By now, most have heard of the Internet of Things (IoT) which is changing our world. Our IBEW/NECA contractors are leading way with thoughtful engineering and installation solutions to create smart buildings.  NECA contractor Guarantee Electrical Construction Co. is spotlighted in July/August issue of St. Louis Construction News and Review (CNR) examining smart building technology.  In the article, Dave Gralike, Missouri branch president of Guarantee, notes that “An IoT-connected building can provide a communications infrastructure that allows networks and applications to talk to one another. This transforms a disconnected building into a smart building that is capable of strategic and operational improvement, GPS-enabled and controllable with our smartphones.”  Read more.

SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital in St. Louis is the region’s newest hospital, reflecting not only the newest technology in healthcare and but also the best practices in design-assist and lean construction.  And it is being built with the help of six NECA contractors and their IBEW workforce.  The 839,200-square-foot hospital on a 16.65 acre site at 3635 Vista Avenue is “the first completely new hospital built in the city of St. Louis since 1933.”  Scheduled to debut in September 2020, the $550 million construction project was meticulously planned and features the work of NECA contractors Guarantee Electrical, Kaiser Electric, Primary Systems, Inc., Sachs Electric, Schaeffer Electric and TSI Global Companies.  In addition, Electrical Connection member contractors Piros Signs, Inc. and Warren Sign Co. worked on the project. More than 200 skilled IBEW electricians and communication technicians were engaged in installations. Alberici Constructors was the construction manager.  The design team included Lawrence Group and HGA.  Learn more about the impressive teamwork on this project in the latest issue of St. Louis CNR.

Photo courtesy SSM SLU Hospital

Guarantee Electrical work on the SSM SLU Hospital

Meanwhile, a major infrastructure project is demonstrating the skills of NECA contractor Guarantee Electrical in powering a construction site.  The $179 million rehabilitation of the 133-year-old Merchant’s Bridge downtown is underway and slated for completion in 2023.  The upgrades to the bridge will strengthen the region’s logistics and rail transportation infrastructure, serving both commercial rail traffic and Amtrak.  It carries 40 million gross tons of freight annually, a figure that is expected to grow by 49% by 2040.  Learn more about how the IBEW/NECA team is powering the construction of this important project. 

Finally, NECA contractor PayneCrest Electric has been named one of the Top Workplaces in 2020 by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.