EC&M On Air

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. 

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.

 

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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?

In Episode 42, we're back with Part 2 of our discussion with Rosendin's CEO Emeritus Mike Greenawalt and Edward Cota with Arizona's Department of Education and chief strategy officer and chairman of the Arizona Education Economic Commission. In today's section, EC&M Editor-in-Chief Ellen Parson continues this fascinating discussion with more information on how construction leaders can benefit from public-private partnerships like this, how to develop similar models to teach in middle schools and high schools, and how to help shift the perception of the skilled trades in not only students’ minds but also their parents. They also cover ways they’re thinking outside the box by harnessing an immersive technological experience to attract kids and create greater interest in a career in the electrical field.

And in case you missed Part 1 of our conversation, you can listen to it here. 

 

 

In Episode 41, we're highlighting Part 2 of Electrical Trainer Harold De Loach's explanation of Art. 100 definitions from the 2024 NEC, which originally ran as a video but is presented in this podcast in an audio-only format. This discussion centers around additional terms every electrician needs to know, including authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), how to recognize key definitions when they’re formed in a question on an electrical exam,  and the difference between bonding and grounding.