After opening remarks from Stan Lazarian, president of Pasadena’s Electric Service & Supply Co. as well as vice president of NECA’s ninth district, several high-profile names from both in and out of the immediate NECA family took to the podiums and convention halls, touching on everything from opportunities to challenges facing the crowd.

“Is there anyone here that doesn’t think that this energy solution market does not represent an opportunity for them?” Mir Mustafa, NECA’s director of market development, asked the crowd at the last of Saturday’s general session addresses.

Not a single one of the hundreds in attendance raised a hand.

Mustafa then asked how many of them were confident they knew how to go about seizing that opportunity. Just three hands flew to the air.

“It is very confusing,” Mustafa responded.

He then went on to explain how his interest in green energy was brought on by chance through a conversation with a client — Mustafa was previously a lawyer — about energy efficiency. Despite his lack of working experience as an electrician or engineer, he and the client wound up starting a company together doing energy retrofit work.

“We didn’t know what we were doing when we started, but we learned quite a lot along the way, so it’s quite possible for all of you to become quite efficient at it,” Mustafa said.

And so set the tone for the forum. Through six morning breakout sessions and three in the afternoon, electricians learned how to incorporate detailed energy financial analyses in their proposals, listened to what their place may be in the emerging electric vehicle infrastructure market and learned about options regarding the financing of energy projects so they can better approach potential customers.

>>Read the full article from the San Diego Daily Transcript online or NECA’s recap of the event on blog.necaconvention.org.

1. More family-friendly.
The 2010 NECA Show will be open to all children accompanied by an adult. All they need is a badge for admission!

2. More peer-to-peer networking.
The new NECA Women’s Peer Group and Safety Roundtable are just a few of the opportunities for special groups within the association to meet and discuss the special concerns they face.

3. More opportunities for your entire company.
Newly launched by NECA President Rex Ferry, the “Contractors Challenge: Motivate, Reward, Recognize” is a program any NECA member can customize to help bring talented employees to NECA 2010 Boston. More details can be found online!

4. More access to innovation.
Find more energy solutions across the entire exhibit hall. Companies offering green energy innovations will be identified with NECA Energy Solutions logos on their booths, in the Show Guide and on www.necaconvention.org. Attendees will also be asked to vote for their favorite exhibitors for the first time as part of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR’s Show Stoppers awards.

5. First-Timer Orientation
Will NECA 2010 Boston be your first time at NECA’s annual convention and trade show? Don’t get lost or overwhelmed. First-time attendees will have a special orientation session from NECA and Boston chapter staff about determining and following a path that makes the event work best for you.

For more than 80 years, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) has been bringing the nation’s leading electrical contractors together with manufacturers, innovators, suppliers and service providers to help make our electrical construction industry the strongest in the world. In 2010, NECA will host its annual Convention and Trade Show to Boston, Oct. 2-5.

NECA’s convention and trade show are the leading events for the electrical construction industry, featuring classroom and hands-on education, active networking opportunities and open discussion forums where electrical contractors can address the critical issues facing their industry.

“The NECA convention is where I come to get recharged,” said Rocky Sharp, Madsen Electric, Tacoma, Wa. “No matter how tough a year it may have been, I know I’m going to hear some kind of good news there. Either it’s a new product that saves time on a job, or a new way to connect with customers – it always helps. It always gives me a new perspective and a renewed outlook.”

“We broke all previous attendance records for our 2009 pre-convention workshops and management seminars in Seattle, largely because our training focuses on topics that matter to electrical contractors,” said Beth Ellis, NECA executive director, convention/exposition. “We ask them what issues are affecting how they do business, what aspects of the industry they want to learn more about, and sessions are led by experienced instructors. Contractors know that the NECA convention is the best deal when it comes to management education.”

NECA 2010 Boston will also feature an expanded Energy Solutions Zone with new “building green” resources at the NECA Show; special safety sessions for line contractors and a keynote speech from ocean explorer Bob Ballard, who located the wrecks of the Titanic, Yorktown, and more.

Learn more about NECA 2010 Boston at www.necaconvention.org, become a fan of NECA Convention on Facebook, and get updates via Twitter, twitter.com/NECAConvention.

Oregon State University placed second, and The Pennsylvania State University was third.

UW team leader Joey Berger was also recognized for his excellent presentation skills.

“I have a great deal of admiration for all the work the student teams put into their projects,” said Challenge juror Tim Ehmann, a senior project manager with Rochester Solar Technologies. “They brought a fresh perspective to some of the major work going on in electrical construction today.”

A full report of the Green Energy Challenge submissions will be available from ELECTRI International soon. More information about the Green Energy Challenge can be found on NECA’s website.

Energy Audit: A Portal to Green Projects offered contractors their first look at a brand-new resource developed just for them by NECA – a step-by-step guide to evaluate the energy conservation, efficiency and alternative power opportunities for an existing building.

“The first step to winning a green energy project is proving to your customer that you understand their energy needs and that you can do the work to meet their green building goals. When an electrical contractor does a facility energy audit, he shows he can meet both needs,” said Dick Nogleberg, chair of NECA’s Energy Solutions Task Force. The task force was the driving force behind developing the audit tools and training.

Owners tell us that the firm who does their energy audit is usually the same contractor who creates their green energy project and controls the work. Energy audit expertise is a highly valuable addition to a NECA member’s green energy business and profit development toolkit.

Future energy audit training will be available through MEI.

To read more about how Sheraton Seattle Hotel is embracing green practices, view the following PDF’s:

Seattle Sheraton Goes Green

Going Green Flyer