Building & Electrical Industry News http://www.connexiones.com News and views effecting Chicago and Midwest Electrical contractors, manufacturers and maintenace professionals Energy efficiency program contractors share successful sales strategies http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10266 Fri, 18 May 2012 06:19:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10266 Contractors are crisscrossing the country with DNV KEMA to share their proven strategies for selling direct install energy efficiency programs. A Michigan contractor headed west to meet with his New Mexico counterparts, while a successful Arizona contractor traveled to Ohio and Pennsylvania to share his story...

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]]> Construction Employment Remains Nearly Flat in April http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10208 Wed, 16 May 2012 14:56:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10208 The construction industry lost 2,000 jobs in April, following similar declines of 3,000 in March and 1,000 in February, but still added 63,000 jobs over the past year as the industry unemployment rate shrank to 14.5 percent—the lowest April level in four years, according to an analysis of new federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America...

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]]> Midwest Backlogs 'Remain Stifled,' ABC survey finds http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10204 Wed, 16 May 2012 14:46:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10204 Due to poor gains in industrial production, the Midwest continued to lag other U.S. regions in average backlogs, or the amount of construction work under contract, during the first quarter of 2012, according to a newly released survey by Washington, D.C.-based Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)...

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]]> U.S. home starts in April added to other generally good news http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10203 Wed, 16 May 2012 14:42:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10203 U.S. new home starts in April were a source of optimism concerning the economic outlook. While they didn’t set a blistering pace, they did move significantly in the right direction. At 717,000 units, seasonally adjusted and annualized, they were +2.6% versus March and +29.9% when compared with April of last year...

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]]> National Trade Groups Team Up to Create a Drug- and Alcohol-Free Construction Industry http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10146 Sat, 12 May 2012 07:25:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10146 Five of the nation’s largest construction trade associations have teamed up to form the Construction Coalition for a Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace (CCDAFW). The coalition’s mission is to create a drug- and alcohol-free construction industry by providing companies and organizations with the resources necessary to implement drug- and alcohol-free policies into their business practices...

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]]> BICSI Data Center Credential Supports Growing Industry Trends http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10118 Fri, 11 May 2012 06:18:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10118 The BICSI DCDC credential was created to recognize those individuals who have demonstrated both the knowledge and the ability to apply it over the multiple facets within data center design. Individuals who have earned the DCDC credential have seen favorable results...

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]]> EMCOR Group, Inc. Customer Solutions Center Chosen a Winner in United States Postal Service Supplier Awards Program http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10097 Wed, 09 May 2012 06:55:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10097 EMCOR Group, Inc., a Fortune 500® leader in mechanical and electrical construction, energy infrastructure and facilities services for a diverse range of businesses, announced that its Customer Solutions Center was selected as the winner in the Supplier Excellence Award Category of the 2011 United States Postal Service Supplier Performance Awards Program. The Supplier Performance Awards Ceremony was held April 23, 2012 at the USPS Headquarters Building, in Washington, D.C...

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]]> Free Mike Holt Grounding vs. Bonding Webinar http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10086 Tue, 08 May 2012 13:10:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10086 Grounding Versus Bonding with Mike Holt
Thursday, May 24, 2012 l 2:00pm ET l Duration: 60 Minutes


Grounding Versus Bonding of electrical systems, sensitive electronic, and communications equipment is the most important and least understood activity in the electrical, data process, and communications industry.

In this 60-minute FREE webinar, Mike Holt of Mike Holt Enterprises, Inc. will explain the purpose of grounding and bonding as related to the most current requirements set forth in the 2011 NEC. Full color graphics and practical examples of typical electrical installations will help attendees learn the concepts necessary to safely design, install, and inspect electrical systems rated 600V or less.

Register]]> Man electrocuted while changing light fixture in Amherst http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10073 Mon, 07 May 2012 09:03:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10073 Amherst police are investigating the death of a young electrician who was electrocuted this afternoon while changing a light fixture in a building in an industrial park on Earhart Drive off Wehrle Drive...

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]]> Cattaneo Electric Company: Grounded in Family http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10063 Mon, 07 May 2012 07:10:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10063 Cattaneo Electric Company opened in 1977, operating out of the family home in Darien. “I’ve been answering the phone with ‘Cattaneo Electric’ since I was 9 years old,” said Peter Cattaneo...

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]]> Small and Midsized Manufacturers Plan for Continued Growth http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10043 Thu, 03 May 2012 09:13:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10043 Prime Advantage, the leading buying consortium for midsized manufacturers, announced the findings of its ninth semi-annual Group Outlook Survey, revealing financial projections and top concerns of its member companies for 2012. The findings show the majority of its members are forecasting revenue increases and plan to hire more employees...

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]]> March Construction Climbs 23 Percent http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10042 Thu, 03 May 2012 09:11:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10042 New construction starts in March jumped 23% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $482.4 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies. The increase came as the result of a sharp gain for electric utility construction, lifted in particular by work at a nuclear power plant facility in Georgia. Meanwhile, public works construction and housing showed...

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]]> Midwest Construction Continues to Receive Mixed Economic Signals http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10041 Thu, 03 May 2012 09:09:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10041 Construction industry members in the Midwest and elsewhere can be forgiven for having grown bleary-eyed following the zig-zagging of leading economic indicators month over month, year over year...

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]]> United CEO Says No Need for Fourth O'Hare Runway http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10010 Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:16:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10010 Three weeks ago, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called on American and United Airlines to support construction of a fourth runway at O'Hare International Airport in order to raise capacity and reduce delays at the Midwest's largest hub. Thursday, United Continental Holdings CEO Jeff Smisek responded, but not with an answer Emanuel wanted to hear...

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]]> New Residential Construction Spending Continues to Improve http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10009 Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:14:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10009 New residential construction spending declined 1.0% on a seasonally adjusted (SA) basis, the first decline in five months and only the second in nine months, after rising 2.1% in January. Single-family construction spending fell 1.5%, its first decline in nine months, following a 2.2% increase in January. However, multifamily construction spending rose for the second month in a row, up 1.2% after advancing 1.7% in January...

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]]> 3M and NJATC Developing Online Curriculum for Electrical Apprentices http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10008 Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:09:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10008 3M and the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) have announced a new multi-year strategic collaboration to train the next generation of electrical workers. This joint venture is focused on developing an online curriculum for electrical apprentices...

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]]> Chicago Okays $1.7-B Infrastructure Financing Plan http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10007 Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:06:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10007 The initiative is part of a larger plan by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to invest $7.2 billion in the city's aging subways, sewers and schools, including $1 billion to upgrade more than 100 city rail stations and $1.4 billion to expand capacity at O'Hare International Airport...

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]]> ConsensusDocs Construction Contracts Now Compatible with Microsoft Word http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10006 Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:01:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10006 ConsensusDocs users will be able to work on their standard construction contracts using Microsoft Word on a PC or Mac as the result of an upgraded new web-based platform released last week by the coalition. The new cloud-based technology allows the more than 4700 office locations currently using ConsensusDocs to share and collaborate with anyone using Word...

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]]> OSHA Points to Process Errors in Cincinnati Casino Collapse http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/10005 Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:14:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=10005 Six contractors building Cincinnati's $400-million Horseshoe Casino did not take steps to ensure the building was stable before pouring a concrete floor atop the steel-framed structure, according to U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration citations issued earlier this month...

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]]> Chicago Eyes Mayor's Plan for an Infrastructure Trust http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news/view/9896 Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:42:00 CDT http://www.connexiones.com/industry-news?blogm=view&blogid=9896 Despite pleas from some aldermen to slow down, the Chicago City Council is expected Wednesday to take up Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to establish an infrastructure trust that would serve as a vehicle to leverage private investment in public works projects...

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