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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

Remembering the Solemn Purpose of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday in May to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the years immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), which caused massive casualties—roughly 620,000 soldiers dead, about 2% of the U.S. population at the time. Communities across the North and South began spontaneously decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags, a practice that gave rise to the original name: Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—a powerful Union veterans’ organization—issued General Order No. 11. This proclaimed May 30, 1868, as a nationwide “Decoration Day” to honor those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American service members who died in any war, not just the Civil War.  In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. This moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, effective in 1971, when it was also officially named “Memorial Day.” As one 1868 quote put it: “That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”