By Misty Byers, Editor, tED magazine
The 2012 NECA Show, which ran from Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, wrapped up on Tuesday. A morning closing general session outlined NECA’s plan for the upcoming year.
Related: Check out reports from Day 1 and Day 2 of the 2012 NECA Show
John Grau, CEO of NECA, reminded attendees that the 2013 NECA Show will be held in Washington, D.C., but that the association will not be resting on its laurels over the next 12 months.
Related: Photo galleries from Day 1 and Day 2 of the 2012 NECA Show
“We plan to grow,” noted Grau, explaining that plans for growth include the following areas:
- Membership. “We’ve seen our membership decline as the economy has forced companies to close their doors, but there is still a lot of opportunity out there to bring in new membership by reaching out to businesses that are not NECA members,” noted Grau, adding that the association is employing a systematic approach to recruiting new memberships.
- Markets. “At both the national and charter levels NECA has engaged professionals to find and grow new markets,” noted Grau.
- Labor force. The coming exodus of the Baby Boomer generation is threatening the entire electrical channel; according to Grau, one way NECA is working to help ensure that there will be qualified and talented new blood entering the electrical contracting profession is through “computer-based, interactive training for apprentice programs.”
- Political clout. Tom Wolden, national chairman of NECA’s PLC and ECPAC initiatives, took the stage to stress the importance of the industry making sure that its voice is being heard in Washington. “The 2012 election has the potential to be the most important election in our lifetime,” Wolden noted, encouraging conventioneers to “take and active role with an active voice.”
- Finally, to help “members grow as individuals and as companies,” said Grau, NECA will hold its NECA Now 2013 Executive Leadership Meeting in April.
After the announcement of NECA’s 2012 Award Winners, Dr. Peter Diamandis, chairman and CEO of the X Prize Foundation and a key figure in the development of the personal spaceflight industry, took the stage to share stories of innovations that are changing the way we think, work, and educate future generations.
The final day on the NECA Show floor continued to impress with innovative and interesting product and technology offerings; here are just a few – Photo gallery: Products from Day 3 of NECA 2012
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