IEC Atlanta Chapter Installs 2023 Board of Directors
By: Marie Thornton, Membership and Marketing Coordinator, IEC Atlanta, GA Chapters
IEC Atlanta celebrated its annual Christmas party at Maggiano’s Little Italy at Cumberland. A lot gets accomplished at these meetings, IEC’s 2021-2022 Board of Directors are thanked for a job well done and the new 2022-2023 Board of Directors are sworn in.
Thank you, IEC Atlanta 2021-2022 Board members:
Steve Askea, Ask-Kay Electric – President
Darren Lodge, Excel Electrical Technologies – VP
Nick Young, Putzel Electrical Contractors – Sec./Treas.
Chris Caiaccio, Kilpatrick Townsend–VP of Partners
Bob Harmon, Harmon Electric – Past President
Greg Holloway, EC Services, Director
Mahsa Poorak, Southern Electric Company, Director
John Waldrop, Titan Electric Georgia, Director
Jerry Wartko, Capital City Electrical Service, Director
Tom Young, Penco Electrical Contractors – Director
Bob Harmon, John Waldrop, Jerry Wartko, Chris Caiaccio and Tom Young have completed their terms. Thank you for your dedication to IEC
Welcome to the 2023 -2024 Board of Directors:
Darren Lodge, Excel Electrical Technologies – President
Nick Young, Putzel Electrical Contractors – Vice President
Greg Holloway, EC Services – Secretary/Treasurer
Steve Askea, Ask-Kay Electric – Past President
Jimmy Nall, Mayer – Vice President of Partners
Charlie Brooks, Capital City Electrical Service – Director
John Flynn, Hubbell – Partner Director
Lem Matthis, MetroPower – Director
Mahsa Poorak, Southern Electric Company, Director
BJ Thomas, E-TEC Electrical Contractors – Director
Congratulations to new Atlanta Board members Jimmy Nall, Lem Matthis, John Flynn, Charlie Brooks, BJ Thomas and to President, Darren Lodge and Vice President Nick Young.
IEC’s Annual Christmas Party and Awards Luncheon Highlights 2022 Contributors
By: Marie Thornton, Membership and Marketing Coordinator, IEC Atlanta, GA Chapters
On December 2nd at Maggiano’s Little Italy at Cumberland, IEC Atlanta GA chapters wished its members a Merry Christmas with its annual Christmas party and awards luncheon. This year IEC celebrated 57 years as an association. There is no doubt that membership growth and association connection account for IEC’s longevity.
Nearly 200 guests celebrated with family style Italian dishes, scrumptious deserts and an open bar. Guests mingled before lunch with hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Laughed during lunch with Comedian Carlos Rodriguez, and tables had a few fun gifts along with a raffle ticket for the afternoon finale of prize drawings.
The 2023 Board of Directors was sworn in and dinner and awards commenced.
IEC Atlanta has 160 contractors and 22 were awarded for their length of membership. Congratulation to IEC’s membership awards winners for 2022;
5 Years Membership Award – Absolute Electric, Inc., Britebox Electrical, Fusion Electric Services, LLC, Georgia Central Electrical, Inc., IES Residential, Inc., J & C Electric, Inc., Quality Electric, Southwest Electrical Contracting, Titan Electric Georgia and Vision Electric, LLC.
10 Years Membership Award– J.R Electrical, LLC.
15 Years Membership Award– Capital City Electrical Services, Luca Electric, Inc., Stangood Electric, Inc. and Stanton Electric, Inc.
25 Years Membership Award– Data Power Source and Gold Star Electric, Inc.
30 Years Membership Award– Excel Electrical Technologies
35 Years Membership Award– Donaldson Electric Co., Inc., Meer Electrical Contractors, Pat Murphy Electric, Inc., R.J. Haynie & Associates, Inc.
In addition to the membership awards, there are key members and partners that made major contributions to the IEC association in 2022. IEC and members have benefitted tremendously from these 2022 award winners. Congratulations and thank you for your commitment to the IEC.
2022 Award Winners;
Industry Award– Alex Stewart, Ladder
Manufacturer of the Year– Cole Roberts, Schneider Electric
Distributor of the Year– Jimmy Nall, Mayer
Specialty Partner of the Year– John Wadsworth, Strawn & Co. Insurance
President’s Award– Chris Caiaccio, Kilpatrick Townsend
Contractor of the Year– John Waldrop, Titan Electric of GA
IEC has shined brightly in 2022 because of its members. It is only right to shine the spotlight on those who helped to make 2022 a successful year. See pictures from this event here.
IEC’s Awards celebration went great due to the commitment of its sponsors. Special thanks to the Christmas Party Overall Event Sponsor Federated Insurance. IEC appreciates your partnership! Additional sponsors follow:
Prize Sponsors: CED, MetroPower, Inc., Titan Electric Georgia,
Entertainment Sponsor: Hubbell, Vision, Electric, LLC
IAEI Scholarship Recipient Hampton Rushing, IEC Georgia’s Rising Electrical Star
By: Marie Thornton, Membership and Marketing Coordinator, IEC Atlanta, GA Chapters
IEC Georgia is proud to have apprentice Hampton Rushing of Coastal Electric of Georgia as a rising electrical star in the IEC Georgia Chapter.
Congratulations to Hampton, a 2nd year apprentice in Savannah who is the 2022 recipient of a $1,000 IAEI Scholarship. On Tuesday October 11th Hampton was honored at the IAEI Southern Section meeting.
Who is Hampton? He is a BC Cadet graduating from the all-boys Catholic, Benedictine Military School in Savannah, GA. After graduation he entered the electrical field for a couple of years and then started at Coastal Electric in August of 21. At Coastal, Hampton would shine in the IEC apprenticeship program with his commitment to excel in class as well as in the field. In August of 2022, only 1 year after joining the Coastal Electric team, he received an opportunity to become a mechanic and expectations were once again exceeded. Hampton’s punctuality, professionalism is stellar in conjunction with his patriotism, as he currently serves our country with the 165th Georgia Air National Guard!
Excellent job Hampton Rushing, and congratulations to Coastal Electric of Georgia for recognizing the talent in Rushing Hampton and investing in him!
By: Marie Thornton, Membership and Marketing Coordinator, IEC Atlanta, GA Chapters
IEC Atlanta held its annual Sporting Clay Shoot on Friday, December 9th at the newly renovated Cherokee Rose Gun Club in Griffin, Georgia. With 14 teams and nearly 60 shooters, the clay shoot targeted a great networking experience!
Registration and warm ups started at 9am and the tournament began at 10am. The competition, lunch and prizes made for an excellent IEC event. Here’s who came out on top!
Congratulation to 1st place winner’s team 9, Latham Moss (85), Chris Webb (88), Travis Kellum (92) and Mo
lly Moss (85) with a total 350 points. 2nd place went to team 7, Joey Miller (79), Justin Ray (90), Cody G
ooden (60) and Grant Belk (87) with 316 points. 3rd place winners were team 2, Darren Lodge (75), Tim Cox (79), Sonny Bonner (74) and Blake Landrum (79) with 307 points. Las
tly, 4th place went to team 10, Eugene Smiley (90), Avery Vasily (57), Paul Darden (70) and Steve Hooks (88) with a total 305.
A special award went to the
highest shooter, Jeff Brewer with a high score of 98! The final award went to the “Dead-Ass Last” shooter, Larry Lambert with a score of 29! We appreciate your effort, Larry!
Thank you to the overall event sponsor, Lighting Associates.
There was so much fun and connection. This was the event to attend and blow off daily stresses with great compan
y. If you missed it, make sure to join us in 2023!
Do You Know The Difference Between Electrical Certification and Electrical Licensing?
By: Niel Dawson, Executive Director, IEC Atlanta, GA Chapters
Certification and licensing are two terms that are misunderstood and used interchangeably in error. Adding to the confusion, there are different types of certifications and licenses, and they vary by state. Even within state licensing boards, there are inconsistencies from one trade to another.
First, a certification is generally given to someone who meets a set of criteria that is established by an accrediting organization or industry. These can be both for profit and non-profit organizations or government agencies. A license is generally issued by a government entity, such as a state or jurisdiction. A driver’s license is a good example of a license that is issued by a government entity. If you are licensed in one state and go to another, you may need to get licensed in another state.
Many times, a certification leads to licensing, such as in the electrical industry. The IEC provides an electrical apprenticeship program that leads to certification as a journeyperson by the US Department of Labor. A graduate of the program can then take this certification and apply to become licensed as an electrician in any of the 50 states. However, not all states require licensing to become an electrician; in fact, only about 50% of the states require licensing for electricians – more confusion!
In Georgia for example, there is no licensing for an electrician, only an electrical contractor. And there is no master electrician’s license in Georgia, though many people refer to it. In the plumbing trades, there is a master plumber, along with a licensed plumber and plumbing contractor.
The best advice for anyone wanting to enter the trades is to seek out a professional association like the IEC of the trade you are wanting to pursue. You can also search for the professional licensing board in your state.
On October 28th, IEC Atlanta’s annual Fall Golf Tournament was a blast at the Heritage Golf Links in Tucker, GA. Golf Digest magazine proclaims it to be one of the “Best New Golf Courses in America!” It was such a great experience; many members will agree.
The course lay host to our 23 teams and almost attendees. It was the perfect opportunity for IEC contractors, partner members and guest to connect, and have a little fun competition. When IEC hosts a golf tournament, it is always a recipe for good times and winners!
Congratulations to the winning teams!
1st Place- Team Tower Sales, Inc. – John Gurniewicz, Andy Wendel, and Drew Wendel (52)
2nd Place- Team Southwire- Andy Smith, Josh Masters, Kirk Alexander, and Jason Crew (54)
3rd Place- Team Graybar-Spence Warren, Raylen Cowart, and Grant Myers (57)
4th Place- Team Lighting Associates- Chad Kahn, John Hand, Tyler Gilbert and Gary Samuelson (57)
Additional winners:
Longest Drive- Drew Wendel
Closest to the pin- Jasen Armstrong
Thanks to the organizations that support IEC events and help to make each one a special experience. A huge thanks goes out to Tournament Sponsors, Legrand and Putzel. Longest Drive sponsored by GEA Integral Solutions and Closest to the Pin sponsored by Graybar. Drinks were on Southwire as the Drink Ticket Sponsor. There were over 50 hole sponsors, and goodie bags and prize doners! See full list of all golf tournament sponsors here.
IEC is excited to bring the industry together and we look forward to seeing you at the Clay Shoot on November 11th for more networking! You can click here to register for the Clay Shoot.
Tee Off at IEC Georgia’s 1st Annual Augusta Golf Tournament
IEC hosted its first annual Augusta Golf Tournament on September 15th at The River Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
This event garnered 16 teams of contractors, partners and guests to enjoy the lavish greens, drinks, raffle prizes, food and fun. The day was gorgeous and the competition was impressive.
Winners were celebrated and raffle prizes were awarded.
Congratulations to first place winners, team Blanchard & Calhoun Insurance. Winners are Preston Moss, Robbie Moore, Stephen Poole and William Weston. Stephen Poole is not only part of the first place team, but he is also the winner of Closest to the Pin! Excellent job gentlemen!
2nd place winners were team Mayer Electric / Industry Special with Jeff McFadden, Trevon Wheelers, BJ Thompson and Brian Jones.
3rd place winners were team Southwire/ CED with Bill Fowler, Chris Ainsworth, Donald Cockerham and Shawn Johnson.
Finally Austin Helfrich of Square D took home a trophy for the Longest Drive.
It is clear that he Augusta Golf tournament was a success and IEC will return again! What helps to make an IEC tournament a success? The support of its event sponsors. The highest level of golf sponsorships is Tournament Sponsor. Tournament Sponsors for the 2022 Augusta Golf tournament are Ireland Electric, Graybar and Blanchard and Calhoun. At this level, sponsors are visible throughout every part of the function. Thank you for participating!
Lowe Electric Supply sponsored the food, Bensource sponsored Putting Green and Smart Lighting Solutions sponsored the Driving Range. There are so many to thank. Click here to see link of full list of hole and prize sponsors.
Thank you for golfing with us! Click here to attend upcoming events. See pictures from Augusta Golf Tournament below.
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 — Overview of Labor Requirements
Signed into law on August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) imposes new/modified tax incentives for clean energy projects (bonus tax credit) and energy efficient commercial buildings (179D tax deduction) that satisfy new labor mandates, to include prevailing wage and registered apprenticeship requirements. This tying of labor mandates to tax incentives for private sector construction projects at the federal level is unprecedented.
The IRA requires that at least 15% of total labor hours on a project must be performed by a “Qualified Apprentice” (i.e. a Registered Apprentice) by 2024. This is phased in over three years:
10% in 2022
5% in 2023
15% in 2024 and beyond
Projects must follow ratios determined by the Department of Labor or State Apprenticeship Councils. For eligible projects that require four or more laborers, each contractor and subcontractor must employ one or more qualified apprentices. Below are some exceptions to this requirement:
Contractor pays a penalty of $50 multiplied by the total labor hours for which the requirement was not satisfied.
Good faith effort – contractor requests qualified apprentices from a Registered Apprenticeship Program and the request is denied or the Registered Apprenticeship Program fails to respond to the request within 5 business days. Contactors must follow established standards and requirements of the Registered Apprenticeship Program. Financial penalty can increase to $500 per hour if the violation was deemed deliberate.
Prevailing wage requirements for bonus credit on eligible projects:
To receive the bonus credit, workers must be paid wages not less than prevailing rates (Davis-Bacon wage rates) for the duration of the eligible credit. To satisfy noncompliance and maintain eligibility for the full credit, employers can provide back pay, plus interest and a penalty of $5,000 per worker or $10,000 per worker for violations due to intentional disregard. These appear to differ from penalties under Davis-Bacon and DOL could clarify through guidance. More Info Here
IEC Atlanta Celebrates 101 Apprenticeship Graduates
By: Marie Thornton, IEC Atlanta/Georgia Chapter Membership and Marketing Coordinator
IEC Atlanta held its 52nd Apprenticeship Graduation Ceremony on July 8th at the Atlanta Evergreen Marriott in Stone Mountain, GA. 101 graduates were celebrated with family, friends, IEC staff and online viewers from livestreaming this joyous occasion. It was a spectacular event!
Attendees were welcomed by the VP of the Atlanta Board of Directors, Darren Lodge, of Excel Electrical Technologies, Inc. The audience received a performance of the Star-Spangled Banner by IEC graduate and staff members John Dickerson and Melissa Slate. Allan Rogers of ECI led the invocation into an evening of music, dining, a motivational message and awards executed especially for the 2022 apprenticeship graduating class.
Thank you to vocalist Gwen Hughes for setting the celebratory energy and to Bill Fowler of Southwire for his inspiring words catapulting the graduates into great careers ahead.
Congratulations to the following graduates for standing out among their peers with extra commitment to their goal!
Perfect Attendance 4 Year Apprenticeship:
Christiaan Albert Boll, Andrew Electric Company, Inc.
Rodrigue Murad, Excel Electrical Technologies, Inc.
Tomas Felix Rodriguez, Penco Electrical Contractors, Inc.
Academic Achievement Awards- A Average- 4 Year Apprenticeship Programs In-Person, Online:
Matthew Akers, Mister Sparky, Inc.
Joshua Anderson, J&C Electric Company
Daniel Brown, Reinicke Athens, Inc.
Paul Cowen, MetroPower, ColumbusPower
James Dean, Andrew Electric Company, Inc.
Christopher Donogan, Pat Murphy Electric, Inc.
Blake Engelman, DC Power Specialist, LLC
Jack Fontana, Pat Murphy
Academic Achievement Awards- A Average- Professional Electrician’s Apprenticeship Programs:
Robert Wein, Riverside Electric South, LLC.
Academic Excellence- Highest Overall GPA:
Christopher Donegan- Pat Murphy Electric, Inc.
Robert Wein- Riverside Electric South, LLC.
Apprentice of the Year:
Christopher Donegan, Pat Murphy Electric, Inc.
Additional congratulations go out to IEC Instructor Melissa Slates of Slates Electrical on receiving the Mike Gunter Achievement Award! Thank you for your dedication to the IEC!
Thank you to IEC event sponsors Harbin Insurance, Milwaukee Tool, Southwire and Federated Insurance for your support of this event and the IEC Apprenticeship Program!
Christopher Donegan is IEC Atlanta’s 2022 Apprentice of the Year
By: Marie Thornton, IEC Atlanta/Georgia Chapter Membership and Marketing Coordinator
Congratulations to Christopher Donegan of Pat Murphy Electric, on earning the title of IEC Atlanta’s 2022 Apprentice of the Year!
Christopher competed in the IEC Atlanta Wire-off during the 2022 PowerShow against 9 other excellent apprentices in April. He prevailed with the highest number of points from the wire-off and a written exam that covered material from all 4 years of study!
Congratulations to all the competitors for a job well done!
Matthew Akers, Mister Sparky
Joshua Anderson, J&C Electric
Jack Fontana, Pat Murphy Electric
Austin Jarrell, Luca Electric
Douglas Kautenberger, Titan Electric Georgia
Daniel Moody, Pat Murphy Electric
Cody Oliver, Bannister Electric
Alexander Ree, MC Dean
Nathan Soloman, Electrical Contractor Inc.
Jack Fontana and Daniel Moody came in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. If Christopher is unable to fulfill his duties as Apprentice of the Year, Jack Fontana is next in line.
As IEC Atlanta’s Apprentice of the Year, Christopher will travel to Louisville, Kentucky to complete at the National convention representing IEC Atlanta from October 4th to the 8th. Christopher wins a trip for 2 to Kentucky and $500 in spending money! Good luck in Kentucky, we know you will do great representing the Atlanta chapter! Let’s get ready to cheer Christopher on as he competes for IEC’s National Apprentice of the Year!