President's Blog

One of the biggest things we at NAED can do to keep your association relevant in the future is simple – listening to our members. That question was posed by one of our NAED members during our new “Ask NAED” video segment. Really, the philosophy of listening to you makes this segment even more important. If you haven’t watched it yet, please take a moment to do so. 

The goal of the “Ask NAED” videos is to hear what’s on your mind and get answers to your questions and concerns. We want you to communicate your needs to us so that we can work with you to create the tools that best address the challenges faced by your business and the industry as a whole.

The insight and involvement of our members is the cornerstone to our success. We are grateful for everyone who participates in the various councils, committees, boards and task forces. If you are not already serving, there are a variety of ways you can contribute.

Keep in mind that some of our greatest projects have begun simply as a thought from one of these groups. The Energy Audit Solution powered by ecoInsight is a perfect example of this; it started as an idea by the South Central Region Council and has become an initiative that so many of our members are excited about because they see a real need for it. Schedule a demonstration of this software now or experience it in person at the South Central Region Conference or the National Electrical Leadership Summit. With the green wave that’s hitting the electrical industry, the energy audit software really is another service NAED can offer to help your company thrive in the future.

Do you have a question for NAED? Feel free to leave it on the comment section of this blog, e-mail us, tweet it, or find us at the upcoming conferences so we can video your question for a future “Ask NAED” segment.

It’s time to take networking to the next level and broaden your audience; register now for the NAED 2011 National Electrical Leadership Summit. The length of the Summit has been condensed to reduce your time out of the office while still giving you all of the benefits of attending. Take a moment to check out the schedule.

As always, we have a great line-up of keynote speakers that will have you thinking business forward. We’ll hear from Dr. Thomas P. M. Barnett about the major trends that will define globalization’s advance or retreat in the coming decade and Scott Klososky will fill us in on what it takes for today’s leaders to lead effectively in the information age.

You also don’t want to miss out on the valuable education sessions that are offered this year, including two that focus on NAED research projects. One of these covers smart grid opportunities and best practices, and the other is all about how to increase sales efficiency. Other education session topics include business ownership transition and sustainability and energy solutions.

Of course one of the biggest benefits of attending are the networking opportunities. The strategic planning booth sessions, networking groups and the reception and closing awards dinner each offer different ways to connect.

Now that you are ready to register, be sure to make the most out of your time and money – read these tips on how to maximize your NAED conference experience.

The NAED Government Affairs Policy Committee met last week in Washington, D.C., while everyone was in town for NAW’s 2011 Executive Summit. It is definitely an interesting time on Capitol Hill, which is all the more reason why NAED will stay up to date on all of the issues that matter to the industry.

This meeting marked one year since the formation of the NAED Government Affairs Policy Committee. During that time, a website has been created, communications have been sent in the form of action alerts and a quarterly e-newsletter, our members and staff have had meetings with Congress, and everyone was encouraged to take part in the democratic process through the 2010 “Get Out the Vote” effort.

I want to thank the following people for speaking to our committee at the meeting: Jeff Genzer, NASEO; Paul Molitor and Jim Creevy, NEMA; Talbot Gee and Jon Melchi, HARDI. We heard from them about energy incentives, labor issues, smart grid and grassroots advocacy. NAED’s legislative agenda was also addressed, including the importance of focusing efforts on looming regulatory issues.

Chances are we will see a lot of regulatory action over the next two years, so NAED government affairs will keep track of which ones affect our members the most. Congress wants to hear from businesses on regulatory issues; making that happen will include letter writing campaigns and personalizing those letters by including the cost that implementing such regulations would have on your business. Keep in the loop on these matters through our website and leave your comments here about your legislative concerns for this year.