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Change. Innovation.
Productivity. Efficiency. Those words have been synonymous with business success
for years. To become and remain a leader means constantly evolving in
response to shifts in customer demand. Anything less is a ticket for failure. At businesses like ours,
we’ve strived to implement these strategies for so long that
they’ve become the normal course of business, and so commonplace that
it’s easy to forget the impact they can have. So it’s exciting to
see our strategic partners adopt them and watch the positive changes take
affect. The best example of our
strategic partners thinking differently is the International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers, the main supplier of workers to union electrical
contractors such as Midwest Electric. Until recently, the organization had
not changed much over the years, relying on the same strategies that had made
it strong and commander of the lion’s share of the electrical
contracting market. It had a similar look and feel
in 2000 that it had in 1950. Only there was a major difference: Market share
had fallen by more than half. Under the leadership of Edwin
D. Hill, that’s changing. The IBEW is out to recapture its market share
by rethinking the way it approaches its business and responding to changes in
the marketplace. Just as businesses must constantly raise the bar in their
organizations to stay competitive, the IBEW leadership realizes it must
respond in kind. As an electrical contractor and employer of IBEW members,
the new direction is exciting to watch and hopeful for the future of the
industry. Some examples of the new IBEW
are as simple as promoting the benefits of appearance, attitude and
productivity, and setting new standards to maintain membership. It’s
also refreshing to see an emphasis on the contractor’s point of view,
and the significance of teamwork. In a video on an IBEW Web site,
ibewhourpower.com, Hill says: “We all contribute individually to a
single overall impression of the IBEW.” Other examples of change at
IBEW include wage adjustments depending upon the location of a job, skill
level required, etc., which makes it easier for a union contractor to compete
with non-union shops. This is especially critical in certain markets, such as
The IBEW is realizing that as
industry has changed, so have the required skill sets. Projects today need a
wide range of workers at a wide variety of costs. By granting union
contractors access to employees with various skill levels and costs, we can
extend out of our comfort zone as well and bid on new types of projects in
existing markets and in different locations. The new direction is a win-win
for everyone, and we applaud the IBEW for its new initiatives. In the IBEW
video, Hill says the programs are working. But, he emphasizes it’s
early in the game: “The key word is early,” he said. “In
this battle to win back market share, we can never rest, we can never become
complacent.” Sounds like good advice for any
business today. RJ Nicolosi serves as president of Midwest Electric,
overseeing sales, finance, and quality assurance. Jeff Wachter, who has more
than 25 years of experience in the high-voltage electrical field, is vice
president of operations for
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