Program Review Committee Sets 2019 Research Agenda

November 7, 2018

ELECTRI International’s Program Review Committee (PRC) has set its research recommendations for 2019.  During its meeting in St. Louis on November 2nd, the PRC reviewed a total of 12 investigative proposals submitted from researchers throughout the country. The PRC and ELECTRI International extend their thanks to Graybar for hosting and sponsoring the participants for this important committee session.

PRC Chair, Sonja Rheaume (Christenson Electric, Portland, OR) led the Committee meeting and noted the significant amount of work the PRC has accomplished during 2018. “We have made great strides for ELECTRI in terms of tightening up our research agenda, our contractual arrangements with university and independent researchers, and our very focused attention on making sure the projects we bring to the ELECTRI Council for their analysis and funding recommendations are truly value-added for our EC industry.” Each proposal included a short video presentation and an endorsement letter from a major EC firm, attesting to the project’s scope and value.

When the Council meets in Carefree, Arizona, in January 2019, there will be five presentations for consideration:

The Electrical Contractor as the Integrator, Part II
Michael McLin, Maxim Consulting

Data-driven Strategies to Increase Market Share
Hisham Said, Santa Clara University

Tools for Hiring, Promotion and Talent Development of EC Personnel
Brian Lines, University of Kansas and Jake Smithwick, University of North Carolina

Electrical Construction Management Training
Ben Bigelow, University of Oklahoma

Improving Collaboration Efficiency between Trade and General Contractor
Through a Common Data Exchange (CDX)
Nathan Wood, CP Coalition

The PRC also selected one direct grant project that will be completed as a white paper and presented to the Council in January 2019. The topic, Competency-Based Education in the EC Industry, will be examined by Steven Schmidt from East Carolina University.