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42 | Colorado Construction & Design www.ccdmag.com | news@ccdmag.com
The Electrical Industry Resilient. Adaptable. Indispensable. Essential to life as we know it.
How much have you heard the words ‘pivot’ and ‘essential” used since early March? Let’s examine these two words that are now in the daily vocabulary of most people in the construction industry, business, the media, healthcare, and government!
Pivot
1. A person, thing, or factor having a major or central role, function, or effect (noun)
2. The action of pivoting – especially: the action in basketball of stepping with one foot while keeping the other foot at its point of contact with the floor
3. A key player or position – specifically: an offensive position of a basketball player standing usually with back to the basket to relay passes, shoot, or provide a screen for teammates
Synonyms: axis, swivel, revolve, rotate, swing
In the context of basketball’s greatest tournament, the NCAA’s March Madness, which we all missed along with Opening Day of Baseball this year, the word pivot and the basketball analogy are apropos to what we have all done to modify game day strategy, survive and thrive in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic. What are we doing in the midst of COVID-19 Madness if not putting the best offense on the court to come through this challenging time in the win column?
The IECRM Team pivoted this Spring to move all apprenticeship classes and continuing education to online platforms, created weekly member forums to help electrical contractors and industry partners gain insights and seek advice to navigate the continual changes. We have continued these forums through the summer to highlight issues that are most relevant to the industry right now, and continue to work with the state government to advocate for our industry and its players. For a recap of these forums visit iecrm.org
All the while, contractors have been pivoting to modify processes, workplaces, and job sites to carry out essential work. We all have become offensive players to combat an invisible opponent, including some members working on projects that helped support front-line workers in the medical community, standing with these everyday heroes because they are essential to beating this virus.
Essential
1. Absolutely necessary; indispensable (adjective)
2. A basic, indispensable or necessary element (noun)
3. pertaining to or constituting the essence of a thing
4. Synonyms: indispensable, critical, necessary, basic, key
Due to the hard work of many companies and individuals across the construction industry, the skilled trades and the work of the companies who employ them were deemed essential. YOU provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residential, commercial, and industrial construction as well as ensuring that essential businesses remain open and functioning. You are integral to maintaining our country’s critical infrastructure.
Innovative, intelligent, industrious, and inspirational are just a few words that come to mind when describing the teams of individuals and your companies who comprise the electrical contracting industry. Undoubtedly, COVID-19 presented all of us with unprecedented challenges. Instead of dwelling on the negative aspects of the pandemic, we turned singular and focused on the goal to continue meeting the training, development, outreach and policy needs of the industry now and in the future.
By the time that the initial “Stay at Home” orders had
been issued, IECRM had extended the apprenticeship training program Spring Break by a week, trained each
of its in class instructors to use the remote instructional platform already in place for a portion of our program, and