Innovation Overload

“Construction technology allows for all of us to collaborate and benefit together.” Sean Lazarian, CFO at ESSCO, and Jared Christman, Director of Construction Technology at ELECTRI discuss construction technology tools and how these innovations can help bridge the gap from the field to the office. Listen to the benefits of how IT and construction go hand in hand on the Innovation Overload: Contrac...

“Sustainable growth is the ultimate result of innovation.” Dorin Nicorici, President & CEO of Dynalectric Oregon, shares how important it is to have core values ingrained within daily operations to attain buy-in from the field and office. Listen to the benefits of utilizing BIM and how success is measured within Dynalectric Oregon.   

“Get participation from the field to make your model constructible and prefabable.” Sean Lazarian, CFO at ESSCO, and Jared Christman, Director of Construction Technology for ELECTRI International, discuss BIM and VDC workflows, the right computer for workflows, and the software that goes along with these topics. Listen to Part 2 of this conversation on the Innovation Overload: Contractor Takeover...

"We post our models up to the cloud, and that’s how we get our models to the field.” Sean Lazarian, CFO at ESSCO, and Jared Christman, VDC Manager at Big State Electric, discuss BIM and VDC workflows, the right computer for your workflow, and the software that goes along with these topics. Listen to Part 1 of this conversation on the Innovation Overload: Contractor Takeover podcast, where inn...

“When we settle on something, we don’t welcome innovation.” Jeffry Fuentes, Executive Vice President of Aurora Electric, shares the importance of company culture and how Aurora Electric encourages their employees to have an innovator’s mentality. Listen to his perspective on the vital role communication plays on instilling innovation within a company and his views on the value of being part of the...

“Integration of systems is the name of the game.” Shane Custer, P.E. at Big State Electric discusses electrical engineering with Sean Lazarian, CFO at ESSCO, and Jared Christman, VDC Manager at Big State Electric on Innovation Overload Podcast: Contractor Takeover, where innovations in the electrical industry are discussed from one contractor to another.

“What can you do better today, than you did yesterday.” John Grennon, Director of Security and New Business Developments for Lan-Tel Communications, shares his perspective on the importance of attracting and retaining talent and how Lan-Tel innovates across multiple verticals. Listen to the benefits of low voltage integrations and how data storage can increase safety and provide innovative solutio...

“There is a value to mistakes when you can share them.” Sean Lazarian, CFO at ESSCO, and Jared Christman, VDC Manager at Big State Electric, share their experiences with effective communication from the office to the field. Listen to the debut episode of the Contractor Takeover series, where innovations in the electrical industry are discussed from one contractor to another.  

“As contractors we really have to figure out how do we work together to make sure that we are still in this marketplace in 15 years.” Stacy Zerr, Director of PreConstruction Services at The Waldinger Corporation, shares her perspective on the importance of sharing best practices across the MEP trades to help further the construction industry. Listen to her excitement leading up to the MEP Innovati...

“Be open to advice even if you think you know how do it.” Shannon Tymosko, 2nd Year Electrical Apprentice, shares her journey in the apprenticeship and how important company culture is in the electrical industry. Listen to her perspective on how valuable communication is and how she stays proactive while learning on the job site.

“Innovation is trying to find the next bigger and better thing.” Caleb Pendergraft, 1st Year Apprentice at the Nashville JATC, shares his journey and the advantages of joining the apprenticeship. Listen to the benefits of attending the Apprentice Appreciation Day at the NECA Convention and the highlights of working with tools on the trade show floor.    

“Fostering an environment for solutions.” Elise Baker, Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy, and Lina Jariri, Payroll & Benefits Specialist at NECA, both share the importance of recruitment outreach to the upcoming generations and the benefits of going into the trades. Learn about the prototype of the student toolkit that aims to help educate young students about the electrical industry.

"One small step makes a huge difference.” Kristin Causby, Assistant Executive Director at the Minneapolis Chapter, NECA, shares how important it is to remain up to date on the latest offerings in the industry to help with education for NECA contractors and Student Chapters. Learn about best practices for internships and how to run a successful NECA Student Chapter (4-year and 2-year programs)...

“Innovation is the ability to develop new concepts.” Dan Tomal, Faculty Advisor at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), shares the importance of the NECA Student Chapters Program and the benefits that students gain in terms of education and opportunities. Listen to IIT’s recruitment efforts and best practices of creating synergy between the university, faculty, and the local NECA Chapter.

“Looking to see what is next and keeping ahead of the industry.” Andrea Klee, Publisher of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Magazine at NECA, shares the importance of their bi-annual Profile of the Electrical Contractor survey and the wealth of data that it contains to track the electrical contracting industry. Learn more about the two other amazing magazines that NECA publishes, Safety Leader and Line Contr...

“Innovation is the pinnacle of vital problem solving.” Eric Tucker, Senior Business Development Manager at Procore, shares how Procore drives innovation by developing integrations to help contractors stay productive. Listen to the importance of internal key performance indicators and how Procore can help track metrics.

“Willingness to change and seek out change.” Kyle Witte, Senior Project Manager at Lemberg Electric, shares how important it is to equip the field with proper tools to improve the flow of communication. Listen to his perspective on the value of being part of the Edison Cohort of the NECA Innovation Institute.

“It’s about simplicity—solutions to compliment people and process.” Josh Bone, Executive Director of ELECTRI International, shares exciting innovative events at the NECA Convention in Nashville, TN. Listen to his thoughts on the education sessions, technology offerings and the trade show highlights.

“Innovation is a combination of being empathic, creative, and connecting different solutions.” Tim Batty, General Manager at Buckingham Manufacturing, shares how important research is when developing tools and upskilling our future workforce. Listen to how Buckingham works with local contractors to continuously improve products and how important safety is for our electrical contractors.

“Learning a trade can never be taken away from you and it opens so many doors for you.” Scott Block, Vice President of Block Electric in Chicago, shares the journey of starting a prefab shop and the obstacles that were faced along the way. Listen to how Block Electric approaches communication between the field and the office and how they have streamlined their processes.

“Innovation is finding new and unique ways to solve a problem.” Rob Trefz, Vice President of Pipe and Electrical Solutions at Greenlee, shares how important driving productivity and efficiency is when developing innovative products. Listen to how Greenlee’s software and job site training aims to improve our contractors' jobsites.

“Expanding the industry we are in and taking the next step to further the solar industry.” Melinda Kershaw, Director of Marketing at Day and Night Solar, a NECA Premier Partner, shares the importance of solar energy, microgrids, and EV charging and how big of an opportunity our NECA contractors have in this industry. Listen to how Day and Night Solar supports our contractors and how they focus on...

“You have got to have a strategy from the top down and leave no stone unturned.” Russ King, Director of Contractor Solutions at Southwire, shares the importance of research and development and how implementing a culture of curiosity can be beneficial for contractors. Listen to Southwire’s latest innovations and tools that help keep our electrical contractors safe and efficient on the jobsite.

“Building processes that produce superior results and continuously improving those processes while training your people.” Bill Weber, Principal of Gaston Electrical, shares his experience in peer groups and how working on your business—not just in the business—has been an impactful gained perspective. Listen to how Gaston Electrical approaches employee training by instilling company culture and em...

“Innovation is both the generation and execution of new ideas.” Greg Santoro, Co-founder and Head of Product at DADO, shares the importance of focusing on a targeted business case to help facilitate digital transformation within a company. Listen to how DADO approaches new technologies by using storytelling to help communicate pain points and gain trust in the development process.