There are only a couple of weeks left to get your nominations in for Electrician of the Year!
We've received hundreds of nominations already, but don't let that discourage you. It is still very much anyone's game.
In fact, let's go to the map:
If your state is shaded green, that means we've received at least one nomination from your state (the darker the green, the more nominations we've received). The states in gray indicate we haven't received ANY nominations from there (I'm looking at you Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming!).
I've been reading through the submissions we have so far and I'm excited that the nominees are all very diverse. We have nominees that are men and women. There are young electricians perfecting their skills, and seasoned electricians teaching others the tricks of the trade. We've received submissions from safety experts, trade school educators, business owners, and men/women working hard to support their families. Nominations have come in from spouses, children, current and former apprentices, co-workers, and even self-nominations.
Many nominees have some great stories to tell; some working through injuries and chronic illnesses, others writing that they started working in other fields but found their true passion as electricians. I was especially proud to see that many nominees were inspired by their electrician father or grandfather to join the trades.
As you probably know, we are following a specific criteria when selecting our 2015 Electrician of the Year, and I want to highlight some of the things I've read in the nominations that fit under each of the three criteria:
1. Professional Achievement
- Pride in their work – It's a theme across MANY of the nominations and rightfully so. With words and phrases like perfectionist, spot on, best they've ever seen, it's pretty clear that our nominees are doing the job right. One of my favorite examples came from an electrician who wrote he would "never leave a job or sign off on a job until it's something I would do for my own home."
- Teaching the younger generation – With a looming worker shortage, it was great to see many people writing how they or their nominee not only help train the younger guys on the jobsite, but are also helping recruit high schoolers to join the trades.
2. Safety Excellence
- Following the Code - Between the NEC code book, OSHA and NFPA 70E certifications, safety is definitely a priority amongst the majority of our nominees. In fact, one nominee considers the code book to be "the most important tool in his bag."
- Another nominee wrote that he performs "work as though an inspector or OSHA official is right beside them."
- Correcting Unsafe Work or Jobsites – We've even heard many examples of nominees who routinely correct work that is not up to code. One nominee says he even lost a job because he refused to work in unsafe conditions.
3. Community Dedication
- Volunteering electrical services – Not only do our nominees work hard at their jobs all day, many also spend their off-the-clock hours doing electrical work for the elderly, churches, or others who cannot afford it. Specifically, many mentioned volunteering their time and skills to help after several notable natural disasters, like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, and the Moore, OK tornado.
- Youth volunteering – Many nominees told us how they use their spare time to coach youth sports teams and other youth groups. As mentioned earlier, others are using their time specifically to teach younger kids about the trades.
There are so many great examples, I wouldn't have time to go through all of them. Let's just say, we have our work cut out for us in picking our 6 Regional Winners and eventually our Electrician of the Year.
You have until August 31st to submit your nominations! And may I make one suggestion. Be as specific as possible. Really let us know, in as much detail as you can, why we should pick you or the person you are nominating. What sets them apart? What are their specific accomplishments? The more we know, the better chance they have of standing out!
To submit a nomination, go to www.kleintools.com/eoy.
Good Luck!