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 included the Mahoning Valley NECA chapter. In his new role as regional Executive Director, he will cover Districts 1 and 2 – which includes Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and the New England states.
Jack Savage promoted to Executive Director for Eastern Region of NECA National
Filling the shoes of a NECA mentor
He is replacing Steve Chesley, who is retiring. Savage worked with Chesley while he was a field representative.
“I consider Steve a good friend and mentor. I really enjoyed working with him over the years, and I have big shoes to fill,” Savage said. “He will definitely be missed.”
Before his time as a Field Representative at NECA, Savage was Executive Director for Mahoning Valley NECA for about five years. He handled labor relations and negotiations for two divisions and served as trustee on multiple funds.
Mahoning Valley NECA’s big voice
When it comes to the Field Representative position, there is a local tie. It was created in the 1940s by Youngstown native Paul Geary. Like Savage, he served as executive director of Mahoning Valley NECA. The chapter is known for its high visibility on the national level despite its relatively small size. Savage says that’s due to leadership that came before him.
“We have presence on national committees and always have good attendance at events and council meetings. In fact, Rex Ferry from VEC was NECA President not that long ago. The visibility was always there, so I think that helped me move up the ladder,” Savage said.
He also credits the enormous amount of support received from members since he left NECA Mahoning Valley for NECA National. Savage says he has been able to maintain those friendships and keep the values along the way.
Although he’ll be busy in his new position, he says the job allows him to stay in the area, and he’ll be able to work remotely most of the time.
Savage is a Youngstown State University graduate who went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from the University of Akron School of Law in 2001. Before joining NECA, Savage was an attorney at Manchester, Newman & Bennett in Youngstown for 10 years. He practiced civil litigation and estate planning. He’s also a licensed civil and domestic mediator.