For the last eight years, Sturgeon Electric Company has hosted its annual charity ride and rally to support Freedom Service Dogs of America. This incredible charity provides training for dogs that go on to provide life-changing services for people in need. This includes veterans with PTSD, or folks with disabilities who need help managing their day-to-day functions. The cost to train and place one of these incredible animals averages $30,000. 

Since our kickstands first went up in 2016, Sturgeon Electric’s annual poker run has raised the bar every year, adding more riders, bigger and better raffle prizes, and most importantly, financial support for this amazing cause. 2023 was our most successful event to date! We had 406 participants, $12K in prizes to give away, and more than $75,000 raised for Freedom Service Dogs.  

Sturgeon Electric would like to say a huge thank you to the volunteers who helped make this massive event safe and productive, and for your hard work to make this event possible every year. Thank you to our amazing vendors and sponsors who contributed generously to this amazing cause. On behalf of Sturgeon Electric and Freedom Service Dogs, we are immensely grateful.  

To all the riders, employees, families, and friends, thank you for making the world a better place through freedom service dogs.

WATCH THE RECAP

THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS!

Heather Heistand

Scott Greenhalge

Anthony Ponzio

Michael Ponder

Monique Griswold

Lisa Egan

Kate Egan

Darryl Coleman

Paige Mclver

Rob Barber

Deion Wilson

Keiana Ashley- Elliot

Debbie Zdenek

Will Fry

Erik Smith

Renee Hammack

Lauren Maddox

Don Egan

Krysta Brewer

Michael Cox

Mark your calendars, the 2024 Poker Run is set for July 13, 2024!

The post Sturgeon Electric Company Raises $75K For Freedom Service Dogs appeared first on MYR Group.

The Harlan Electric, Rochester Hills district held its Third Annual Charity Golf Tournament at Mystic Creek Golf Club on Monday, June 29^th, benefitting Esophageal Cancer Awareness Association.

The cause was a personal one, dedicated to our friend Chris Cichon whom we lost to esophageal cancer last summer.

Chris was a true friend, an IBEW brother, an amazing father of four, and an incredibly loving husband. Chris gave 100% toward every aspect of his life. We wanted to honor him to help increase awareness of Esophageal Cancer and keep those that truly are the best of us around a little longer.

Through the generous support of our employees, sponsors, customers, friends, and family, we proudly raised and donated more than $30,000 to Esophageal Cancer Awareness Association. The contribution supports EC Aware’s mission to provide outreach for esophageal cancer patients, caregivers, and survivors, to increase public awareness of this disease, and to offer education and information in a supportive environment.

Thank you to all our sponsors, participants, and employees for your continued generosity and support. Without you, this event would not have been possible!

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Little children play in the street as if it was any other day.

It’s the beauty of kids, to live completely immersed in the present. Yesterday and tomorrow don’t matter, not even the most terrifying experience of their young lives or the total uncertainty lying ahead of them.

For mature eyes, it’s unnerving to witness such a normal sight because everything around these kids paints the story of a terrifying, abnormal reality. Houses leveled. Belongings scattered. Vehicles washed away.

You immediately comprehend what the children playing in the street simply cannot – yesterday was life-altering and tomorrow will never be the same.

“I’ve seen some God-awful things. You go to an area, they didn’t evacuate, and everything is destroyed. People’s whole lives are scattered across the ground,” L.E. Myers Senior Operations Manager RJ Richards said. “And you talk to these kids and ask where they were during the storm and they’ll say, ‘in that house right there.’ You look at the house and are like, ‘holy crap.’ It doesn’t even look like there’s a place to hunker down. There’s just so much physical destruction.

“But the emotional scars a hurricane leaves on people, you can’t see that just driving down the street. People lose their job, lose their house, lose their car all in one day. They’re left with nothing and are evacuated to shelters. It’s hard, man.” 

Hurricane Ian made landfall on the west coast of Florida near Fort Myers on Sept. 28, as a Category 4 hurricane, ravaging the state with winds speeds of 155 MPH and becoming the deadliest hurricane to strike Florida since 1935.

Richards, who grew up in the Florida Keys and has lived through many hurricanes, can’t rebuild people’s homes or bring back what was lost, but what he can do is restore power to affected communities across the state. To provide people with at least some sense of normalcy in an otherwise surreal time.

Make no mistake, when it comes to hurricane response for MYR Group, Richards is at the center of it all.

Thanks to his months of preparation, years of networking, and constant communication internally and with utilities across Florida, MYR Group’s storm response was ready and waiting to play its role in the state’s recovery.

Just a day after Hurricane Ian struck Florida, crews of lineworkers from L.E. Myers, Harlan Electric, and Great Southwestern Construction were on the ground to restore power to affected communities. More than 160 MYR Group lineworkers came from around the country and tirelessly worked to repair the damage done by the storm.

“He’s the unsung hero,” L.E. Myers Indianapolis district manager David Boddy says with great appreciation. “He’s the quarterback of all this, and without him, it falls apart and doesn’t work nearly as well.”

Experience has taught Richards that preparation is critical.

Seven months before Ian hit Florida at full force, he made phone calls and coordinated with 20 utilities all over the state to get contracts finalized, ensuring that when hurricane season came (June-November), MYR Group would be ready to respond.

The challenge with hurricanes is that their path is unpredictable, even a day out. So, strong relationships are invaluable because any part of the state could potentially be affected on short notice.

Richards keeps a shop full of tools and equipment prepared and locked all year exclusively for hurricane response so that when the time comes, there are no delays or unexpected inventory problems. He also keeps a robust call list of more than 300 lineworkers he can reach out to for emergency restoration.

He’s even streamlined the hiring paperwork and orientation process so that new lineworkers coming to work the storm are in and out to respond in the field within half a day.

As hurricane season approaches, Richards coordinates with district managers and vice presidents across MYR Group, determining which districts and projects have the flexibility to release lineworkers to respond to storms. This not only aids the emergency response effort but also limits negative impacts across all subsidiaries and districts.

Often, Richards has as many as eight people coming to him for answers – all on the same call.

“He’s the cool operator. He doesn’t freak out or get stressed,” Boddy said. “I was more stressed than he was and I’m not even in the hurricane.”

Thaddeus Laventure, a general foreman with L.E. Myers and Richards’ “right-hand man” for hurricane response, has worked roughly 20 hurricanes in his 12 years as a lineworker. Laventure admires just how calm Richards remains, even as everyone looks to him for guidance.

“RJ’s a lineman first, so he knows everything that has to go into it. He’s a very personable guy and he’s definitely the person you want doing it,” Laventure said. “This was the first time I’ve seen it behind the scenes and it’s a ton of work. But for him, it was just like any other day at the office.”

Richards is friendly and speaks with a subtle Southern drawl, and it doesn’t take long to understand why he’s able to foster so many strong relationships that play a pivotal role at the center of the company’s hurricane response efforts.

He worked 21 straight days without a day off before, during, and in the aftermath of Ian, with a simple philosophy – if his phone rings, he answers. He appreciates the credit others heap on him for his relentless effort but is quick to deflect it elsewhere.

“I draw on the company and how everyone has bought into storm response, from the highest level of management. It’s not just RJ over here, but the whole organization from the top down,” he said. “Leadership always backs me, and I feel the proudest to be an employee at MYR Group during storm time.” 

It’s a sentiment shared by all those MYR Group lineworkers and others who witness a hurricane’s destruction firsthand.

For the lineworkers, “storm chasing” is an opportunity to help communities return to life in the aftermath of devastation. But it’s not easy either, living out of a hotel or sometimes a tent for weeks at a time, relying on 4-6 hours of sleep, all while performing the work properly and safely.

Laventure says you just have to “go with the flow” and that the crews he worked with took it in stride. It’s when the work is finished, and the lights come back on when all the sacrifice becomes clear.

“Crews came from all over and they were very grateful for being able to help and restore power,” he said. “Once you turn on the power, we joke it’s a victory lap. You go by and check that everybody has power and that you didn’t miss anybody. You can sense the pride these crews have for the work they do.”

Hazel and Doug Witter of Ormond Beach were among the millions of Floridians who lost power. Hazel sent a thank you note via Facebook to L.E. Myers and their crews for restoring their power sooner than they had expected.

“We appreciate them coming to Florida…leaving their families, to come here to restore our power.” Hazel Witter wrote. “Thank you so much! It doesn’t feel like that’s enough, but it’s from our hearts.” 

Restored power won’t erase the terror of yesterday or remove the struggles of tomorrow.

But it’s a start.

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MYR Group recently hosted its annual CORE Leadership training kick-off session with a community-based, team building activity focused on the topic of TRUST. Launched in 2018, CORE Leadership is a year-long, MYR Group developed training program that provides leaders across the company with an opportunity to connect and share work experiences, learn best practices, and reinforce leadership competencies. Getting involved in an activity that supports the community was a great way for our leaders to start the program by interacting with each other and enhancing their communication tactics as they built trust and prepared for the week ahead.

MYR Group partnered with Wish for Wheels, a nonprofit organization that provides bikes to Title 1 schools and children in need. There was no better way to engage the team and empower children in the community than to take part in their Team Build and Give program which offers organizations a chance to build and gift bikes to an entire second-grade class. MYR Group employees had the opportunity to gift children at Slater Elementary School, in Denver, Colo., with new bikes.

Upon arriving at the school, MYR Group employees were paired to participate in a variety of trivia questions to complete the bike build challenge. With more than 40 participants and volunteers, MYR Group gave 28 new bikes and helmets to the students at Slater Elementary and set in motion a healthier and brighter future. When the kids arrived, they were smiling from ear to ear. It was a special moment for the MYR Group team to reflect and help kids who may not own a bike or in some cases have never learned to ride.

“The opportunity to build a bike, then present it to a child, and in my case: then teach the child how to ride a bike, was an extremely rewarding process. Seeing him smile and learn how to ride was an unforgettable moment.”

– Jack Carmone

Participating in Wish 4 Wheels’ Team Build and Give Program helped the participants create a sense of comfortability and vulnerability, leading to improved communication and overall participation in the first training session. Teamwork was crucial in this event and required trust between partners to work together to build a safe and sturdy bike for these children. Thank you to all our employees who participated, as we continue to show up and give back to the communities where we work and live.

“The Wish 4 Wheels CORE Leadership event was a great jumpstart to what I know will be a successful year of CORE. It allowed participants to interact with each other on a team building level from the very beginning and grow in our communication tactics not just by assembling the bikes but also teaming up with the 2nd-grade class where many had never ridden a bike before.”

– Malia Papineau

Watch the recap!

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E.S. Boulos (ESB) Project Manager Haley Kamberalis visited with Vice President Kamala Harris during a workforce development visit at the House of Labor and Local Union 490 in Concord, N.H. in late April.

A member of Boston Local 103, Haley is a role model for the IBEW, the construction industry, and women in construction. After touring the union training center with the vice president, Haley shared with the audience how she overcame a hearing disability to become a project manager through the Boston union’s apprenticeship program.

Afterward, Haley introduced Harris, who gave a 15-minute speech that praised the IBEW’s apprenticeship programs and said they are a key part of the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan.

Harris also said she was impressed by the union’s commitment to bring traditionally underrepresented groups into the construction industry.

“If we’re going to build back better, we have to invest in skills development of the workforce,” Harris said. “To do that, if we are going to get the greatest return on our investment, let’s invest in the IBEW. Let’s invest in the building trades.” Watch the video to hear Haley’s journey in the electrical construction industry and learn more about the future of organized labor and American Jobs Plan from Vice President Harris.

The post E.S. Boulos Project Manager Shares Her Journey with the Boston Union and Introduces Vice President Kamala Harris to Local Union 490 appeared first on MYR Group.

A team of Sturgeon Electric electricians recently provided hands-on training and mentorship to students from Teaching the Autistic Community (T.A.C.T.), the first and only trade program in the country developed for people who live with autism.

The two groups finished installing industrial fans at the Colorado State University (CSU) College of Agricultural Sciences’ Temple Grandin Equine Center at the National Western Complex (NWC) in Denver.

“We are so grateful to Sturgeon Electric for recognizing the amazing talent and strengths of our students, said T.A.C.T. Founder Danny Combs. “It’s through partners like them that we start tackling the unemployment rate of the autism community.”

According to AutismSociety.org, more than 3.5 million Americans live with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, and 25 percent of young adults with autism have not had a job or received post-graduate education after leaving high school. In total, the autism community has the highest rate of unemployment, estimated at 90 percent.

AN IDEAL PAIRING

T.A.C.T. aims to reduce these statistics. Acknowledging that many autistic individuals are strong visual learners and problem-solvers, the program introduces students to trade occupations because they are a great fit, Combs said. T.A.C.T.’s job placement rate: 86 percent.

When a T.A.C.T. student takes a job in the trades, the construction industry wins, too. Skilled tradespeople are in high demand in part because of the graying population of existing workers. According to careerprofiles.info, more than 60 percent of electricians are age 45 or older, and 62 percent of firms are struggling to fill important skilled trade positions.

Since Sturgeon Electric regularly promotes the benefits and career opportunities associated with trade occupations to high school students and young adults, this opportunity was a perfect fit — and a great success, said Sturgeon Electric Regional Vice President Joe Badaracco. He was instrumental in helping organize the Sturgeon-T.A.C.T. teaming.  He oversaw every aspect of Sturgeon Electric’s involvement, from developing the technical drawings to ordering the materials, coordinating schedules, and enlisting volunteers.

 “We were thrilled to be part of this project,” Badarraco said. “Not only did we help the center meet an important need, but we were also able to give these students ‘a day in the life’ experience and demonstrate what the future could hold in the electrical field.”

Sturgeon Electric Journeyman Travis Garman agreed. “The students were so helpful and interested in what we were doing,” he said. “I was so impressed with their work and the questions they brought to the table.”

Combs appreciated that the students were able to demonstrate their unique talents and abilities while gaining valuable hands-on experience, learning from the best in the business, and contributing to an important community resource.

“We had a fantastic time contributing to (the project) and were privileged to open doors for our students,” he said. “We look forward to doing more together.”

More importantly, the students themselves had a great time. Here’s what they had to say:

• “It was a fun learning experience in which I learned about safety and electrical work. I also learned just safety in general (and) how to use cool equipment.” — Gabrielle
• “I had fun communicating and learning new things. We got to use special gear that made us feel like we were actually working there.” — Tyler
• “I had a blast working with the team at the equine center installing ceiling fans. I got to work with cool people and pet horses at the end.” — Seamus
• “I thought it was spectacular to see the inner workings of electrical wiring — like the five copper wires inside the electrical conduit.

SPECIAL THANKS

Combs and Badaracco said the Sturgeon-T.A.C.T. partnership was made possible by the following:

• The T.A.C.T. students who helped with the project;
• Debbie Mogor and Adam Daurio of the CSU Temple Grandin Equine Center; and the
• Sturgeon Electric team: Jason Prinz, area superintendent; Dan Hart, general foreman; Travis Garman, journeyman electrician; Greg Carrillo, service general foreman; Ross Milan, construction electrician; Jason Rath, general foreman; and Dimitri Floryance, apprentice.

ABOUT THE EQUINE CENTER CSU’s Temple Grandin Equine Center is a leader in equine science and occupational therapy research. With equine facilities at the NWC and in Fort Collins, the center is dedicated to equine-assisted activities, therapies, and research. Both centers are named for Temple Grandin, a CSU professor and world-renowned expert in humane animal handling and autism research.

Read more about T.A.C.T. by clicking here.

Read more about CSU’s Equine Center by clicking here.

The post Sturgeon Electric Helps Prepare Autistic Students for Success in the Trades appeared first on MYR Group.

The construction industry faces major challenges thanks to a widespread shortage of skilled labor and MYR Group Inc. (MYR Group) subsidiaries and electricians’ unions alike are experiencing difficulties in drawing younger generations into the trades.

However, in Henderson, Colo., one MYR Group subsidiary – Sturgeon Electric Company, Inc. (Sturgeon Electric) is tackling the issue by teaming with Colorado Construction Careers (CCC), a joint project between the State of Colorado, Colorado Building and Construction Trades Council, and the Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) Alliance of Colorado Contractors.

Through this partnership, the company is opening its doors to include local high-school kids who are close to graduating. The new program expands Sturgeon Electric’s existing program to introduce college students to career opportunities in the electrical trade.

“We’ve hosted open houses and college outreach effort in the past, with some good success but we want to connect with the high school market as well,’ said Dan Hart, general foreman for Sturgeon Electric. “We bring them in to tour our headquarters and fabrication shop and give them a little taste of the trade and a sense of the opportunities for rapid career advancement.

“It’s a really proactive way of not only drawing tomorrow’s young electricians to the trade, but also it shows them how fun and rewarding working here at Sturgeon can be.”

During a recent open house, high-schoolers tried a variety of activities — welding, threading GRC conduit, cutting steel with a well saw, bending large pipe, and building power cable assemblies. Dan, along with Haylee Radeke and Henderson’s manufacturing and labor resources teams, provided lunch and a presentation that featured a variety of guest speakers who shared why the enjoy working in the electrical industry.

The event was a success and Hart and his team of volunteers are looking forward to building upon the new program.

“We are going to keep staying engaged with CCC and the local high schools to access communication with their building trade students,” Hart said. “We’ve already been invited to sit in on classes at Prairie View High School in the future and interact with the students.”

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