Innovative Industry Leaders Gather to Discuss Business Development

NECA member and District 7 Vice President Skip Perley led a group of innovative leaders in the electrical industry to discuss business development at a meeting Saturday at NECA 2015 San Francisco.

Perley focused on how contractors can turn their everyday businesses in a way that separates themselves from their competition.

The first speaker was Jake Millan of Tesla Energy. His goal was to show contractors how to come up with ideas to drum up new business.

The mission of Tesla, he said, is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. He noted that the first smart car has Tesla batter in it, and the company now has the largest distribution of batter systems in the world.

Millan also described the Tesla’s array of products, including electric cars and batteries, in detail and took questions from the audience.

Next, Michael J. Johnston, NECA’s executive director of standards and safety, talked about the business opportunities of NFPA 70E.

He also provided an overview of sharing the responsibility between employers and employees and how the standard’s requirements are integrated into electrical contractors’ operations. Finally, he discussed the hierarchy of safety controls.

Electrical safety is a shared responsibility between employers and employees, he concluded, and 70E requirements are an integral part of electrical contractor operations.

“Right away, safety pays, and safety training pays,” said Dan Henrich of PDE Total Energy Solutions.

To cap off the afternoon, Tim Speno, President and CEO of E2E Summit, introduced a presentation from Ekso Bionics, which helps survivors of stroke, spinal cord injury and other forms of lower extremity to walk again.