Early Registration Extended Until Sept. 5!

Recent phone and service outages at NECA’s national office means a little good news for procrastinators – the Early Registration deadline for NECA 2011 San Diego has been extended by one week, from Monday, Aug. 29 to Monday, Sept. 5.

“We know Monday, Sept. 5 is the Labor Day holiday, so I hope that everyone will take advantage of the extra days the week before the new deadline,” said Beth Ellis, NECA Executive Director, Convention/Exposition. “We’re doing our best to remain available to people who may have questions about registration and housing.”

The best way to reach NECA’s convention staff is a direct email to Beth Ellis at beth.ellis@necanet.org or Katie Nolan, katie.nolan@necanet.org. CMR staff can also assist with NECA 2011 San Diego registration and housing registrations by email to NECAHousing@cmrus.com or phone, 1-800-368-6322 or 415-979-2291 for international calls. You can also comment on this post, our Facebook page or on Twitter.

NOTE: Early registration rates do not apply to pre-convention workshops,Weekend Passes, or the Energy Forum.

>> REGISTER NOW FOR NECA 2011 SAN DIEGO!

A Walk on the Wild Side

NECA’s 2011 lifestyle session features Joan Embery –  renowned environmentalist, animal activist, preservationist, TV star and spokeswoman for the Zoological Society of San Diego – plus, some of her favorite friends, the exotic animals she cares for!

Joan, a regular on the Tonight Show, made numerous appearances with Johnny Carson, allowing viewers to meet and share in her love of the animal kingdom, all from their living room sofa. From sneaky snakes and albino koalas to Johnny singing to an endangered bush dog, millions of Americans have learned about the importance of wild life conservation from Joan and her furry friends.

Watch a short video montage of Joan and friends visiting Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show and make your plans today to hear Joan speak about her latest adventures at NECA 2011 San Diego’s Lifestyle Session! >>

NOTE: This special event is a fabulous opportunity for kids and parents to meet-and-greet exotic animals, take photos, and learn about the animal kingdom. Child registration is available for all NECA 2011 San Diego events, click this link to learn more >>

Are You Trying to Reach Us?

NECA’s phone system is currently down — if you need immediate assistance, or need to make a request to convention staff, please contact Katie (katie@necanet.org) or Beth (eie@necanet.org) via email. We will publish an immediate update when our phone system is back up and running. We apologize for any inconvenience — thank you for your patience.

Industry Leaders and Academy Fellows Recognized at 2011 San Deigo

NECA’s 2011 national awards for outstanding industry leaders have been approved and will be recognized at the Closing General Session of NECA’s 2011 National Convention. Click on the award name below to learn more about this year’s award winners:

1)     Coggeshall Award: Wayne Brinkmeyer (Britain Electric, Houston, Texas)

2)     Comstock Award: John R. Colson (Quanta Services, Houston, Texas)

3)     James H. McGraw Award: Daniel Palmer (Tri-City Electric, Davenport, Iowa)

4)     Association Executive Distinguished Service Award: Danal W. Neal (Western Ohio Chapter, NECA)

5)     Industry Partner Award: Robert M. Gasperow (CLRC)

The following NECA-member contractors will be inducted into the prestigious Academy of Electrical Contracting during NECA 2011 San Diego:

• Gregory Davis (Bob Davis Electric, Shreveport, Louisiana)
• Thomas Driscoll (E.S. Boulos Company, Westbrook, Maine)
• Charles Ewton (Lawson Electric, Chattanooga, Tennessee)
• John S. Frantz (Sidney Electrical, Sidney, Ohio)
• Bradley S. Giles (Giles Electric, South Daytona, Florida)
• Thomas Ispas (Daniel’s Electrical Construction, Fontana, California)
• Thomas G. Moore, Jr. (J P Rainey & Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• Alex Owen (Brooks-Berry-Haynie & Associates, Mableton, Georgia)
• Daniel Palmer (Tri-City Electric, Davenport, Iowa)

Children Welcome at the NECA Show!

Children are welcome at the 2011 NECA Show, just as long as they have a badge for admission and are accompanied by an adult.

But this year, kids aren’t just welcome to check out all the cool exhibits on the Show floor. We’re also opening other NECA Convention activities to kids who are registered with badges and accompanied by an adult.

“We know that kids will want to see the USS Midway up close,” Beth Ellis, NECA executive director, convention/exposition, said, smiling. “If I was a kid who came with my parents to San Diego and found out that I was going to miss out on seeing the most famous aircraft carrier in the world, I’d be a little irritated.”

Ellis said that 2011 marks the 100^th anniversary for naval flight, so there will be special exhibits and areas for exploring at the Opening Reception, Oct. 22. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we want everyone in our NECA family to experience it,” Ellis said.

Registration rates for children at NECA 2011 San Diego are:

• Age 0-6: free
• Age 7-15: $75
• Age 16 and up: $360 before August 29; $400 after August 29 (early registration closed)

For kids age 16 and up who simply want to attend the Opening Reception abroad the USS Midway, individual event tickets are $200. The full convention registration for age 16 and up includes admission to all General Sessions, daily lunch at the NECA Show, management and technical workshops, and the Closing Celebration. To learn more about the 2011 NECA San Diego Convention and Trade Show download the brochure »

>>Register yourself or your children for the 2011 NECA Convention and Show now!

Discover California’s Southern Coast — NECA Style!

Want to extend your stay in sunny California? Join us, October 26– 28, for a post-convention tour and discover California’s spectacular southern coast — from San Diego to LA. Visit the beach towns of Laguna, Newport and Long Beach. Stay in the fabulous 5-Star Terranea Resort, located just south of Los Angeles.Your friends and family are welcome too! Download the full agenda and registration form today!

So What Exactly ARE Weekend and A La Carte Registrations?

These days, everyone is doing more with less. We know it, our NECA contractors know it, and everyone who has to ever travel for business knows it.

Which is why NECA 2011 San Diego is featuring our first-ever weekend and a la carte registrations. Weekend and a la carte registrations are exclusively available to NECA members. If you want to minimize the time and money you spend away from the office, while maximizing your education and experiences in San Diego, these are the best choices for you.

WEEKEND PACKAGE #1 – $549

Includes registration for the NECA 2011 Energy Forum (Saturday, Oct. 22, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., including final judging for the Green Energy Design Challenge); the Opening Reception (Saturday, Oct. 22, 7-9 p.m., aboard the USS Midway); your choice of any Management Seminars on Sunday, Oct. 23; the Opening General Session, Sunday, Oct. 23, 10:15-11:30 a.m. with retired Gen. Stanley McCrystal; Grand Opening of the 2011 NECA Show, plus lunch and Technical Workshops on the Show floor (Sunday, Oct. 23, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.); and admission to the NECA Showstopper Showcase (Sunday, Oct. 23, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.)

WEEKEND PACKAGE #2 – $449

Includes everything from Weekend Package #1 (Energy Forum and Green Energy Challenge, plus all Sunday Convention and Trade Show events), with the exception of admission to the Saturday, Oct. 22 Opening Reception aboard the USS Midway.

Items on the A La Carte registration menu are single-sessions only, without any of the Full Registration events (General Sessions, Opening Reception and Closing Celebrations). You can sign up for multiple a la carte items – just make sure your sessions don’t overlap!

Pre-Convention Workshops, Friday, Oct. 21-Saturday, Oct. 22: One of NECA’s more popular educational offerings at the annual convention, Pre-Convention Workshops are multi-hour, hands-on programs developed for electrical professionals who want in-depth training. Prices vary by session; a full listing of course descriptions and prices is available here.

NECA 2011 Energy Forum, Saturday, Oct. 22: Our first-event program created for electrical contractors working in or want to explore the energy solutions market

• NECA Member  – $249
• NECA Member with Full Convention Registration (additional program) – $129
• Non-member – $599

Opening Reception, Saturday, Oct. 22: Just want to join your colleagues for a grand adventure and evening out aboard the USS Midway? Be our guest! – $200

Management Seminars Only, Sunday, Oct. 23, Monday, Oct. 24, and Tuesday, Oct. 25: No need to register for individual seminars, just register for the day you wish to attend seminars – $525

JUST ANNOUNCED! Safety Track Session Pass, Sunday, Oct. 23, Monday, Oct. 24, and Tuesday, Oct. 25: Includes all “Safety Track” management seminars and technical workshops, plus the Safety Roundtable. Perfect for professionals who want to build on what they learned at NECA’s first Safety Professionals Conference – $500

Trade Show Admission: Includes Technical Workshops and NECA Showstopper Showcase – $85 for three days

Daily Lunch on the Trade Show Floor – $28 per day

>> REGISTER NOW!

CAUTION: Data-Miners Seeking NECA Show Exhibitors in $1700 Scam

2011 NECA Show exhibitors may soon receive their own version of the document pictured below, from a data-mining company claiming to be verifying your company’s contact information for the NECA Show. Please be aware, neither Fair Guide or Construct Data Publishers, are collecting this information on behalf on NECA. If you complete and return this form, you actually authorize this company to bill you over $1700 and re-sell your information to other marketers in their own publication!

We value our NECA Show exhibitors, and we do our absolute best to protect the investment you have made in the NECA Show.  Your company listing in the NECA Show Guide, NECA’s convention and exhibitor websites, and posting your press releases for NECA 2011 San Diego attendees is included in your exhibitor fees. Unfortunately, it only takes listing your company name in the NECA Show Guide for unscrupulous data mining companies like Fair Guide to try to gather your contact information to try to make a quick buck for their own guides that they sell to other marketers. Don’t be a victim of this scheme! If you ever have a question about any materials you receive about your participation in the NECA Show, contact Julie Duda, julduda@necanet.org,  or Sue McCart, sue.mccart@mindspring.com or phone the NECA Show office, 301-215-4506.

Opening General Session Speaker: General Stanley McChrystal

Few leaders can claim to have overcome obstacles as large as those faced by retired four-star General Stanley A. McChrystal. McChrystal has been praised for creating a revolution in warfare that fused intelligence and operations, retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal is the former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan and Director of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) that captured Saddam Hussein and killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq. With McChrystal at the podium, NECA’s 2011 Opening General Session, Sunday, Oct. 23, 10:15 a.m., promises to be an insightful and frank discussion on what it makes to be an honorable leader in difficult times.

Earlier, during the Persian Gulf War, he served in a Joint Special Operations Task Force and later commanded the 75th Ranger Regiment. In between, he completed year-long fellowships at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Council on Foreign Relations.

McChrystal, a West Point graduate and former Green Beret, retired from the military in August 2010 after 34 years of service. He now serves on the board of directors for JetBlue Airways and the Yellow Ribbon Fund, a new advisory board to support military families. He also inspires with stories from his extraordinary career. At NECA’s opening general session, McChystal will explain his four-star management strategy – stressing openness, teamwork, and forward-thinking.

>> Learn about all the General Sessions at NECA 2011 San Diego

Stan Lazarian Wants YOU to Attend NECA’s First Energy Forum

When he’s not busy with his duties as NECA District 9 Vice President  and Chairman of NECA’s Energy Solutions Task Force, Stan Lazarian is running his company, Electric Service & Supply Co., in Pasadena, CA.  ESSCO was founded in 1949 by Stan’s father, Steve Lazarian, who had served as an electricians mate in the Navy during WWII. Throughout its history, ESSCO has performed a variety of construction projects including commercial, industrial and design build. A large percentage of ESSCO’s work has been public works contracting and public buildings.

But Lazarian is also looking towards the future of electrical contracting – and he sees energy efficiency and alternative energy moving from the industry’s fringes to its center.

“We don’t want to lose what could be the largest game-changing trend to hit our industry in the past two decades. Right now, there is tremendous momentum and incentives for sustainable construction,” he said.

Lazarian and members of the Energy Solutions Task Force proposed  a one-day event to introduce NECA contractors to the opportunities available in this growing market. The result is the NECA 2011 Energy Forum.

“As electrical contractors, we are each trying to determine what our place in the emerging alternative energy solutions market can and should be,” Lazarian said. “The Energy Forum can help NECA contractors answer some of those questions. We know there isn’t a single path of entry for all NECA members to pursue this work. But we also know that if we don’t begin immediately offering our expertise and services, our existing and potential customers will go elsewhere to get their renewable and energy-efficiency needs met.”

>> Learn more about the NECA 2011 Energy Forum and register now!