Electric League News

Federated Introduces New Group Health Plans

As employers throughout the country continue to experience increased costs for health insurance, Federated Mutual Insurance Company continues to look for solutions! To help ease the impact of rising premium costs on businesses, Federated recently introduced new plan designs that may provide premium savings for employers. The new plans allow for multiple deductible options for upfront savings yet still provide the coverage when it is needed the most, for the catastrophic costs of a serious injury or illness.

Increased technology, rising administrative expenses for health care providers, increased utilization by consumers, and the continued rise in prescription drug costs have all contributed to the rapid rise in medical costs. Consumers have also been somewhat disconnected from the cost of services that are usually provided through their company-sponsored health insurance plans.

Federated's new plans might be a good alternative for many association members and their employees. Please contact your Federated Marketing Representative for more information on these plans and for resources to help you promote employee health and safety.

Electrical Inspectors Panel Discussion - June Luncheon Topic

The June Electric League luncheon will feature a panel discussion of local municipal electrical inspectors. The inspectors will explain what they look for and why. This will be an informative and entertaining discussion on how they conduct their job. It will be educational and humorous to hear about code violations and practices these inspectors have seen at electrical construction job sites. You will want to be a part of this meeting as we highlight this important sector of our electrical industry.

The panel will include Steve Ward, electrical inspector for the City of Kansas City and Barry Walthall, electrical inspector from Lawrence, Kansas.

Please mark you calendars for June 21 to attend the next Electric League luncheon. A reservation form is with the June newsletter.

Electric League Luncheon - June 21
Homestead Country Club, 6510 Mission Road
Networking - 11:30 a.m., Lunch - Noon

Lighting Awards Entry Forms

The annual Electric League Lighting Awards competition will begin this month when Electric League members, area architects, engineers and contractors receive Lighting Award entry forms. Over the past 34 years some of Kansas City's finest lighting projects have been award winners. Over the years some of Kansas City's most notable addresses have been entered into the competition including the Country Club Plaza, Stowers Institute, Starlight Theater and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

A Lighting Awards entry form is included with this newsletter. These forms should be returned to the Electric League office by Tuesday, July 30. Additional entry forms can be obtained from the League office by contacting Cindy Fuson at 561-5323. Projects should be entered in one of the categories listed on the entry form. A $35 entry fee is charged for each project entered.

Mark your calendar for Monday, Nov. 4 to attend the Annual Lighting Awards banquet at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Kansas City, Mo.

Using Wind Power

England to Build Wind-Farm

The English government, late last month, granted approval for the largest wind farm in the country to be built. The wind farm is said to have the capability to generate electricity for 40,000 homes.

The 35 million pound, $51 million development in Cefn Croes, Wales, will have 39 wind-power turbines, according to the Associated Press. Energy Minister Brian Wilson said he granted approval for the farm in the Cambrian mountains after a "thorough consideration" of representations both for and against the project.

The government has pledged to have 10 percent of Britain's electricity supplied from renewable sources by the year 2010. A Cabinet Officer recently recommended that this target should be raised to 20 percent by the year 2020.

The wind farm's construction is set for this summer with the finishing time unknown. The three-bladed wind turbines will have a working life of up to 30 years.

Source: Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association - Vol. LII, No. 10, June 5, 2002

U.S. Senate to Vote on Estate Tax Repeal

As of this writing, the vote for permanent repeal of the federal estate tax in the Senate looked as if it would happen on June 12. The issue was set to come to a head in the Senate at the behest of Republican lawmakers, who last month wrung a promise out of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) to hold a vote by June 28. In return, GOP leaders allowed energy legislation to proceed.

In accordance with Senate budget rules, proponents need 60 votes to gain passage. Most Republicans and a handful of Democrats in the upper chamber, where Democrats hold a 50-49 edge, have pledged to support permanent repeal or are leaning hard in that direction, according to CBS.com.

Dan Blankenburg, manager of legislative affairs for the National Federation of Independent Business, estimates that the number of senators favoring repeal continues to hover in the high 50s. We've been at 58 or 59 for a while. Things will be much more clear as we get closer to the vote,ª he said.

The NFIB, which heads a coalition of 60 groups pushing for permanent repeal, has set up a website that supporters can use to contact their lawmakers, www.nfib.com. The House of Representatives recently `re-voted' on the bill to permanently phase out the federal estate tax.

The House again voted in favor of permanent repeal, securing passage by a vote of 255-171. Nine lawmakers abstained. The vote comes as part of the House's efforts to put pressure on their Senate colleagues.

Source: Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association, June 5

Member Spotlight

Eric Brummel, Capital Electric Construction

One of the Electric League Board Members elected last December has the task of designing low voltage systems for data/communications applications. Eric Brummel heads a team of five full-time inside design estimators and project consultants for datacom projects at Capital Electric Construction in Kansas City. A DeVry Institute of Technology graduate, Eric has an extensive background in the telecommunications field dating back to the early 1980s including working with telephone and call systems.

"The limited-energy systems are an increasing part of Capital Electric's total business. Most of our customers are here in the Midwest, however we have designed systems for clients outside this region," Eric commented. The firm usually has 18 individuals working in the field specifically on datacom installation projects.

The People Column

Happy May Birthday to our own Olivia Holcombe, we understand it was a BIG one on 5/29! June birthday wishes to Pam Johnson at C&O sales...we don't know which one this is. And to Carolyn Mathis at Rexel Glasco, she's not talking either.

Anniversary celebrations at C&O Sales (36 years in business) include Kevin O'Neill for 15 years with the company founded by his late father Jack, and Pam Johnson just completed 10 years.

Wedding Bells rang for our own Cindy (Oxley) Fuson on May 11th. Best wishes to Cindy and Dave.

Congratulations are in order to Mark One ElectricÁ.they won the Project of the Year by a Specialty Contractor award for the Sprint World Headquarters, Campus Building 4, Technology Center which is part of the 2002 Building Excellence Awards given by the Kansas City Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America.

See you next time - keep your news items coming. You can e-mail your news to: peoplecolumn@electricleague.org

Home