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Wesco Cares Scholarship Program

William Attardi on September 13, 2025

Wesco has partnered with Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) as well as ELECTRI International, an electrical construction foundation established by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), to establish a new scholarship program for future electrical workers. The Wesco Cares Scholarship Program supports the next generation of tradespeople and fortifies our commitment to the electrical industry. The $200,000 in scholarships will be awarded to qualified and deserving students entering skilled trades in the U.S. electrical industry. As the largest electrical distributor in North America, Wesco understands the critical role of tradespeople in powering our world and moving the electrical industry forward. Similarly, IEC and ELECTRI are tireless advocates of the electrical industry and are both committed to supporting the next generation of contractors. By helping to reduce the financial costs associated with trade school and apprenticeship expenses, the scholarship program will help encourage interest in the trades and contributes to an increase in skilled labor. Wesco Cares | Scholarship Program | Wesco

Wesco’s Scholarships Support More than 100 Apprentices through NECA/ELECTRI’s Project Management Program

William Attardi on September 13, 2025

Wesco International announced that more than 100 apprentices will graduate next month through the NECA/ELECTRI Project Management Apprenticeship, supported by the Wesco Cares scholarship program. Wesco executives will be onsite at the annual NECA Convention held in Chicago, IL, Sept.12-15, to discuss its strong partnership with ELECTRI International and the success of the scholarship program to date. The scholarship program launched in 2024 aims to address labor shortages and cultivate future industry leaders.  Wesco’s Scholarships Support More than 100 Apprentices through NECA/ELECTRI’s Project Management Program | Electrical Wholesaling

Eye on the Storm by Tim Kridel

William Attardi on April 16, 2025

The new ANSI/NEMA C137.10 standard is designed to keep streetlights on during extreme weather. But in normal times, it also creates opportunities in the smart cities market. By the end of this decade, the North American smart city market will be worth close to $1 trillion, a roughly fourfold jump from 2024, Grand View Research A new standard from NEMA’s Lighting Systems Division should help electrical contractors and electrical design firms grab a share of that burgeoning market by leveraging upgrades aimed at bolstering outdoor lighting resiliency. ANSI/NEMA C137.10-2024 creates a vendor-agnostic format for data produced by sensors installed on light poles along roadways and pedways. That standardization enables municipalities, utilities, and other lighting infrastructure owners to have a mix of hardware and software vendors without risking data incompatibility. ANSI/NEMA C137.10 Standard and Lighting System Interoperability | EC&M

Happy St. Patrick’s Day—whether you’re going fact or legend, it’s a great excuse to celebrate!

St. Patrick is a mix of solid historical fact and popular myth/legend that grew over centuries. He was a real historical figure—a British-born missionary (likely from what is now Scotland or northern England/Wales area) who lived in the 5th century (roughly 385–461 AD). His birth name was probably Maewyn Succat, and he became known as Patricius (Patrick) later. He wrote two surviving documents: his Confessio (Confession) and a letter to Coroticus, which are the main primary sources about his life. These confirm he was kidnapped by Irish raiders as a teenager, enslaved in Ireland for about six years (herding sheep), escaped, trained for the church, and returned as a missionary bishop to convert the Irish to Christianity. He wasn’t the first Christian in Ireland—some communities already existed—but he’s credited with major missionary work and is the patron saint of Ireland.

Many beloved St. Patrick’s Day traditions and stories are myths or later embellishments: Myth: He drove the snakes out of Ireland. Completely legendary. Ireland has had no native snakes since the last Ice Age (about 10,000+ years ago)—the post-glacial island was isolated, and snakes never recolonized it. The “snakes” story symbolizes driving out paganism or “evil”  but it’s not historical. Myth: He used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. This is a charming story, but it doesn’t show up in Patrick’s own writings or early biographies. While the shamrock (a three-leaf clover) became a symbol of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day, the Trinity analogy is probably a later invention. Myth: St. Patrick was Irish by birth. No—he was Romano-British, captured and brought to Ireland against his will. Other common myths: Green wasn’t always the color associated with him or the holiday; massive parades and “wearing of the green” became big in America first; he didn’t drink green beer or eat corned beef and cabbage, those are more modern Irish-American traditions. In short: The man himself is fact—a brave, devout missionary who helped spread Christianity in Ireland. But many of the fun, magical tales attached to him are myths.

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