers (PMs). In boom times or...
Emergencies can occur anywhere at any time, including the workplace. Our immediate concerns, as they should be, are to minimize loss of life and property. But business operations will be affected as well. What can employers...
The latest report from USG Corp. and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce confirm what contractors have known for a long time: It is difficult to find skilled labor. The "Q1 2019 USG Corporation & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial...
It might sound like newfangled science-fiction tech, but China has plans to build the world’s first space-based solar power station by 2050, according to an article in Forbes. The solar power station, owned by the state’s...
A recent administrative law judge ruling in California may pave the way for more private-sector development of the state's mandated distributed energy storage system projects. In September 2016, the state passed Assembly Bill...
The California utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) filed for bankruptcy protection on Jan. 29, raising some immediate, and financially critical, questions for its customers, suppliers and investors. Answers to those...
There are no guarantees in business except for one: you will eventually exit your business, voluntarily or involuntarily. As the average owner has over 70 percent of their wealth trapped inside their illiquid business...
At the beginning of the Republic, tariffs were the primary source of money for the federal government. They were, and are, basically a tax. Since then, tariffs have been imposed, and the rates set, for innumerable...
Every January, many of us make New Year’s resolutions. However, sometimes we can’t get through February before we have forgotten about them or we have little internal motivation to follow through. One resolution we should all...
Happy New Year! Now that there is a lot of new construction going on, it is easy to put testing and servicing of fire alarms on the back burner. Since a number of companies will do just that, now is the best time for...
Since 2002, I have written columns and features for this magazine, sharing lessons I learned as a subcontractor, volunteer leader and business educator. During the last few years, I also taught high school and middle school...
