Tag Archives: mahoning valley







Testing of a residential electrical panel

7 tips to make May Electrical Safety Month in your home


It’s important to stay aware, and be prepared, when it comes to electricity in your home. May is Electrical Safety Month and a good time to review the most practical ways to protect you and your family. From checking appliances, understanding the basics about surge protectors and knowing when to hire the professionals, following these […]

Main floor of Lowellville building being renovated

Dickey Electric brings new light to old Lowellville building


The roaring sound of a train whistle is familiar to people living in Lowellville. Tracks sit on both sides of 126 Water Street – a building that was once a general store and pharmacy in the early 1900s. Eventually, it became a furniture store in the 50s and 60s, and then the space turned into […]

Greg Hann and Joe DeLullo standing with Tri-Area Electric van outside Rica Building in Youngstown

Tri-Area Electric uncovers history in Rica Building project


Anyone crossing the South Avenue Bridge into downtown Youngstown can see the colorful mural of the Greek god Apollo on the Rica Building on Champion Street. The new owner, Tim Huber, purchased it about two years ago and has been doing renovations ever since. Finding a reliable, experienced electrician was a top priority for him. […]

Valley native makes another move up the NECA ladder


For the second time in five years, a Youngstown, Ohio native working for the National Electrical Contractors Association gets promoted. Jack Savage is now the Executive Director for the Eastern Region, which took effect at the end of February. Over the last four years, Savage served as NECA’s Field Representative for the Eastern Region, which […]

VEC provides voice of “Apprentices as Future Leaders” at NECA Convention


For the last five years, the VEC, Inc. team has attended annual NECA Conventions across the country to learn and grow as a company while also presenting their own expertise to peers on a national level through breakout session speaking opportunities. This past October, Mike Reiser, vice president for the Industrial Division, and Bruno Frate, […]

female electrician shows boys how to bend pipe

Skilled Trades Expo boosts electrician apprentice recruiting efforts


Students from across the Mahoning Valley were tradespeople for a day at the Skilled Trades Expo on Sept. 21 and 22, learning hands-on and interacting with workers to learn about opportunities in the building and construction industry. NECA-IBEW Electricians were represented by the Warren and Youngstown training centers, current apprentices and representative contractors who introduced […]

“Joe” Dickey Electric powers Akron Children’s ER expansion


Driving along Market Street in Boardman, work on Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley has been ongoing for about a year. While still seeing patients, an emergency room expansion project is underway, with “Joe” Dickey Electric running the electrical lines throughout the new space. Going with the flow Kurt Eisenbraun is job foreman for Dickey Electric. […]

Tom Lipka stands in office.

No bluffing. NECA’s Tom Lipka out-plays 90% of the WSOP field


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 […]

Sparking an interest in electrical industry careers at the 2021 Skilled Trades Expo


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 […]

Rod Cushman

LMCC, IBEW Local 64 support one of their own in cancer battle


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 […]