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The Value in Attending the Annual NECA Convention and Trade Show

Imagine spending four days in a major American city every fall – surrounded by thousands of motivated peers and the best-and-brightest minds in the field, taking advantage of networking opportunities and educational courses led by experts in a range of specialties. Dynamic speakers inspire audiences to “think big” and a vibrant trade show is also right around the corner. Then, there are new restaurants, museums and entertainment venues to explore.

Welcome to the NECA Convention and Trade Show – the annual gathering that has become the No. 1 event in the electrical contracting industry. Organized by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the 2015 convention will take place in San Francisco, Oct. 3 to 6. Past conventions have been held in cities across the country, including San Diego, Chicago and Washington, D.C. The first was held in 1901 in Buffalo, New York, and the event has certainly grown since then.

Last year, convention organizers picked Chicago to host the event. The trade show was held at McCormick Place West. Philanthropist and best-selling author Chris Gardner opened during the General Session, speaking powerfully about his hardships and overcoming homelessness. He later signed copies of his book on the floor of the trade show. Closing the convention was decorated military veteran and Navy Seal Robert O’Neill, who gave a detailed account of various combat missions and his recipe for success in life. To top things off, Jim Belushi and the Sacred Hearts Band performed at the closing celebration on the final night of the convention.

But all that fun is secondary to what is at the heart of the convention: education. NECA is all about creating an environment in which contractors can come together to share ideas and collectively learn about the industry. Attendees can continue their education through pre-convention and convention courses that cover topics ranging from labor relations – a new track this year – and business management to leadership and communications. One popular instructor coming to NECA 2015 San Francisco is Alice D. Domar, a pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine.

NECA Convention

All instructors are industry leaders with unique insight and the expertise to customize seminars to the management and business needs of professionals working in all levels of electrical contracting. Their presentations are geared to providing strategic and practical solutions for electrical contractors. Aiming to grow their business, companies often bring multiple key personnel so they can cover all the bases. Streamlined tracks allow NECA to better serve the ever-evolving needs of the industry.

Attendees will find additional value at the NECA Show, the largest trade show for the electrical construction industry. As the largest gathering of manufacturers and distributors for electrical professionals in North America, the trade show floor showcases thousands of solutions contractors need to save time and money on the job. The trade show floor is a virtual classroom, providing the latest technological advances in such areas as: power supply, security, tools, integrated building systems, lighting and controls, solar/PV, and other energy markets.

Another perk: Technical workshops are free with admission to the NECA Show. NECA partners with exhibitors to highlight the latest technological advances and oftentimes the most prized information available at the event. The Showstopper Showcase, the awards program sponsored by NECA and ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine, also draws people from around the globe.

The City by the Bay will be the site of all this activity in October. Planned events include the opening reception at the world-famous Exploratorium and a concert by Kenny Loggins at the closing celebration. General session speakers lined up are: Sal Khan, founder of the Khan Academy, an educational nonprofit organization, and Diana Nyad, a renowned endurance swimmer.

“I look forward to the NECA Convention every year and this year even more since it gives us a chance to show off our beautiful city,” says Ernie Ulibarri of Barri Electric Company and NECA’s San Francisco Chapter president. “NECA 2015 San Francisco offers a unique mix of industry leaders, new technologies and expert speakers.”

Testimonials

The final product was an exceptionally well written and thorough story integrated with many of our project photos. It is a great endorsement of our company and our work that we are promoting on our website and through social media. We were impressed with the quality of the editorial and the professional follow-through.
— Susan Howell, Marketing Director for Howell Custom Building Group
Kyle and his team were very professional and patient in explaining their program to us. Their communications were clear and concise and did a great job of guiding us through the process of getting published in their magazine.
— Michael Henthorn, Owner, Henthorn Commercial Construction
Working with Kyle at TrueLine Publishing was a great experience. We are quite pleased with how the article about Souder Brothers turned out. The magazine article and photo spread is going to be a very effective tool to use in our marketing. If you have the opportunity to be featured in a project like this, I would recommend doing it. Kyle and his team made the whole process very smooth and we are happy to have been a part of the latest edition of US Builders Review.
— Corinne Schaffer, Project Manager, Souder Brothers Construction
Kyle Gahm was instrumental in coordinating this project from beginning to end. He was always available and a pleasure to work with. It would be a pleasure to work with Kyle down the road. Bill Keaton was very impressive in raising money from advertising which resulted in ASE getting the cover story, so thank you Bill. Lia Prysunka and Jeanee Dudley are both very impressive individuals who deserve a lot of credit for this featured piece. They were both very patient and accepting of any changes we suggested. The format, quality, and resolution was awesome. To sum it all up: Our upper management, who never have been high on PR and things of this nature said that it was "absolutely fantastic" and were blown away. They now are requesting multiple copies of the full magazine and are very proud of the work you all put in. Thanks again.
— Ryan Sanzari, Director of Operations, Alfred Sanzari Enterprises
The staff was very helpful and easy to work with while developing our story. They were always open to our ideas and provided us useful information to maximize our visibility using social media. We were certainly pleased with final article.
— Daryl Whitmer, Marketing Program Manager, Harrison French & Associates (HFA)
The team at US Builders Review is professional and did a great job with your published article. They asked for and listened to my feedback and responded quickly to any requests I made.
— Susan Courter, Director of Business Development, R.E. Crawford Construction
On behalf of Alfred Sanzari Enterprises, I would like to thank you for showcasing our company as a cover story in US Builders Review, and express our gratitude for a job well done in putting together an impressive editorial product. We already have received a great deal of positive feedback on the article and are confident it will be a very effective tool for sharing Alfred Sanzari Enterprises’ story, and our new hotel project, with a national audience of industry professionals. Please also extend our thanks to everyone on your team that helped in any way to produce this article. This was truly a collaborative effort.  Your staff listened to our feedback and was incredibly professional and accommodating to our requests throughout the entire process. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with US Builders Review on future projects.
— Ryan Sanzari, Director of Operations, Alfred Sanzari Enterprises
It was an absolute pleasure to work with the writers and editorial team at TrueLine Publishing for our recent article in US Builders Review. From the start of the project, it was apparent that everyone involved was very concerned with accuracy and getting the facts right. They were also very conscientious about soliciting our feedback and ensuring that we were happy with the content and with the manner in which Giroux Glass was described in the finalized piece.
— Barbara Kotsos, Director of Marketing & PR, Giroux Glass
TrueLine Publishing was a delight to work with. They were extremely patient and worked diligently to get our article written and published. The team always responded in a timely manner and was courteous. I look forward to working with TrueLine Publishing in the future and will recommend them to other businesses.
— Crystal Leos, Business Development, DALLASWHITE Property Restoration
I would like to commend the US Builders Review staff for their work in developing and writing a fantastic article for Miller Contracting Group, Inc. It was truly a pleasure to work with their professional and well organized staff.
— Chuck Daniels, Business Manager, Miller Contracting Group Inc.

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