Leveraging 20 years of experience as an attorney, Tom Lipka has developed a set of people-reading skills that have proved useful both inside and outside the office. The executive director of the Mahoning Valley NECA chapter practiced law before transitioning to the electrical industry in 2019. “The ability to maintain an emotionless appearance and to […]
Beating the heat one day and braving brisk temperatures the next, thousands of students from local high schools attended the Mahoning Valley Skilled Trades Expo in Canfield. Held at the Canfield Fairgrounds Sept. 22-23, the expo was an opportunity for middle school and high school students to start the conversation about joining a trade after […]
In late summer of 2020, Rod Cushman, co-owner of Liberty Electric, was blind-sided when a trip to the dentist for what he thought was an impacted tooth turned into CAT Scans, PET Scans, ultrasounds and ultimately a diagnosis of an aggressive cancer of unknown origin. Several weeks later, Rod found himself in Cleveland Clinic for […]
Part of the attractiveness of the building trades profession is the sense of pride you get from bringing blueprints to life and actually creating something tangible. Take a drive around town with an electrician and watch them beam when you pass a building they had a hand in constructing. Then multiply that emotion by 10 […]
It started out innocently enough three years ago as a patriotic gesture to add a flagpole to a highly trafficked corner of his Boardman business’ property. But after the pandemic hit, Dan Santon set his sights on grander plans. “When COVID-19 hit I felt it needed to be more than that,” the longtime owner of […]
Tri-Area Electric has a major hand in one of the latest high-profile additions to the Youngstown State University campus; a building that will bridge the Mahoning Valley into the next generation of manufacturing technology. YSU’s Excellence Training Center on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Commerce Street is a $12 million project earmarked for completion […]
Two applicants for the Youngstown LMCC’s sponsored scholarship went home winners this academic year. It’s the first time in the short history of the organization’s funding of a Youngstown State University $1,000 scholarship that it was awarded to more than one student. “There were two candidates whose applications rose to the top and the committee […]
It was an honor and pleasant surprise for NECA-IBEW Electricians member contractor Santon Electric when AMVETS National Commander Jan Brown visited the IBEW Local 64 union hall to make a special presentation. Brown, the first female National Commander and a Mahoning Valley resident, was touched by the generosity of Santon Electric and the IBEW-represented electricians […]