Author Archives: necaibew







NECA-IBEW funds restoration of electrical service for Austintown homeowner


Electricians from Santon Electric installed a 100-amp service upgrade to a home in Austintown, the owner of which had fallen on hard times and had her utilities shut off more than a year ago. NECA-IBEW Electricians, a collaboration of union electricians and electrical contractors, covered the $1,500 electrical upgrade cost as a community goodwill initiative. The homeowner […]

Bike Run participation benefits United Way


More than 100 members and friends of the local building trades, including heavy participation from among the electrical workers, combined to raise money for the Mahoning County United Way during an annual Bike Run event last weekend. (See WFMJ media coverage of the event here) “The Building Trades/United Way Bike Run is among my favorite […]

Member contractor VEC/Evets noted for fast growth


NECA-IBEW Electricians member contractor VEC Inc. and its subsidiary Evets Oil and Gas Construction Services were featured in a Warren Tribune Chronicle story over the weekend for their explosive revenue and job growth. According to the article, VEC – formerly Valley Electrical Consolidated – recently landed a post-drilling contract with BP America related to its […]

IBEW video lauds Local 573 trainer Steve Fife


IBEW Hour Power, a national online news program that highlights the work of the IBEW and NECA construction work, published a video featuring the story of Steve Fife, a local journeyman electrician who was named the international union’s 2012 Instructor of the Year. The video explores Fife’s role as a fourth-year apprentice instructor at IBEW […]

Electricians add spark to Scrappers opening day


On a picture-perfect night in front of more than 5,000 opening-day fans, the final 5-0 score in favor of the Jamestown Jammers was the only downside in an otherwise successful Mahoning Valley Scrappers game, sponsored by the NECA-IBEW Electricians. The collaboration of electrical contractors and union electricians from the Mahoning Valley brought 100 friends and family members to the game, […]

Electricians go to bullpen for Scrappers first pitch


An 8 year-old girl from the Big Brothers/Big Sisters mentoring program will throw out the first pitch at Opening Day for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers with an assist from the NECA-IBEW Electricians. As the corporate sponsor for the June 17 game’s fireworks display, the NECA-IBEW Electricians received the opportunity to throw out the game’s ceremonial […]

Moonlighting: Is it worth it?


An incident in a nearby district illustrates how “moonlighting,” or working a side job for pay outside of your employment agreement, can go terribly wrong. A union electrician – a lineman at a utility company – was asked to help out a family friend who’d gotten what he perceived to be a high estimate to […]

Vindicator op-ed — Strategies to Maintain a Drug-Free Workplace


IBEW Local 64 Business Manager Jim Burgham wrote an op-ed that was published in Sunday’s Youngstown Vindicator. The opinion piece explored the NECA-IBEW Electricians’ substance abuse policy and its impact on workplace safety. May is Electrical Safety Month and one of the sometimes overlooked facets of jobsite safety is a drug-free workplace. As excerpt from the article: […]

Tri-Area Electric Addresses Complex Needs at Salem Hospital


The Business Journal and its “Daily Buzz” online broadcast featured Tri-Area Electric’s project at Salem Community Hospital today. Click here to access the Daily Buzz page, then play the May 13 edition and scroll ahead to the 4:58 point for the Tri-Area story. In the segment, reporter Jeremy Lydic interviews Tri-Area project manager Michael Johnston about […]