Electric League News

Union Station and Under the Clock - Highlights of June Luncheon

Electric League members won't want to miss this month's luncheon. The luncheon will be held June 22 in the beautifully restored Union Station in Kansas City. We will sit in the studio audience for a broadcast of KCUR's Under the Clock radio show hosted by former Kansas City Mayor Emanuel Cleaver. Topic for the show will be the Kansas City Missouri Public Schools. The live show will be broadcast on KCUR 89.3 beginning at noon - 1 p.m. Lunch will be served before the radio broadcast in Pierpont's Restaurant from 11 - 11:45 a.m.(registration beginning at 10:30 a.m.). Seating for the radio show will be at 11:45.

Return the reservation form included in your newsletter today and we'll see you June 22 for this unique luncheon in a Kansas City landmark setting.

Special League Event in July

The Electric League Membership Committee has planned a special event for members in July. Plan to attend a "Legends at Lunch" program with other members on Thursday, July 19.

This will be a luncheon, hosted by Buck O'Neil, legendary star of the Kansas City Monarchs. The guest speaker for July will be Lou Pinella, former Kansas City Royal, and current manager of the Seattle Mariners.

The event will be held at Comedy City, 3rd and Charlotte in the River Market District, Kansas City, Mo. The luncheon starts at 11:30 a.m. and will conclude at about 1:30 p.m. Cost is just $20 per person. Proceeds benefit the Negro Leagues Baseball museum.

This is a chance to get together with other League members for a memorable networking occasion. We have a limited number of tickets for the event, so sign up right away using the enclosed registration form to assure your place. If you have questions, call Olivia at 816-561-5323.

Spring Golf Outing - Another Great Event!

Perfect weather, a new clubhouse at the golf course, and a full slate of golfers all combined for a great Electric League Spring Golf Outing, May 14 at Shirkey Golf Course in Richmond, Mo.

Listed below are the flight winners and the individual contest winners:

Longest drive (#6), Mike Bradish
Longest putt (#12), Richard Sheldrake
Closest to Pin (#13), Jeff Linscott
Longest putt (#18), Ed Grandon

First Flight

1st - Graybar Electric I - Richard Meek, Vince Groff, Chris Lacy, Tony Winslow
2nd - Missouri Public Service - Mark Brewster, Randy Salle, Gary Taylor, Loren Hatch
3rd - Milbank Manufacturing - Ron Lohr, Mike Scott, Steve Holler, Greg Bennett

Second Flight

1st - Square D III - John Guerdan, Terry Moore, Doug Huber, Rick Moffet
2nd - Siemens Energy & Automation - Gene Banahan, John Phillips, Bill Pavlik, Jacque Smith
3rd - Graybar I - Tom Mantia, Jerry Keeney, Rick Groover, Dennis Peterson

Third Flight

1st - Southwire Co - John Dussold, Dennis McKenzie, Phil Hickey, Don Benjamin
2nd - Power Engineering - Mark Hartfiel, Marty Stump, Ed Rogers, John Scheer
3rd - Trend Tech - Don Doyle, Pat Shepard, Mike Urban, Jim Underwood

Thanks to these Tournament Sponsors:

C & O Electric Sales Company

Cleaves-Bessmer-Marietti, Inc.

Dean Machinery Co.

Electrical Corp. of America

French Gerleman

Graybar Electric

Independent Electrical Contractors Assoc. of Kansas City

Kansas City, Board of Public Utilities

Kansas City Power & Light

Mark One Electric

Milbank Mfg. Co., Inc.

Rains Electrical Sales Inc.

Rensenhouse Electric Supply

Rexel Glasco Electrical Supply

R.F. Fisher Electric

SKC Electric, Inc.

Square D Company

TM Sales Inc.

UtiliCorp United

Lighting Awards Competition Begins

For the 33rd year, the Electric League is sponsoring a Lighting Awards Competition. The event brings together several key areas of the electrical/lighting industry - lighting designers, engineers, architects and contractors. Over the years projects from some of Kansas City's most notable areas have been included in this competition including the Country Club Plaza, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, The Kansas City Zoo and the new Stowers Institute. This year, the competition will conclude with the Lighting Awards Banquet on Nov. 5 in downtown Kansas City.

A Lighting Awards entry form is enclosed with this newsletter. Members interested in entering their projects should complete the form and return it to the League office along with the entry fees by July 30. Members with questions about the competition should contact Cindy Oxley at 816-561-5323.

Combat Rising Workers' Compensation Premiums
By Federated Insurance Cos.

After peaking in the late 1980s and early 1990s, workers' compensation premiums have steadily decreased as a percentage of employer payrolls. From an all-time high of 2.16 percent, premiums dropped to just 1.35 percent of payroll in 1998, and have not been this low since the 1970s.

That may soon change. After reviewing claims for 2000, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) estimates premiums will rise substantially in the next year or two.

Why are premiums expected to rise?
The major reasons are rising medical costs, higher loss-of-time benefits as wages have increased, an aging work force, and increased litigation with its associated administrative costs.

What can you do to reduce your workers' compensation costs?
Before the injury:

Train new employees thoroughly. Many accidents occur when an employee is new.
Encourage early reporting of safety violations to help avoid major injuries.
Develop a light-duty, return-to-work strategy.

When an injury occurs:

Investigate promptly and thoroughly.
Educate your employee about workers' compensation benefits. This helps calm the employee's fears.
Report the claim to your insurer within 24 hours.
Use managed care providers.
Keep in contact with an injured employee.
Bring the employee back to work in light-duty position as soon as possible.

Avoid "Panic Conservation," Lighting Bureau Warns

Saying that lighting is one of American businesses' most important assets, while also being essential to the safety and security of all Americans, the National Lighting Bureau has warned that ill-advised panic conservation measures should be avoided at all costs. The Bureau is a 26-year-old not-for-profit lighting information source sponsored by industry, trade and professional societies, utilities, and agencies of the federal government.

According to Bureau Chair Cary S. Mendelsohn, "Electric illumination is one of the biggest bargains available to American business. It's worth at least ten times what's paid for it; often far more. Nonetheless, the nation's growing power woes are likely to make lighting systems prime targets for dangerous quick-fix conservation measures; if only because lighting is such a conspicuous user of electrical energy, and modifying it to consume less energy seems so easy. But lighting is far too important and too complex to be dealt with simplistically. Going about lighting energy management the wrong way could cost a fortune and actually result in the consumption of more energy rather than less."

"Nowhere is the importance of lighting more obvious than outdoors at night, when it is used to provide safety and security," Mr. Mendelsohn said. "Without effective lighting, vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-pedestrian accidents will increase; people walking at night, in parking lots and other areas, will be at far more risk; vandalism will increase, as will break-ins and other property crimes. The cost that these incidents will impose will be huge, and still they will pale when compared to the human costs involved."

Indoors the aggregate cost can be even more pronounced, Mendelsohn said. "In offices and factories, electric energy needed to provide lighting for the average office or production line worker "typically costs $50 per year or less. Assuming that worker is paid $30,000 per year, including fringe benefits, just a one percent productivity loss would be worth $300 per year. If panic conservation measures are used, productivity losses of far more than one percent would occur," Mr. Mendelsohn said, and - somewhat ironically - that could lead to more energy use, rather than less, as when lighting has to be on longer, and buildings have to be in use longer, for people to perform the same amount of service or produce the same amount of product. "In outdoor security situations," Mendelsohn said, "inadequate electric illumination often leads to more gasoline consumption, as when more security patrols are needed to offset the security loss associated with lighting loss." Mr. Mendelsohn characterized "panic conservation methods" as the dimming of lighting below light levels needed to perform certain tasks, along with removal of lamps or deactivation of some lighting altogether.

"We are likely to see in the coming months a repeat of some of the terrible mistakes made during the 1973-74 energy crisis," he said. In one instance, half the lighting in a Social Security Administration data processing office was eliminated. "While lighting energy consumption fell by 50 percent, productivity fell by 28 percent. Every dollar saved probably resulted in a productivity loss of more than $300, adjusting for inflation," Mr. Mendelsohn said.

The People Column

Big Congrats to .... Mandy Weeks, daughter of Tim and Judy Weeks, received her M.D. from Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis) in May. She received the Medical Fund Society Prize in Medicine, the ONLY prize awarded each year to a graduating student who has excelled in the study of internal medicine. Dr. Weeks has now been commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army and will complete a three year residency in Internal Medicine at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Washington, D.C.

Evan Johnson, son of Pam (C&O) has been admitted to the Kansas City Junior Symphony, he is a bassoonist.

Happy June birthday to: Pam Johnson (C&O)

Send us your news, we'll be glad to feature it in this column, after all, this is YOUR column!!

See you "Under the Clock," June 22. E-mail: jefer@micro.com Fax: 913-383-3003

Fax: 913-383-3003
E-mail: jefer@micro.com

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