The nation is moving into a new era of sustainability and energy efficiency, drawing General Services Administration (GSA) Director Robin Carnahan to St. Louis to learn more about workforce development needed to build that bright future. At a March 31, 2022 visit to the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562 Training Facility in Earth City, Carnahan met with union and contractor leadership, including members of the IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection partnership and moderated a roundtable discussion. 

Emily Martin, governor, St. Louis Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association and executive vice president of Aschinger Electric - A Guarantee Electrical Company, discusses solar panel technology with General Services Administration (GSA) Director Robin Carnahan.

Left to right, Electrical Connection Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Sylvester Taylor; Electrical Connection Executive Vice President Jim Curran; St. Louis Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association Governor and Aschinger Electric - A Guarantee Electrical Company Executive Vice President Emily Martin; IBEW Local 1 apprentice Ernie Bradley; General Services Administration (GSA) Director Robin Carnahan; St. Louis Building & Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO, Executive Secretary-Treasurer John Stiffler; IBEW/NECA Electrical Industry Training Center Director Shawn Levin; IBEW Local 1 apprentice Shondra Adams; and IBEW Local 1 Business Representative Steve Muehling. 

Noting the Bipartisan Biden Infrastructure Law, Carnahan said, “These are once in a generation investments in America’s roads, bridges, rail, airports, ports and public transit as well as expanding access to safe drinking water and high speed internet and addressing the climate crisis. And when we make these investments, we’re also committed to making sure we get the best value for taxpayer dollars. The President’s executive order calling for project labor agreements on major federal construction projects will help make sure these projects are completed on-time, on budget, and with workers getting the fair wages and benefits they deserve.”

Among the roundtable participants was Emily Martin, governor, St. Louis Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association and executive vice president of Aschinger Electric - A Guarantee Electrical Company.  She told Carnahan of the LED lighting that her company had installed in during the Robert Young building’s seismic retrofit, and the recruiting that her company is doing to facilitate its growth in the solar power generation arena. She also noted that a growing number of IBEW Local 1 apprentices reflect a more diverse and/or female workforce.   Learn more. 

And to put an exclamation point on IBEW/NECA shaping that future, St. Louis CNR featured four Electrical Connection contractors in its March/April story on the “Electrification of Everything.”  The article featured insights from Kaiser Electric, TD4 Electrical, LLC, Aschinger Electric - A Guarantee Electrical Company and PayneCrest Electric, Inc. on topics ranging from solar panels to EV chargers.  “As an industry we’re moving away from sources like oil and coal and natural gas and moving toward solutions that tie directly into the electrical grid,” noted Kyle McKenna, executive vice president, St. Louis Chapter NECA in the article. “Many people are now looking to our industry to deliver renewable projects of all sizes.”

Meanwhile, the IBEW/NECA partnership is building future leadership to broaden opportunities for all in the construction industry.  The St. Louis Labor Tribune noted on March 14, 2022 that “Aly Martinez, an IBEW Local 1 journeywoman with more than 10 years in the industry, has been elected to serve as president of Missouri Women in Trades (MOWIT).” Martinez is also a night instructor at the IBEW/NECA Electrical Industry Training Center.