North Coast Electric Company

Congratulations Veronica Stana for being the North Coast Electric School of Business Scholarship recipient for 2011/2012! When Veronica enrolled she was not sure which major she would pursue but after taking an Operations Management course, she was convinced that the Logistics and Supply Chain program was the direction she wanted to take.

Veronica says: “Thank you so much for your generous scholarship! It has really been an honor and a blessing at the same time. I am so grateful for your support and hope someday I will be able to give back what I am receiving right now.�

Congratulations to Fermin Fernandez, the 2011/2012 NCE Scholarship recipient at Perry Technical Institute in Yakima Washington. Fermin is enrolled in the Electrical Technology Program and one of his future career goals is to be an independent Journeyman Electrician. Good luck Fermin!

Perry Technical Institute is a private, non-profit technical school offering 10 specialized training Programs. Its primary mission is to provide industry with well-trained employees and to offer students of all ages and walks of life opportunities to train for meaningful careers.

The donations are final and the numbers are in! NCE Corporate Support raised $8,255 for Homeless healthcare by participating in the Pumpkin Push 5K run and 2 mile walk around Seaward Park in South Seattle! It was a crisp and sunny fall Saturday morning; a perfect day to hang out with co-workers to support a great cause and take a brisk walk around a park with stunning views.  A big THANK YOU to everyone who supported our runners and walkers!

Participants raised funds for a good cause and were treated to a festival hosted by generous sponsors with prizes for top finishers, give-aways, food & beverages, T-shirts, and Halloween fun including a costume contest and a Halloween dance to Thriller by the Seattle Zombies!

The lighting at a car dealership is akin to the lighting in a jewelry store. The product it’s illuminating is buffed, polished and then placed under a lighting system that is designed to make that product sparkle. Metal halide is a great choice for sparkling light in outdoor applications.

However not all metal halide is created equal.

Congratulations to Kyra Turner the 2011/2012 NCE Scholarship recipient at Lane Community College in Eugene Oregon.

Kyra is currently in the Administrative Office Professional Program and plans to graduate in Spring next year. Good luck on your pursuit!

“Thank you for your incredible generosity and the opportunity that you have give me to succeed. Receiving the North Coast Electric Scholarship is a blessing….�

Pictured left to right: Founder/CEO/President Mike Mathis of the Burned Children Recovery Foundation and Rob May North Coast Electric VP of Purchasing & Vendor Relations presented the check.

The Puget Sound Service Centers banded together for their annual golf tournament at Bear Creek Country Club, which this year had a charitable purpose with a twist! For a donation, former Seahawk football player & celebrity golfer Alonzo Mitz hit his famous one-handed drive at the 18th hole and golfers could use their own shot or his shot.

Thank you to TJ Porter for being the single largest contributor donating $1,000 on behalf of SASCO. SASCO has been a leader in electrical construction, consulting, and low-voltage systems technologies for more than 40 years. Visit them at http://www.sasco.com.

NCE's Corporate Support sent another group of Associates interested in volunteering their time & energy to prepare and serve lunch at YouthCare's Orion Center in Seattle. For a very short while, the kids got to feel what it was like to be a regular kid by hanging out with their peers and feasting on pizza, salad, and fruit! Their reality sets in quickly when they leave the comfort of the shelter and go back on the street. With the cold and wet season nearing, comfort food and warm clothing will be in high demand for these kids.

The Orion Center is a multi-service facility open to youth ages 13 to 24 and 4,500 youth accessed services in 2010. They offer a safe place for youth to access a variety of services from meals to case management. In 2010, 20,000 meals were provided. They also offer hygiene resources, lockers, clothing, and first aid. Their street Outreach Team makes contact with over 10,000 homeless young people each year providing food, water, and information about resources that can help them transition to more stable safe lifestyles.

While knowing there are homeless children in the world is heartbreaking, another 60 kids didn’t go without lunch that day!  Volunteer, Jennifer L. later reflected: “It was a great and eye opening experience to help out at the Orion Center.  There are so many youth in our community that are in need of help and I was glad to be a part of it.â€�  Thank you Ron, Jennifer B, Theresa, Denise, Norlyn, Jean, & Jennifer L for volunteering your time, talent, & energy!

Here’s how you can help the Orion Center: They are desperate for volunteers to provide and prepare meals; lunch or dinner. Lunch in particular. With cold and wet weather coming, comfort food and warm clothing is needed and much appreciated.

To learn more about YouthCare, to volunteer, or donate, visit their website at www.youthcare.org.

We recently completed an energy efficient lighting upgrade with a partner in Eastern Washington called Firefly Lighting and Design. Firefly is a creative company that is always looking for opportunities to bring value to their clients. They found what they were looking for in the parking lot at the Northpointe Office Building.

We have been working on the installation and commissioning of the first Energy Transfer Merchant in Washington State. Last week, in the parking lot at our corporate support center in Seattle, we cut the ribbon and celebrated the completion of Phase 1 which includes a solar canopy and electric vehicle charging stations. It has been an interesting experience in many ways.

North Coast Electric's Eugene Service Center recently held their Energy Solutions Kick-off event.  Everything from energy-saving lightbulbs to solar panels was on display. 

KEZI 9 put together a great news clip and article talking about the event:
http://kezi.com/greenspace/recycle/223337

North Coast Electric held a ribbon cutting event last week, unveiling Seattle's first ETM Solar Car Charging Station.  We had a good turnout, including King 5 news.  Check out the clip that aired on August 31st during the 5:30 news cast.

http://www.king5.com/news/Running-On-Solar-128849128.html

As preparations for Wednesday's big event get finalized, we wanted to take the time to proudly announce our honored guest speakers.  These individuals are at the forefront of Green technologies and we are excited that they will be here to share their knowledge and expertise.

We recently completed an energy efficient lighting upgrade for a really neat company in Poulsbo Washington called Watson Furniture. After visiting their facility and meeting some of their people I was really impressed with their forward thinking corporate culture which included an obvious commitment to sustainable practices.

We headed towards downtown Seattle, our van loaded with 30 lbs of beef, 6 lbs of taco seasoning, 13 lbs of beans, 28 lbs of rice, 8 lbs of salsa & all the condiments for a bountiful taco bar! This was our day to prepare and serve lunch for the homeless youth at YouthCare’s Orion Center! With an hour & a half to unload, cut, cook, heat, and present we confirmed that we had the ability to work well together as a team. While knowing there are homeless children in the world is heartbreaking, 65 kids didn’t go without lunch that day! Truly a rewarding experience for us!

The Orion Center is a multi-service facility open to youth ages 13 to 24 and 4,500 youth accessed services in 2010. They offer a safe place for youth to access a variety of services from meals to case management. In 2010, 20,000 meals were provided. They also offer hygiene resources, lockers, clothing, and first aid. Their street Outreach Team makes contact with over 10,000 homeless young people each year providing food, water, and information about resources that can help them transition to more stable safe lifestyles.

The Orion Center is also home to award-winning education and employment training programs. The impact of these Programs is profound:

· 128 youth earned a diploma or GED in the last 3 years

· 145 to enroll in college last 3 years

· 305 have received basic intro in to the world of work 2007

· 70 learned skills that allowed them to earn a wage in 2010

Here’s how you can help now: They are desperate for volunteers to provide and prepare meals; lunch or dinner. Lunch in particular. They also need deodorant and sunscreen (yes, you can get a sunburn on a cloudy day in Seattle!)

To learn more about YouthCare, to volunteer, or donate, visit their website at www.youthcare.org.

North Coast Electric Seattle is hosting their Annual Open House on August 4th from 11AM to 1PM. This year’s theme is “Are you Eco-Friendly?�

Join us for food, fun, and the latest eco-friendly products. A BBQ lunch will be provided by Murph’s; meet vendors promoting eco-friendly, low carbon, products and see our new Leaf electric car! Buy raffle tickets to win one of eight $50 gift certificates to fabulous restaurants: El Gaucho, Waterfront Seafood Grill, Elliott’s Oyster House, and Metropolitan Grill. Test your skill and hit a dunk tank target and soak Scott McGaugh, Jeff Baechle, and Leo Kunkle! All proceeds from the raffle and the dunk tank will buy much needed basic school supplies for Roxhill Elementary school students.

• T8, T5 and CFL pricing which has traditionally been quite stable is now rising rapidly
• Our fluorescent lamp prices have already increased an average of 4-5% as of July 1, 2011
• We will have another increase of approximately 25%-30% on August 1, 2011
• Subsequent to that we anticipate “price in effectâ€� pricing from all manufacturers
• We have no choice but to adjust our prices in response to this situation

• The crisis has created a buying frenzy that will impact supply
• We are beginning to see the first allocations from manufacturers

• Specified lamps may not be available requiring alternatives be considered
• Project costs will be impacted by the price increases
• Fixtures ordered pre-lamped may need to be sent without lamps and lamped in the field

I came to work recently and was informed that I was in “charge� (pun intended) of the new, all electric, ZERO Emission, North Coast Electric Nissan Leaf! So I’ve been thrown headlong into the world of range anxiety and other assorted electric vehicle challenges. Yesterday was the pinnacle of the chaos so far, as 3 of us (including a very forgiving customer and a North Coast associate with a soon-to-depart flight) became stranded. Our transportation day included car ferries, passenger ferries, airplanes, conventional cars, a taxi and the beloved electric vehicle. Despite the rather inconvenient truth (can you believe I worked that phrase in here ;-) of our initial EV experience, our area is a focal point for the development of the infrastructure necessary to support a substantial adaptation of plug-in electric vehicles.

One might wonder…what’s the attraction to this?

North Coast Electric is committed to helping kids in distress in our local communities.

If you visit one of our Service Center locations listed below and purchase Tony the Toolman's Beef Jerky, a portion of the proceeds will support a local charity:

• Portland & Wilsonville Oregon - Boys & Girls Club
• Longview & Vancouver Washington - Boys & Girls Club
• Eugene Oregon - ShelterCare
• Albany Oregon - ABC House for Abused Children
• Salem Oregon - Boys & Girls Club

Tony the Toolman's Beef Jerky is available in 2 gourmet flavors: Hickory Hollow & Buckaroo BBQ!

It's a great snack and you will support a great cause!

Caledonian Alloys is a world leader in the manufacture and recycling of sophisticated alloys. Their facility is a typical foundry type structure with lots of concrete, dark surfaces and few windows. Light levels were not meeting their needs so their electrician invited our North Coast Energy Solutions Team to audit the site and propose a solution.

Our customer, TYCO electronics, was looking for a way to cut operating expenses by utilizing available incentives for upgrading to a more energy efficient lighting system. Our local North Coast Energy Solutions team was tasked with helping them find a solution that met their criteria for cost effectiveness, light quality, maintenance efficiency and energy savings.

The Everett & Lynnwood Service Centers raised $1,200 in tools during their recent Tool Drive to benefit Housing Hope! Thank you to customers, vendors, and employees for their charitable contributions. The tools will be put to good use through Housing Hope's Self-Help Ownership Program which equips families who are building their own home, or repairing their current home, with the proper tools to do so.

Housing Hope offers a full range of affordable housing options throughout Snohomish County in Washington State. Housing types include emergency shelter, transitional housing, affordable-rent units and homeownership opportunities. Housing Hope collaborates with local communities to make sure programs address the needs of local residents with the lowest incomes and the greatest need. Through education, employment preparation, and life skills training, Housing Hope empowers families to become and remain self-sufficient.

Children are a priority at Housing Hope. Child development programs ensure that children of resident families have a far better chance in school and in life.

By helping vulnerable families build personal assets and address the social and personal issues that may have contributed to their housing issues; cycles of poverty and hopelessness end.

To learn more about Housing Hope, visit their website at: www.housinghope.org.

Pictured Left to right:  Bob Davis (NCE), Fred Safstrom (Housing Hope), & Nate Greenland (Housing Hope).

Team NC Lighting participated in the annual Seattle Walk MS on Sunday April 3rd and raised $3,385! The 14 member team was led by Captain Robby Carver; their fundraising goal was $2,500 which they easily surpassed!  Top honors goes to Al Thomas, NC Lighting's Director of Design Lighting Services, for raising the most money on his team! The Walk spanned 4 miles with the start and finish lines at Husky Stadium. In total approximately 5,000 people participated the event raising $902,547!

Movement is so much of who we are and what we do but it’s easy to take for granted. Multiple Sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and prevents it from moving; sort of a disconnect. Unfortunately millions of people are affected by MS and the challenges of living with its unpredictable symptoms.

The NC Lighting team’s fund raising efforts will contribute to the advances in research and treatment of this debilitating disease. Congratulations!

To learn more about MS visit www.nationalmssociety.org

Are your patch cables up to standard? If not it could be because your patch cables are not being tested by the manufacturer to the current TIA 568C.2 standard.

The lights at a car dealership (get it?..."driving force") are similar to the lights at a jewelry store. They are meant to show off the product at it’s best. So a proposition for an energy efficient lighting upgrade must also address the quality and volume of light. Electronic HID did just that for a North Idaho car business icon.

Have you ever watched the news and thought, �What in the heck were they thinking??" after seeing some story about a bridge to nowhere or a project that cost 3 times as much as expected, or the ever popular thousand dollar toilet seat?

Well North Coast Electric recently completed a project with Silverdale Electric in Kitsap County that I think we could categorize as government “investing� as opposed to government “spending.�

The Automation Group strives to help our customers be successful; on and off the field. We are often called upon to work closely with our clients on the engineered or technical aspects of some of their challenges; even when it comes to having a lot of fun in the process!

New Burndy Products

There has been a lot of talk recently about the incandescent light bulb provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. Many have claimed that the government is phasing out or even banning the incandescent light bulb.

As always, there's more to the story.

• The Gregory Fund: An initiative to raise awareness and funds for early cancer-detection research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
• Camp Erin: The largest nationwide network of bereavement camps for children and teens ages 6-17 who have experienced the death of someone close to them.
• Camp Mariposa: The first-of-its-kind program designed to help meet the needs of children and teens facing the difficult challenges associated with an addicted or co-dependent family member.
  
  The NCE Team of John Carver, Scott Marsh, Dave Parton and Mike Miller survived the cold weather, enjoyed the course and the warm hospitality of Damon Huard, ex Husky QB and retired NFL player, our designated celebrity (boy did he draw the short straw!). NCE looks forward to continuing its support of The Moyer Foundation. For more information about The Moyer Foundation or to donate go to www.moyerfoundation.org.

The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) teamed up with OSHA in 1976 in writing the first phase of this standard.

The standard is centered upon avoiding Electrical hazards such as Shock, Arc Flash, Arc Blast and Fire ignition. NFPA 70 E does not address other hazards of electricity.

The NEC code protects individuals from shock hazards under normal conditions. It is not designed to protect us from abnormal conditions. We need additional policies to protect us from abnormal conditions. This is why NFPA 70 E was established.

Electricians have not experienced Arc Flash/Arc Blast with the same frequency as \ with electrical shock. Typically the electrician has not been trained on how to avoid and minimize Arc Flash/Arc blast in the past. NFPA 70 E incorporates measures to help avoid or minimize damage from Arc Flash.

Source: Wm Bruce Bowman, P.E., President of Fox Systems Inc of Calhoun, Georgia

I had the opportunity to attend the annual lighting extravaganza called Lightfair a couple weeks ago.
It was literally "eye opening." I can't recall ever seeing the light in quite such spectacular fashion. As expected...the star of the show was LED.

Welcome to the Automation Group Experience Center, area and learn how North Coast Electric can help you manage your manufacturing, lower your controls cost as an OEM and improve your business' productivity and financial stability.

Step into the world of automation, as we explore four distinct areas:

• Integrated Control Systems
• Safety and Control
• Services
• Process Control
• Motion and Variable Speed Drives

Fuel efficient cars apparently are not the only way to save energy at the pump. We recently completed an energy efficient lighting upgrade project at a gas station using electronic HID "smart ballasts" from Metrolight and the results look very promising.

The EPA released a list of the Metropolitan areas with the largest number of energy efficient buildings to garner the EPA Energy Star label. Both Portland and Seattle made the list.

More info is available here:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/b3f51c0c0396abc1852576ee0072db8d!OpenDocument

Tom Woltjer - Energy Solutions Manager

You will soon be able to make tool purchases right on board the Big Blue Tool Machine!

Tony the Toolman discusses Klein Tool Products

On September 30, 2008 the Energy Star Solid-State Lighting (SSL) program went into effect starting with a standard for LED Luminaires.

This past December, after a long and arduous process of analysis, the Department of Energy has published the final Energy Star criteria for LED replacement lamps. Given the somewhat Wild Wild West experience with LED lamp supply we've been experiencing this is welcome news! Unfortunately, due to testing requirements, it will be August before the first official Energy Star LED lamp list is published but at least now we see the proverbial LED light at the end of the tunnel.

How many times have you needed electrical equipment and needed it NOW?! Well, if it was an Allen-Bradley bulletin 512 or 513 NEMA combination starter; hopefully, you took advantage of the rapid turnaround of our Modcenter Plus Program.

Considering the cost of generating additional purchase orders or sending a driver on an additional pick-up?doesn't it make sense to buy everything in one place? Hidden expenses don't show up in the profit and loss column but in an era of increased productivity for profitability, shouldn't we be concerned with time?

In case you haven't noticed...what was a rising tide of LED's being brought to market is quickly becoming a Tsunami!

Sometimes it seems as if the only thing standing between us and world peace is that we're not selling enough LED's!

Like any new technology, especially one with so much demand, there are risks as well as rewards.

North Coast Electric and 170 of our customers helped Rockwell Automation celebrate Automation Fair this past week.  Overall, there were more than 9,000 attendees - including PartnerNetwork members and industry analysts from around the world descended on the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

With the addition of Panduit to our Datacom offering we have added a world class network infrastructure partner. Panduit's Datacom products will further enhance our ability to offer more solutions for your industrial Ethernet and commercial project applications, which also include large scale data center opportunities.

The 2009 TED Magazine Award winner, the Big Blue Tool Machine will be undergoing an overhaul of sorts. No not the engine, chassis or paint, this tool demonstrator vehicle will become a Tool Sale vehicle in 2010.

Variable speed drives are a critical component in both industrial and commercial environments from paper machines to HVAC applications. They are also instrumental in the reduction of energy consumption and process improvement.

This blog entry is the first of a series of discussions regarding variable speed drives, it will provide an overview of North Coast Electric's variable speed drive offerings and how our Automation Group can help you save money.