EB_Newsletter

- National Training Symposium this Weekend!
- FLIR Systems to Acquire Extech
- NECA 2007 San Francisco a Success!
- EB Careers Online Continues to Draw Crowds
- Call issued for GE Edison Award Entries
- Online Training Course for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
- Improved Lightning and Grounding Website
- Safety Specialists unveil new Online Presence
- Nominations Open for NAED Annual Awards
- GE’s new Learning Central
- Winners of EB’s August 2007 Photo Contest
- Coming Events

NECA 2007 SAN FRANCISCO A SUCCESS!

NECA’s 2007 Convention and Trade Show recently wrapped up several exciting days of education and exploration at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center. Over 5000 attendees enjoyed inspiring presentations, educational sessions and over 300 exhibitors from across the electrical construction industry. And EB was there!

“We did a lot of new things this year in order to reflect how electrical contractors’ businesses have changed and what’s new in the electrical construction market,” said Beth Ellis, NECA’s executive director for meetings/exhibition.

One new feature that Ellis promises will return at NECA 2008 Chicago will be ‘Think Green Day’ and the ‘Green Alley’. “These were great opportunities to showcase the sustainable building electrical contractors are doing and let them connect with alternative energy product manufacturers,” said Ellis.

“Green is the colour of the future,” affirmed Jan Carradine, director of engineering for Baker Electric Inc. “This prepared me to better communicate with my customers when it comes to design-build and green construction.”

Comedian Dana Carvey closed out NECA 2007 San Francisco with a special ‘Master of Disguise’ show. Best known for his appearances on Saturday Night Live, Carvey has recently limited his public performances to focus on his role as husband and father, so NECA 2007 San Francisco attendees were especially appreciative of his appearance.

NECA’s next Convention and Trade Show will be held in Chicago, Ill., October 5-7, 2008. Stay tuned as EB brings you more highlights from the show.

EB CAREERS ONLINE CONTINUES TO DRAW CROWDS

EB Careers online continues to draw both solid employers offering jobs and professionals looking for new, exciting opportunities. Most recently we posted opportunities for a semi-retired SENIOR ELECTRICAL ENGINEER required for training projects and an OUTSIDE SALES REP for the Greater Toronto Area. These, and our other postings, remain a popular segment at EBMag.com. Be sure to CLICK HERE and check out EB Careers Online.

If you’re having trouble finding the right person, CLICK HERE to find out how you can have your career opportunity posted for free at EB Careers Online.

CALL ISSUED FOR GE EDISON AWARD ENTRIES

GE Consumer & Industrial announced a call for entries for the 25th Annual GE Edison Award competition, which recognizes excellence and quality in professional lighting designs that employ the significant use of GE lamps.

The GE Edison Award competition is open to professional designers, architects, engineers and consultants. Entries are judged on the following criteria: functional excellence; architectural compatibility; effective use of state-of-the-art lighting products and techniques; appropriate colour, form and texture revelation; and energy and cost effectiveness.

Projects scoring the highest number of points will qualify to receive Awards of Merit or Awards of Excellence (the GE Edison Award winner is selected from among the Awards of Excellence).

The Award for Residential Lighting Design—a category added in 2005—is judged on the same criteria mentioned above and presented to the project that best exemplifies excellence in lighting design within a residential application.

Awards for Sustainable Design are given to those projects that demonstrate exemplary, sustainable lighting design. These designs, while providing high-quality lighting, should minimize the use of energy, maximize the use of daylighting, avoid skyward illumination and ensure system durability and maintainability.

All entrants will be invited to an awards ceremony that takes place May 27, 2008, in Las Vegas, Nev., on the evening prior to the opening of LightFair. At that time, designers who have been designated as winners of Awards of Excellence, Awards of Merit, Awards for Sustainable Design and the Award for Residential Design will be recognized with personalized plaques acknowledging their lighting design achievements.

The identity of the 2008 GE Edison Award Winner will remain confidential until announced at the Awards ceremony. The winner will receive a personalized Steuben crystal trophy and continued publicity throughout the following year. A distinctive plaque will also be presented to the owner of the winning installation.

All projects submitted for consideration must have been completed between January 1 and December 31, 2007. Entries must be received by January 10, 2008. CLICK HERE for more information about the awards.

The winner of the 2006 GE Edison Award was Suzanne Powadiuk of Suzanne Powadiuk Design Inc., based in Toronto, Ont., for her lighting design for The Gardiner Museum of Art in Toronto. Check out the October 2007 issue of Electrical Business for more on this project.

ONLINE TRAINING COURSE FOR ELECTRICAL SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE

BlueVolt announced its new Electrical Safety in the Workplace online training course based on NFPA 70E. In this practical and interactive course for professional electricians, students learn and practise critical safety skills that could save their lives or that of a co-worker. CLICK HERE to visit them online and learn more about all of BlueVolt’s training opportunities.

IMPROVED LIGHTNING AND GROUNDING WEBSITE

Harger Lightning & Grounding has unveiled a new and, according to the company, improved website. The site includes Harger’s new Master Equipment Catalogue that was released earlier this year. The Technical Assistance section has been expanded to include specs for Structural LP System, Wireless Communication Site LP and Grounding System, Signal Reference Grid System and Grounding and Bonding for Communications System (ANSI-J-STD-607-A).

Downloadable details for grounding, exothermics and lightning protection have been added. The Lightning Risk Assessment Calculator allows the user to perform a risk assessment based on NFPA 780 (2004 ed.). In the Library Section, you can view and download brochures, line cards and presentations. See what Training Programs are offered by Harger, or locate your nearest Harger stocking distributor or factory representative. CLICK HERE to check it out.

SAFETY SPECIALISTS UNVEIL NEW ONLINE PRESENCE

Castell Iso-Lok—a specialist LOTO (lockout/tagout) supplier and manufacturer—boasts a new website, which includes a fully-stocked online shop that simplifies LOTO safety device purchases: and at a 10% discounted rate. The site also incorporates a new ‘Live Support’ feature for instant aid on safety issues. A range of lockout boxes, cabinets and stations of varying sizes, features and contents can be purchased for one-stop safety shopping. As Castell is a distributor for Brady LOTO equipment, many of those products are stocked along with a range of safety signs and tags. CLICK HERE and be sure to pay them a visit.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR NAED ANNUAL AWARDS

The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) is inviting nominations for the association’s top honors: the NAED Annual Awards. The awards will be presented at the association’s 2008 National Electrical Leadership Summit, May 17-21, 2008, in San Francisco, Calif.

The awards recognize the companies and individuals who have made significant contributions to the electrical industry and NAED. Nominations for the following awards will be accepted:

• Arthur W. Hooper Achievement Award: presented to an individual who has had an exceptional career in distribution that spans many years.
• Distributor Distinguished Service Award: recognizes a distributor for outstanding and dedicated service to NAED and the electrical distribution industry.
• Associate Service Award: given to an individual associated with an electrical manufacturing firm who has consistently been active in promoting and supporting the tenets and goals of NAED.
• Industry Award of Merit: honours an associate company that has been exceptionally active in promoting, supporting and/or improving the electrical distribution channel.

E-mail Sandy Hanebrink at shanebrink@naed.org for more information. But don’t delay: submissions are due by December 10!

GE’s NEW LEARNING CENTRAL

Distributors, contractors, consultants, specifiers and OEMs are better equipped to learn in the months and years ahead with GE Consumer & Industrial’s new Learning Central—an initiative offering onsite learning via the GE Lighting and Electrical Institute, GE’s Continuing Education Program (CEP) and GE eLearning, which offers on-demand courseware in a Web-based learning environment featuring 24/7 online support.

The institute offers scheduled open-door conferences and customized conferences on request. The company’s CEP offers scheduled learning sessions for CEU and LEU credits, with accreditation by the International Association for Continuing Education & Training (IACET) and the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions (NCQLP).

GE eLearning features self-taught modules that let users learn more about electrical products; at their own pace, on their own schedule. The modules employ easy-to-understand introductions to basic product information for new employees or quick refreshers. Online courses are added regularly but current basic courses include: Circuit Breakers, General Purpose Controls, Load/Meter Centres, Panelboards, Switchboards and Transformers.

There is no charge for the Continuing Education Program courses or eLearning classes. CLICK HERE to find out more.

WINNERS OF EB’S AUGUST 2007 PHOTO CONTEST

Electrical Business is pleased to announce the winners of the Heritage “What Am I?” Photo Contest for the August 2007 edition, who correctly identified the mystery heritage item on page 6 as the Greenlee #750 chain pull drill. The winners are:

• John Caldicott, Retired (Powell River, B.C.)
• Sam Cocuzzi, ESA (Woodbridge, Ont.)
• Robert Fournier, R.J. Fournier Electric Inc. (Essex, Ont.)
• Scott Little, Little Electric Inc. (Cambridge, Ont.)
• Jim Murphy, Jim Murphy Electric (Perth, Ont.)
• Ronald Riedel, IBR (Surrey, B.C.)
• Michael Shea, City of Victoria (Victoria, B.C.)
• Kenneth Todd, KT Industries (Red Deer, Alta.)
• Jim Vey, S Electrical Services Ltd. (Maple Ridge, B.C.)

Electrical Business launched the photo contest in the August 2007 edition, in cooperation with the Electrical Heritage Society of British Columbia as well as generous industry partners. In this contest, readers guess the nature of an electrical artifact from the society’s collection to win cool prizes—in this case, an LVD2 Volt Light courtesy of our friends at Fluke Electronics Canada. The next item is ready and waiting in the September edition of Electrical Business.

COMING EVENTS

National Training Symposium
National Electrical Trade Council (NETCO)
November 2-4
Barrie, Ont.
CLICK HERE for more information

Basic Electricity Course at NAIT
Alberta Electrical League (AEL)
November 7
CLICK HERE for details

Electrical Exposition 2007
OEL Essex Chapter
November 21
Windsor, Ont.
CLICK HERE for details

Construct Canada
November 28-30
Toronto, Ont.
CLICK HERE for details

CLICK HERE to check out A TON MORE industry events at EBMag.com.

Want more information, or have information to share? Contact the Editor at acapkun@clbmedia.ca or call (905) 713-4391.

Think someone else would enjoy receiving E-Line? Send them to EBmag.com where they can sign up right on the Home Page.


		Vol. 2 No. 12
October 2007 - National Training Symposium this Weekend! - FLIR Systems to Acquire Extech - NECA 2007 San Francisco a Success! - EB Careers Online Continues to Draw Crowds - Call issued for GE Edison Award Entries - Online Training Course for Electrical Safety in the Workplace - Improved Lightning and Grounding Website - Safety Specialists unveil new Online Presence - Nominations Open for NAED Annual Awards - GE’s new Learning Central - Winners of EB’s August 2007 Photo Contest - Coming Events NATIONAL TRAINING SYMPOSIUM THIS WEEKEND! The National Electrical Trade Council’s (NETCO’s) National Training Symposium is this weekend, November 2-4, in Barrie, Ont., and it’s not too late to make plans to attend! You’ll recall that NETCO’s mandate is to promote apprenticeship, continuous learning for journeypersons and national standards for the electrical industry in Canada. The national training symposium is just a part of its activities, and will feature keynote speakers, professional development activities and networking opportunities. As NETCO’s exclusive media partner, Electrical Business is attending the event to report on all the details. Meantime, NETCO′s website has gone live. CLICK HERE to learn more about the council and, most importantly, find out how you can attend the symposium. The website also provides the information you need for ordering the wall charts that highlight the link among National Occupational Standards, Essential Skills and the Red Seal Program, as discussed in the June/July issue of Electrical Business. FLIR SYSTEMS TO ACQUIRE EXTECH Extech Instruments, a supplier of test and measurement equipment, announced that its president and owner, Jerry Blakeley, has entered into an agreement in which Extech’s stock will be acquired by FLIR Systems Inc. Subject to standard closing conditions, the transaction is expected to be completed this quarter. “This is an exciting opportunity for Extech, our customers, our distributors, and our employees,” said Blakeley. “This acquisition will create new opportunities in distribution, product development and branding, which will extend and strengthen Extech’s position in competitive markets.” With this acquisition, Extech’s product portfolio will increase, bringing the addition of thermal imagers and infrared (IR) cameras to the company’s 15 current product categories. NECA 2007 SAN FRANCISCO A SUCCESS! NECA’s 2007 Convention and Trade Show recently wrapped up several exciting days of education and exploration at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center. Over 5000 attendees enjoyed inspiring presentations, educational sessions and over 300 exhibitors from across the electrical construction industry. And EB was there! “We did a lot of new things this year in order to reflect how electrical contractors’ businesses have changed and what’s new in the electrical construction market,” said Beth Ellis, NECA’s executive director for meetings/exhibition. One new feature that Ellis promises will return at NECA 2008 Chicago will be ‘Think Green Day’ and the ‘Green Alley’. “These were great opportunities to showcase the sustainable building electrical contractors are doing and let them connect with alternative energy product manufacturers,” said Ellis. “Green is the colour of the future,” affirmed Jan Carradine, director of engineering for Baker Electric Inc. “This prepared me to better communicate with my customers when it comes to design-build and green construction.” Comedian Dana Carvey closed out NECA 2007 San Francisco with a special ‘Master of Disguise’ show. Best known for his appearances on Saturday Night Live, Carvey has recently limited his public performances to focus on his role as husband and father, so NECA 2007 San Francisco attendees were especially appreciative of his appearance. NECA’s next Convention and Trade Show will be held in Chicago, Ill., October 5-7, 2008. Stay tuned as EB brings you more highlights from the show. EB CAREERS ONLINE CONTINUES TO DRAW CROWDS EB Careers online continues to draw both solid employers offering jobs and professionals looking for new, exciting opportunities. Most recently we posted opportunities for a semi-retired SENIOR ELECTRICAL ENGINEER required for training projects and an OUTSIDE SALES REP for the Greater Toronto Area. These, and our other postings, remain a popular segment at EBMag.com. Be sure to CLICK HERE and check out EB Careers Online. If you’re having trouble finding the right person, CLICK HERE to find out how you can have your career opportunity posted for free at EB Careers Online. CALL ISSUED FOR GE EDISON AWARD ENTRIES GE Consumer & Industrial announced a call for entries for the 25th Annual GE Edison Award competition, which recognizes excellence and quality in professional lighting designs that employ the significant use of GE lamps. The GE Edison Award competition is open to professional designers, architects, engineers and consultants. Entries are judged on the following criteria: functional excellence; architectural compatibility; effective use of state-of-the-art lighting products and techniques; appropriate colour, form and texture revelation; and energy and cost effectiveness. Projects scoring the highest number of points will qualify to receive Awards of Merit or Awards of Excellence (the GE Edison Award winner is selected from among the Awards of Excellence). The Award for Residential Lighting Design—a category added in 2005—is judged on the same criteria mentioned above and presented to the project that best exemplifies excellence in lighting design within a residential application. Awards for Sustainable Design are given to those projects that demonstrate exemplary, sustainable lighting design. These designs, while providing high-quality lighting, should minimize the use of energy, maximize the use of daylighting, avoid skyward illumination and ensure system durability and maintainability. All entrants will be invited to an awards ceremony that takes place May 27, 2008, in Las Vegas, Nev., on the evening prior to the opening of LightFair. At that time, designers who have been designated as winners of Awards of Excellence, Awards of Merit, Awards for Sustainable Design and the Award for Residential Design will be recognized with personalized plaques acknowledging their lighting design achievements. The identity of the 2008 GE Edison Award Winner will remain confidential until announced at the Awards ceremony. The winner will receive a personalized Steuben crystal trophy and continued publicity throughout the following year. A distinctive plaque will also be presented to the owner of the winning installation. All projects submitted for consideration must have been completed between January 1 and December 31, 2007. Entries must be received by January 10, 2008. CLICK HERE for more information about the awards. The winner of the 2006 GE Edison Award was Suzanne Powadiuk of Suzanne Powadiuk Design Inc., based in Toronto, Ont., for her lighting design for The Gardiner Museum of Art in Toronto. Check out the October 2007 issue of Electrical Business for more on this project. ONLINE TRAINING COURSE FOR ELECTRICAL SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE BlueVolt announced its new Electrical Safety in the Workplace online training course based on NFPA 70E. In this practical and interactive course for professional electricians, students learn and practise critical safety skills that could save their lives or that of a co-worker. CLICK HERE to visit them online and learn more about all of BlueVolt’s training opportunities. IMPROVED LIGHTNING AND GROUNDING WEBSITE Harger Lightning & Grounding has unveiled a new and, according to the company, improved website. The site includes Harger’s new Master Equipment Catalogue that was released earlier this year. The Technical Assistance section has been expanded to include specs for Structural LP System, Wireless Communication Site LP and Grounding System, Signal Reference Grid System and Grounding and Bonding for Communications System (ANSI-J-STD-607-A). Downloadable details for grounding, exothermics and lightning protection have been added. The Lightning Risk Assessment Calculator allows the user to perform a risk assessment based on NFPA 780 (2004 ed.). In the Library Section, you can view and download brochures, line cards and presentations. See what Training Programs are offered by Harger, or locate your nearest Harger stocking distributor or factory representative. CLICK HERE to check it out. SAFETY SPECIALISTS UNVEIL NEW ONLINE PRESENCE Castell Iso-Lok—a specialist LOTO (lockout/tagout) supplier and manufacturer—boasts a new website, which includes a fully-stocked online shop that simplifies LOTO safety device purchases: and at a 10% discounted rate. The site also incorporates a new ‘Live Support’ feature for instant aid on safety issues. A range of lockout boxes, cabinets and stations of varying sizes, features and contents can be purchased for one-stop safety shopping. As Castell is a distributor for Brady LOTO equipment, many of those products are stocked along with a range of safety signs and tags. CLICK HERE and be sure to pay them a visit. NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR NAED ANNUAL AWARDS The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) is inviting nominations for the association’s top honors: the NAED Annual Awards. The awards will be presented at the association’s 2008 National Electrical Leadership Summit, May 17-21, 2008, in San Francisco, Calif. The awards recognize the companies and individuals who have made significant contributions to the electrical industry and NAED. Nominations for the following awards will be accepted: • Arthur W. Hooper Achievement Award: presented to an individual who has had an exceptional career in distribution that spans many years. • Distributor Distinguished Service Award: recognizes a distributor for outstanding and dedicated service to NAED and the electrical distribution industry. • Associate Service Award: given to an individual associated with an electrical manufacturing firm who has consistently been active in promoting and supporting the tenets and goals of NAED. • Industry Award of Merit: honours an associate company that has been exceptionally active in promoting, supporting and/or improving the electrical distribution channel. E-mail Sandy Hanebrink at shanebrink@naed.org for more information. But don’t delay: submissions are due by December 10! GE’s NEW LEARNING CENTRAL Distributors, contractors, consultants, specifiers and OEMs are better equipped to learn in the months and years ahead with GE Consumer & Industrial’s new Learning Central—an initiative offering onsite learning via the GE Lighting and Electrical Institute, GE’s Continuing Education Program (CEP) and GE eLearning, which offers on-demand courseware in a Web-based learning environment featuring 24/7 online support. The institute offers scheduled open-door conferences and customized conferences on request. The company’s CEP offers scheduled learning sessions for CEU and LEU credits, with accreditation by the International Association for Continuing Education & Training (IACET) and the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions (NCQLP). GE eLearning features self-taught modules that let users learn more about electrical products; at their own pace, on their own schedule. The modules employ easy-to-understand introductions to basic product information for new employees or quick refreshers. Online courses are added regularly but current basic courses include: Circuit Breakers, General Purpose Controls, Load/Meter Centres, Panelboards, Switchboards and Transformers. There is no charge for the Continuing Education Program courses or eLearning classes. CLICK HERE to find out more. WINNERS OF EB’S AUGUST 2007 PHOTO CONTEST Electrical Business is pleased to announce the winners of the Heritage “What Am I?” Photo Contest for the August 2007 edition, who correctly identified the mystery heritage item on page 6 as the Greenlee #750 chain pull drill. The winners are: • John Caldicott, Retired (Powell River, B.C.) • Sam Cocuzzi, ESA (Woodbridge, Ont.) • Robert Fournier, R.J. Fournier Electric Inc. (Essex, Ont.) • Scott Little, Little Electric Inc. (Cambridge, Ont.) • Jim Murphy, Jim Murphy Electric (Perth, Ont.) • Ronald Riedel, IBR (Surrey, B.C.) • Michael Shea, City of Victoria (Victoria, B.C.) • Kenneth Todd, KT Industries (Red Deer, Alta.) • Jim Vey, S Electrical Services Ltd. (Maple Ridge, B.C.) Electrical Business launched the photo contest in the August 2007 edition, in cooperation with the Electrical Heritage Society of British Columbia as well as generous industry partners. In this contest, readers guess the nature of an electrical artifact from the society’s collection to win cool prizes—in this case, an LVD2 Volt Light courtesy of our friends at Fluke Electronics Canada. The next item is ready and waiting in the September edition of Electrical Business. COMING EVENTS National Training Symposium National Electrical Trade Council (NETCO) November 2-4 Barrie, Ont. CLICK HERE for more information Basic Electricity Course at NAIT Alberta Electrical League (AEL) November 7 CLICK HERE for details Electrical Exposition 2007 OEL Essex Chapter November 21 Windsor, Ont. CLICK HERE for details Construct Canada November 28-30 Toronto, Ont. CLICK HERE for details CLICK HERE to check out A TON MORE industry events at EBMag.com. Want more information, or have information to share? Contact the Editor at acapkun@clbmedia.ca or call (905) 713-4391. Think someone else would enjoy receiving E-Line? Send them to EBmag.com where they can sign up right on the Home Page.
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