EC&M On Air

Meet the 2024 EC&M Product of the Year Winners!

In Episode 52 of “EC&M On Air,” Ellen Parson, editor-in-chief of EC&M, is featuring EC&M’s 2024 Product of the Year Winners! The Platinum Winner is Eaton's KwikRail cable tray. The Gold Winner is Lex Product's PowerRACK for outdoor use. The Silver Winner is ABB's Spec Setter safety switch. 

To learn more about each of the three overall winners, read the special report. You can also check out all of this year's Product of the Year entries to see the latest in electrical product innovation. 

Choosing a Third-Party Electrical Estimator — EC&M On Air Highlights

In Episode 51 of “EC&M On Air,” a podcast series from EC&M magazine that shares industry intelligence, insights and opinions on all topics electrical. In case you missed it, this content was originally brought to you in our EC&M Asks Q&A video series. This episode features subject matter expert Don Kiper, owner of Estimating 101, who addresses some of our readers’ most pressing questions about electrical estimating. Don outlines six factors to keep in mind when you’re considering using a third-party estimator. 

Meet the 2024 EC&M 30 Under 30 Electrical All Stars!

In Episode 50 of the EC&M On Air podcast, Ellen Parson, editor-in-chief of EC&M, introduces a few of this year's 2024 30 Under 30 Electrical All Stars: Jose Alvarez, Unity Power Services; Khalid Hachil, Stantec; Sierra English, Phoenix Electrical JATC; and Hazen Ring, Vanguard Electrical. They discuss about some of their secrets to success related to them moving up so quickly in the electrical industry at such a young age, along with insights about the latest challenges they’re seeing in the industry, what it’s like for the new generation in the electrical industry, what’s most important to them in their careers, and their opinions on the big things to watch in the next couple of years.

To meet the rest of this year's 30 Under 30 All Stars, read the special report, which appeared in the July 2024 print issue. 

Determining Blast Radius for Debris During an Arc Flash with Tommy Northcott — EC&M On Air Highlights

In Episode 49 of “EC&M On Air,” Ellen Parson, editor-in-chief of EC&M, is highlighting some of the most popular technical content we’ve been running recently, but this time brought to you in audio-only form. In case you missed it, this content was originally brought to you in our EC&M Asks Q&A video series. This week, we’re featuring subject matter expert Tommy Northcott, who addresses some of our readers’ most pressing questions about arc flash hazards, including why calculating the blast radius for debris during an arc flash event can be more complicated than you might think, the difference between arc flash versus arc blast hazards, the consequences for not performing regular maintenance on electrical equipment, how circuit breakers work to clear a fault to minimize potential damage, and safety best practices when conducting thermography or infrared scans on energized electrical equipment.

 

Insights from EC&M's 2024 Top 40 Electrical Design Firms

In Episode 48 of “EC&M On Air,” a podcast series from EC&M magazine that shares industry intelligence, insights, and opinions on all topics electrical, Ellen Parson, editor-in-chief, sits down with a few top executives whose engineering firms made our Top 40 Electrical Design Firms list in 2024: Kunal Shal of PBS Engineers, Chris Sacco with Core States Group, and Adam Toth of Toth & Associates. They dissect some of their firms’ secrets to success, industry trends, and biggest challenges they expect to face in upcoming years.

EC&M On Air Highlights How to Avoid Bus Duct Failures with Ron Widup

Welcome to Episode 47 of “EC&M On Air,” a podcast series from EC&M magazine. Ellen Parson, editor-in-chief of EC&M, is highlighting some of the most popular technical content we’ve been running recently, but this time brought to you in audio-only form. In case you missed it, this content was originally brought to you in our EC&M Asks Q&A video series and features Ron Widup, who addresses some of our readers’ most pressing questions about electrical busway in commercial applications. Ron starts with a discussion on the basic construct of a bus duct and then moves on to how to avoid a bus duct failure as well as where installers can look for guidance. He also enlists the expertise of insurance expert and engineer John Weber to speak on common failure scenarios and recommendations for prevention. 

Ron Widup is the vice chairman, board of directors, and senior advisor of technical services for Shermco Industries and has been with Shermco since 1983.

Understanding 2024 Labor Productivity Trends in the Construction Industry

In Episode 46, Ellen Parson had the chance to sit down one of the authors of FMI's 2023 Labor Productivity Study to discuss how the ongoing workforce shortage continues to plague the nation's construction industry. Tyler Paré, who leads FMI's Performance practice, dissects the most important data/trends and shares how contractors can establish sound operating procedures.

This conversation is based on a popular article we published in our March 2024 print issue. You can read the special report here. 

EC&M On Air Highlights Confusion Over Grounding Electrodes and Temperature Limitations

In Episode 45, Editor-in-Chief Ellen Parson is highlighting some of the most popular technical content we’ve been running recently, but this time brought to you in audio-only form. In case you missed it, this content was originally brought to you in our EC&M Asks Q&A video series. This week, we’re featuring subject matter expert Randy Barnett, who addresses some of our readers’ most pressing questions about temperature limitations, general requirements in the NEC as well as the confusion that often surrounds grounding electrodes. 

How Circuit Breaker Conditions Impact Arc Flash Safety

In Episode 44, Editor-in-Chief Ellen Parson sits down with Denise Green, Midwest regional sales manager and national breaker specialist with Group CBS, to cover common questions about how circuit breaker condition affects arc flash safety.

Denise presented a very popular webinar on this topic last summer, which is available on demand on the EC&M website for you to listen to in its entirety. 

EC&M On Air Highlights How to Average Branch Wire Estimates with Don Kiper

In Episode 43 of “EC&M On Air,” Ellen Parson, editor-in-chief of EC&M, is highlighting highlight some of the most popular technical content we’ve been running recently, but this time brought to you in audio-only form. This week, we’re featuring subject matter expert Don Kiper, who addresses some of our readers’ most pressing questions about electrical estimating. He answers one of the most common questions he is asked: Do you need to average branch wire estimating?