By: Todd Hawkins, IEC Atlanta Associate Executive Director
Thank You to everyone that invested time into the 2022 Apprentice of the Year Competition (AOY). IEC records indicate that 2022 is the 34th consecutive year that IEC Atlanta has held the AOY competition.
Thank you to Mike Gunter, IEC Atlanta for chairing the competition again this year. Mr. Gunter was a competitor in the AOY competition in 1994. Travis Worn, Pat Murphy Electric, Inc. worked as the Co-Chair and he was a competitor in 2017, the tradition continues!
The competition requires competitors to demonstrate skills in multiple areas such as pipe bending, motor control knowledge and overall knowledge of the IEC 4-Year curriculum. IEC names the 2022 Apprentice of the Year at the Graduation Gala on July 8 at Stone Mountain Evergreen Conference Center, Register to Attend Graduation
This year’s AOY winner represents IEC Atlanta in the IEC National Apprentice of the Year Competition in Louisville, KY, October 5-8.
2022 Power Show Provides VIP Experience to Attendees
IEC held its 2022 Power Show at Wills Park Equestrian Center in Alpharetta on Tuesday, April 26th. IEC’s annual Power Show ignited its audience! This open outdoor venue was filled with over 50 vendors set up to inform attendees; Nearly 200 Contractor VIPs and guests, over 300 IEC apprentices and friends, family and the community all came out to experience the Power of the Power Show!
IEC’s Power Show features the top 4th year apprentices competing in the 2022 Apprentice of the Year (AOY) competition. This year there were 11 participants working hard Pipe bending, working Motor Controls wiring diagrams, and completing comprehensive written tests. Guests looked on as these candidates worked diligently to become IEC’s 2022 AOY.
Attendees enjoyed the barbecue, mac & cheese and peach crisp, while prizes provided by many exhibitors were raffled throughout the day. VIP Contractors checked in, enjoyed their barbecue early and were able to have some quality time with Power Show vendors. Congratulations to Lem Mathis, who won the $500 VIP drawing. VIP access is a new addition to the Power Show and it will only get better as we work to make a special experience for our IEC Contractors. Don’t miss what VIP status will offer in 2023!
There was so much to see, learn and experience. It is always exciting to have IDEAL Industries competition on site, giving attendees the opportunity to test their competitive edge! Ideal never disappoints!
A special thanks goes out to our sponsors for making the 2022 Power Show a memorable event.
Show bags- Square D & World Electric Supply
Lanyards- Atlanta Electrical Distributors
Beverages- Eaton, Milwaukee and Smart Lighting Solutions
Great job on the grill, by Chad Brooks, Mike Sasser, Mike Disharoon and Justin Mercer!
Additional thanks to Mike Gunter – AOY Project Manager and Kevin Ward and his leadership class for managing food service and overseeing the set and tear down of the show. IEC appreciates all the dedication and hard work to put on an amazing show.
A special thanks goes out to IEC National President Troy Corrigan, who flew in from Louisville to meet our guests.
Take a moment to enjoy shots from this fabulous event and we can’t wait to see you next year!
IEC Atlanta Contractors and Partners Bring in Big Catch at the 2022 Fishing Tournament
1st Place-Sean Duyvejonck and Jesse Hyde
IEC Atlanta along with ABC held its annual fishing tournament on March 26that Lawrence Shoals Recreation Area in Eatonton, Georgia. They hosted 32 boats as they were launched from Lawrence Shoals boat ramp. Attendees had competition with more than their fellow anglers, they also contended with aggressive winds on what was still a beautiful day.
Congratulations and cash prizes were awarded to the following winners;
First place was awarded to Sean Duyvejonck and Jesse Hyde of team T.H. Mize Electric with a total weight of 15.75lbs.
Second place went to team Rexel/ Thrower Electric. Members Zachary Thrower and Chris Ford hauled in 14.77 lbs.
Third place was team Titan Electric of Georgia with team members Andy Lopez and Raul Lopez weighing in with 12.27lbs.
Fourth place winners were team Berkel & Company Contractors, with Johnny Freeman & Johonny M. Freeman with a catch of 10.53lbs.
Our “Big Fish” winner was Mike Freeman of Berkel & Company Contractors with a catch of 4.83lbs.
Well done to the winners and all the fishermen participating! The event was fun and the food was delicious! Networking and connecting our members for the best experiences and opportunities is what happens during an IEC event.
Thank you to our Event Sponsors- Titan Electric of Georgia, Atlantic Workforce, ESSE, Lighting Associates, Concentra, Mayer Electric Supply and Smart Lighting Solutions. It’s always a pleasure to work with you to make a fantastic event.
There are more upcoming events. Check the event page for information on the 2022 Power Show, and Golf tournaments in Savannah and Columbus, Georgia areas!
By Niel Dawson, IEC Atlanta/GA, Executive Director
So here we are in a new year when we all thought (or hoped and prayed) COVID, material delays, worker shortage, and price escalation might be in our rearview mirror, but instead, we’re looking at a full-length mirror of these issues. As we evaluate managing these issues, it is advisable to pause and determine if what we have been doing has been working. As the old saying goes, “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” is the definition of insanity!
On the other hand, ask yourself what you have been doing to get good results? In that case, make more time to do more of that activity and eliminate unproductive activity. A method I have recently discovered is “time blocking.” Instead of making a list of things to do (which I am famous for), block out a specific amount of time on your calendar to accomplish a particular task. I know we are all reactionary to the outside demands, but the more you can take time to analyze and plan for the results you want, the more likely you are to achieve your goals.
We all feel there are so many issues outside of our control that it just seems exhausting. However, we all have control over how we react to these outside pressures. For example, at our recent IEC strategic planning session, the Board of Directors readily acknowledged the number one issue of a vast majority of our membership is workforce shortage. Not only is the electrical industry in dire need of workers, but it appears no industry is not clamoring for more workers. The “great resignation” is upon us like we’ve never seen, and it doesn’t seem to be subsiding anytime soon.
IEC’s new strategic plan calls for both implementing new and creative solutions and increasing the resources for those activities that have been beneficial to finding and training new workers for the membership. Here are a few strategies in our 2022-24 plan that you can do for yourself as you pivot and tackle purposely to find more workers:
Contract with an ad agency to develop or upgrade your recruitment marketing material (who of us is a marketing expert?)
Adopt a look high school with an emphasis on the trades (contact IEC’s Recruiter, Kevin Ward for a school and contact – ward@iecatlantaga.org)
Expand where you’re looking for workers, i.e., Hispanic, female, churches, sporting clubs, racing organizations, and other groups that are likely to have similar interests that match our industry.
Contract with a person or agency, or hire part-time staff, solely with the task of recruitment.
Evaluate your pay scale and benefits package. IEC is currently conducting a wage survey; be sure to complete it by January 31st. IEC is now offering a discounted health insurance program through Humana, and don’t forget our 401k retirement program.
These are just a few examples you can do, and you will also see IEC rolling out more new methods in the coming months. The point is not to react in the same ways to the same issues (they’re not going away) but instead purposely pivot to new strategies that create better results.
Contractor Skills By: Todd Hawkins, IEC Atlanta/GA Associate Executive Director
Recently, IEC hosted the Skills USA Georgia Industrial Motor Control Contest at the Georgia World Congress Center. Thank You to these individuals and companies for supporting this annual with staff to judge the event:
Mike Gunter – IEC Atlanta and Georgia Chapters
Justin Haggard – Capital City Electrical Services
James Wesley – MetroPower, Inc.
Travis Worn – Pat Murphy Electric, Inc.
Skills USA is a club that primarily operates in public schools and colleges. Skills USA helps young people develop skills in automotive, culinary arts, law enforcement, woodworking, and many of the skilled trades. The talents they learn in Skills USA make these individuals prime candidates to work for IEC Member Contractors.
For instance, the February event displayed Skilled Trade Contests in Plumbing, Cabinetry, Electrical and Masonry to name a few. Since these students already have acclimation to working in the trades it makes for IEC Members to convince them to choose electrical construction as their career choice.
IEC Atlanta & Georgia Chapters continuously seeks more individuals to work for member companies. Specifically seeking individuals that already have some connection to working with their hands, show a desire to work as an electrician or have some amount of trade training. Finding this type of person helps IEC members because in many cases these individuals already understand the work environment and have relatable skills.
We need to move applicants to hired status. From January 1 – February 28, 2022 IEC received approximately 72 applicants to the apprenticeship program. These are individuals that expressed a desire to work for member companies. The key is moving quickly to start the hiring conversation. To do this, contractors are urged to review the out of work list regularly, send a text message to people you are interested in talking to and inviting them to an interview. Virtual interviews can work as a first step.
For those Contractors that need to hire experienced people before hiring more green ones, Ladder service comes with your membership. At this time Ladder shows 2396 active candidates seeking jobs with IEC Member. A deeper dive show IEC companies have 10 or more active candidates per week.
IEC looks forward to finding more interested workers for member companies, seeing those candidates go to work for you and finding ways to help you retain those new workers along the way.
Tips On Retaining Workers By: Todd Hawkins, IEC Atlanta/ GA Associate Executive Director of Workforce Development
Recently, I attended the IEC National Business Summit in Savannah Georgia. The conference offered many presentations on Workforce Hiring and Development. One of the many points that I took away is that we all need to work together to get more people into the Electrical Construction industry. As the number of available qualified and capable electricians dwindle it is imperative to attract, hire and then retain as many people that are willing to join this great industry.
Several items are key to retaining the next generation of electricians, and yes, you probably heard this before:
Hire quickly – when contractors receive an application review it quickly and get in touch with the interested person. Shoot for 24-48 hours from the time you receive the inquiry, otherwise, the candidate has probably moved on to another prospective employer.
Look to diverse populations to fill your hiring needs. Diverse populations help increase the total talent pool from which to choose your next employee.
Use the IEC Out of Work List – IEC staff continues to seek and attract applicants to the IEC Apprenticeship Program. These are people that are actively seeking careers in Electrical Construction. Let’s engage them quickly to see if they are right for your job openings.
Ladder helps IEC contractors find experienced electricians and they currently have over 2000 individual candidates seeking employment with IEC members.
Working together, IEC Members and Staff have the opportunity increase hiring of individuals that are actively seeking employment, electrical training and the status of IEC Electrician.
IEC Georgia Chapter Celebrates Columbus Graduates By: Todd Hawkins, IEC Atlanta/ GA Associate Executive Director of Workforce Development
IEC Georgia Celebrates the Class of 2021 in Columbus Georgia. Celebrating the accomplishments of graduates of the Electrical Apprenticeship Program, graduates, family members and contractors gathered on Thursday, January 20.
Congratulations to Jason Walker with Jordan Electric Co., Inc. for earning the Perfect Attendance for all 4 Years of the program and for earning the Academic Excellence award for having the highest overall grade during his apprenticeship.
Pictured left: Jason Walker
Congratulations to these graduate, now IEC Electricians:
Atlanta Partner Member, Southwire Upgrades to Diamond Level
IEC Atlanta Chapter is proud to announce that IEC Atlanta Partner member, Southwire has upgraded to Diamond Level membership!
As a Diamond level partner member, Southwire receives teams in golf tournaments, clay shoots and fishing tournaments. Diamond level provides access to luncheon meetings, sponsorships at all IEC’s major events, including an overall event sponsorship.
Southwire is committed to helping electrical contractors improve productivity through innovation such as their SimPull, stackable reels of wire and recent introduction of redesigned hand tools. Training Manager, Bill Fowler sees the value in working with IEC and their contractors through assisting with training on productivity improvements and embracing change within the industry.
This is reflected in the upcoming IEC Day at Southwire on March 11th, 8am – 3pm. This is a free full day of training on innovative solutions for pre-construction, overview of Southwire’s Jobsite Apps, Feeder Management solutions and the overview of hand tools, meters, temp power, lighting and Southwire components. To register for this training click here.
On December 3rd IEC Atlanta and Georgia Chapters held its annual Christmas Party and awards ceremony at Maggiano’s Little Italy at Cumberland. Hosting 130 in attendance, Contractors, Partner members and their guests enjoyed an afternoon filled with fun, prizes and the recognition of the 2021 Award winners within the Atlanta/GA chapter.
The afternoon began with drinks and hors d’oeuvres being served as guests arrived. Atlanta Board President, Steve Askea opened with a welcome and thank you to the 2022 Board of Directors. IEC is strong because of its members, and the first item on the celebration agenda was acknowledging IEC’s loyal members. Awards were given to members for their service for 5, 10, 15, 25, 35 and 50 years plus.
In addition to membership awards, there were some select members awarded;
IEC would like to thank Overall event sponsor, Federated Insurance for supporting this year end gala! Additional thank yous go to Prize sponsor Titan Electric of Georgia, Entertainment sponsor Milwaukee Tool, Drink sponsors were Graybar Electric, Mayer Electric, MC Dean, Southwire and World Electric! If you enjoyed the hors d’oeuvres, that was thanks to AED, Harbin Agency, Home Depot, Hubbell and Rexel. The delicious dinner was thanks to ABB, Acuity Brands, Agora Systems, Atlanta Workforce, AED, Bensource, Commercial Truck Sales, Duvall Agency, Elliott Electric Supply, Federated Insurance, Harbin Agency, Lade Electric Supply, Legrand, Lighting Associates, Selec Source, Smart Lighting Solutions and World Electric Supply! Our members help to make IEC events spectacular!
IEC and its members look forward to this annual event. Guests received the year- end review, raffle prize drawings, Maggiano’s family style dinner and an engaging performance from comedian Lanny Farmer. This was a great way for IEC to thank its members for another amazing year! Take a look at pictures from this event below.
5 Year Membership Award- Ellis Electrical
15 Years Membership Award- Southern Electric Company
25 Years Membership Award- Harmon Electric
35 Years Membership Award- Tommy Mize- TH Mize
50 Years Plus Membership Award- MC Dean
2021 Industry Award- Roland Weekley
2021 Manufacturer Partner of the Year- Bill Fowler- Southwire
2021 Distributor of the Year- Lindsey Hill- The Home Depot
2021 Specialty Partner of the Year- Linda Smith and Jodi McMahon- BenSource
2021 President’s Award- Nick Young- Putzel
2021 Contractor of the Year- Keith Haskell- Sole Source Electrical
By: Todd Hawkins, IEC Associate Executive Director of Workforce
As we say farewell to the year 2021 IEC looks forward to our continued Mission Driven-Member Focused efforts in 2022. This past weekend the instructors attended a holiday party that thanked them for their efforts in training the next generation of IEC Member electricians. The exciting testimonies given by instructors and family members reminded us all of the importance of community, skill and performance in our daily jobs. Each instructor recounted their journey from apprentice to electrician to IEC Instructor. The many comments about the support of the IEC Community to their education and career brought a sense of pride that IEC in fact meets the mission of providing high quality services that improve the success of merit shop electrical contractors and their employees. Each instructor mentioned the skills they obtained by being trained in the art of electrical installations from predecessors that gave their time and energy to them in the classroom and through on-the-job training in the field. Their comments affirmed that working the merit-shop way is how our performance gets judged when we take great care of customers, show great skills and complete our work with a glad heart. The finale from each person showed the appreciation for family, their sacrifices in the education process and their continued support for the instructor’s daily role in the lives of so many of the IEC Family.
As we move into 2022 each member is invited to step into a vital role of Mission Driven – Member Focused actions! Please join a committee, participate in the exciting activities or make the ultimate decision to become part of the instructor staff at IEC. Thank You for being an IEC Member, Happy New Year!
Thank You to everyone that invested time into the 2022 Apprentice of the Year Competition (AOY). IEC records indicate that 2022 is the 34th consecutive year that IEC Atlanta has held the AOY competition.
