Second year for NAECA, HD Supply combined event

R Palmer
Electric Times

On June 17 from 10:30am-1:30pm during a beautiful Flagstaff, Ariz. 

summer day nearly 300 people attended the combined HD Supply Electrical Chili Cook off and Northern Arizona Electrical Contractors  Association (NAECA) Wiring Challenge.

This was the second year that the NAECA and HD Supply Electrical teamed up for the event.

Phil Kinney of HD Supply Electrical explained that the Chili Cook Off has been a long-standing event at the Flagstaff branch, dating back to even before Edson Electric acquired Flagstaff Electric more than 12 years ago.

Every time we do it, it seems to grow just a little bit more,  said Kinney.

Eleven vendors participated in the trade show portion of the event.

For the Wiring Challenge, 22 NAECA apprentices competed this year, compared to 13 last year. There are 45 total apprentices in  the NAECA program, and entry in the Wiring Challenge was voluntary.

 It went awesome,  said Jim Anderson, spokesperson and a founding member at NAECA and owner of AEC Electric. We raised the challenge this year and had them doing control work, wiring up motor starters. 

It was a little more challenging than it was last year and the students did well.  This year s competitors were: Level 2: Tim Christensen, Logan Covey, Jayland Hiatt, Robert Price, Adam Standard. Level 6: Andy Anderson, Gregg Begay, Shain Bowman, Evaniel Charlie, Sean Graham, William Leonardis, Geramy Rising, Sean Smith, Colter Vanwagenen. Level 7: 

Jason Baxter, Sheldon Harvey, Curt Koenig, Isaac Larson, Llewellyn Parrish, Jason Romero, Danny Tsosie, and James Zimmerman.

In Level 7 Danny Tsosie was the grand prize winner and he received a 40-inch flatscreen television. Colter Vanwagenen won first in Level 6 and Jayland Hiatt took first place in Level 2.

NAECA was formed around February of 2008 and this year the apprentice program was merged with Coconino Community College.

 So, students are now not only getting the bona fide apprenticeship program through the U.S. Department of Labor, but they are also receiving full college credits toward other degrees, such as electrical science,  explained Anderson.

While Anderson was quite involved in the Wiring Challenge last year, during this year s event he focused his attention on the audience, trying to get more contractors involved in NAECA.

 It looks like a couple new contractor members might come on,  said Anderson.  And we actually got two associate sponsors, Cutler- Hammer and Bob Jones & Associates, to commit, which is great.  Anderson said he is very pleased that a small association like NAECA in the Northern Arizona market has been able to grow and gain acceptance.

Sponsoring this year s event were HD Supply, Bob Jones & Associates, ACE Homeco, Klein Tools, Gexpro, Greenlee Tools, Apex, Essco Wholesale, Eaton Cutler Hammer and Best Buy.

Kinney explained that adding the NAECA Wiring Challenge to the annual Chili Cook Off at the Flagstaff branch has been a good fit.  We really try to work with them and they are doing great. It is good to see a new organization like that taking off and really doing well.