Inspiring the Next Generation of Electrical Workers
View my story for EC&M magazine on how one county’s partnership between the local trade school and Habitat for Humanity is inspiring the next generation of electrical workers and the entire community.
Read the full story here.
Live Show Coverage – NECA 2021
Check out the following five pieces that I wrote while covering the 2021 NECA Trade Show & Conference, which took place in October 2021 in Nashville, Tenn.
Why Time-Saving Solutions Should Begin Before the Job Site
Tips for Electrical Contractors Looking to Grow Their Residential Business
How Electrical Professionals Can Educate Others on Electrical-Related Safety
The Most Important Changes to the 2021 NFPA 70E
Why Will Demand for Surge Protection Devices Increase?
Additionally, check out this video of the editors’ key takeaways from the conference, which I edited and participated in: Our Biggest Takeaways from NECA 2021
What’s Next for EV?
The first part of a package for Electrical Wholesaling on how President Biden’s Infrastructure Plan is likely to impact the electrical industry’s role in electric vehicle market growth, originally published in the May-June 2021 issue.
Read the full story here.
Betting on Broadband
The second part of a package for Electrical Wholesaling on how President Biden’s Infrastructure Plan in terms of broadband expansion and what that means for the electrical industry. This originally ran in the July-August 2021 issue.
Read the full story here.
Gearing Up for Grid Opportunities
The final part of a package for Electrical Wholesaling on how President Biden’s Infrastructure Plan, this time on grid opportunities for electrical distributors, reps, and manufacturers. This originally ran in the September-October 2021 issue.
Read the full story here here.
Pandemic Pivot
This article for EC&M magazine features a woman switching careers into the electrical field, encouraged by the changes brought on from the pandemic.
Read the full story here.
Stepping Up to the Storm
My story for Electrical Wholesaling on 10 tips for electrical distributors and reps on surviving and thriving in the face of natural disasters.
Read the full story here.
Next-Gen Sales & Marketing
My story for Electrical Wholesaling on sales and marketing techniques to weather this post-pandemic, virtual world.
Read the full story here.
Breaking the Mold
My story for EC&M magazine on the 2020 Product of the Year winner, an affordable software option.
Read the full story here.
Insight on Light Fidelity
My story for Electrical Wholesaling on how Light Fidelity (LiFi) technology has advanced, how it hasn’t, and when it’s expected to really take off.
Read the full story here.
The State of Solar
My story for Electrical Wholesaling on why the solar industry presents a major business opportunity for electrical distributors willing to navigate the ever-changing field.
Read the full story here.
How Green-Minded Communal Living Became Hip
For the members of Unadilla Community Farm in West Edmeston, N.Y., a small town that sits on the rural stretch of land between Syracuse and Albany, Mondays offer a brief respite from a week of tending to their 12-acre homestead. Ben Tyler, Greta Zarro, and seven college-aged seasonal interns gather around a circular table that they’ve moved to the gravel driveway outside their barn and enjoy a breakfast of vegan banana pancakes and pastries from their Amish neighbors. Lush, green hills, fruit trees, and leafy gardens surround them. After taking turns cleaning dishes and taking scraps out to the compost, some of the newer members spread out across the property to relax. One plays his guitar near the barn. Another sits under the shade of a tree to read. Tyler, 34, stays in the barn to begin prepping the day’s meal. He rolls up his brown cotton sleeves to chop fresh garlic from the garden, adding it to a combination of mashed lentils, onions, flour, and spices for meatless-meatballs, occasionally pausing to wipe blond hair out of his eyes. Meanwhile, Zarro, 26, heads outside across the gravel path to water the raised garden beds, which hold sensitive plants like lettuce that need attention on off days.
Read the full story here.
What I Learned from My Farm-Stay Experience
Armed with a bucket of grain and a shepherd’s staff, Jason Connelly marched across the pasture on the Weathered Hill Farm in South Kortright, N.Y. as a herd of sheep chased after him. The smell of fresh grass and manure filled the warm air. Jason’s dad revved up the four-wheeler. His grandpa stayed with the truck to try to block off escape routes up ahead. Meanwhile, I held up the back, jogging to try to keep an old, stubborn sheep and inexperienced lambs from lagging too far from the group. Our goal: Move the hungry herd from the grazed-over pasture to fresh, tall grass that would serve as their next meal.
Read the full story here.
Rewriting the Southside Narrative
The South Side Communication Center Youth Program bustles with energy on a Wednesday afternoon. Handmade inspirational posters and art projects decorate the walls, along with historical photos of famous black people and a rack filled with Essence magazines. Eight kids are there that day, ranging from age 10 to 18. Some are finishing up their dinners around the living room’s communal table while talking and laughing with each other. A few younger kids start a loud game of Uno. One checks out the various homegrown herbs that adorn the windowsills behind the front desk. Meanwhile, Rachielle Scrivens, coordinator of the center, keeps a watchful eye over them.
Read the full story here.
Syracuse women wary about running alone
Mickey Piscitelli went running alone in Onondaga Lake Park several years ago on a quiet and rainy afternoon. Partway through her run, Piscitelli noticed two men who did not fit in with the usual park-goers. They wore work boots and didn’t appear to be exercising or socializing. Instead, they stood near the trail she was on, watching her as she ran.
“When I ran past them, the hair on the back of my neck stood up,” Piscitelli said. “I really felt a little shiver go down my spine.”
Read the full story here.
Find keto food and friends at Syracuse’s Dolce Vita
Three years ago, Antonietta Vigliotti, owner of Syracuse’s Dolce Vita restaurant, was dependent on steroids and feared that she’d soon become allergic to them. She also knew she needed to lose major weight, so she talked with a trainer who encouraged her to start exercising and to follow a ketogenic lifestyle with a high fat, minimum carb diet. Afterward, Vigliotti’s meals consisted of 70 percent fat, 25 percent protein and 5 percent carbohydrates. Three years later, she has lost over 100 pounds and doesn’t need steroids anymore, which she attributes to food.
Read the full story here.
Cable company’s future in New York is uncertain after ruling, experts say
The New York Public Service Commission’s decision to force Charter Communications, which merged with Time Warner Cable in 2016 and operated under the Spectrum brand, out of New York state is an unprecedented action that leaves Charter’s future in the area uncertain, experts said.
Read the full story here.
Central New York’s 1st inland port to be built in DeWitt
Central New York is getting its first inland port, the New York State Department of Transportation announced last month.
The port, which will be built in DeWitt, comes after years of collaboration between the NYSDOT and CSX Corp., a rail transportation company.
Read the full story here.
Ellie Coggins 