Electric West 2006 returned to the always-popular Las Vegas venue last month, attracting more than 200 exhibitors and several thousand attendees. The show, held March 1-3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, offered a robust seminar program and a unique blend of exhibitors that featured traditional electrical manufacturers, several electrical contractors marketing products they had invented, and distributors and manufacturers from the solar/photovoltaic industry.
Sponsored by Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M) and Electrical Wholesaling magazines and the Prism Media Exhibition division, Electric West 2006 drew attendees from throughout the western United States for a full slate of seminars that included National Electrical Code classes by Mike Holt, president, Mike Holt Enterprises, Tamarac, Fla.; a power-quality panel moderated by John DeDad, editorial director, EC&M; and a keynote address on disaster recovery jointly presented by Bob Baird of Independent Electrical Contractors Inc., Alexandria, Va., and Brooke Stauffer of the National Electrical Contractors Association Bethesda, Md.
Several interesting new products at the show included the Studstick, a portable wire dispenser marketed by Command Communications Inc., Centennial, Colo.; the Cheetah Speed System, an integrated screwless wiring device, box and wall plate now offered by Cheetah USA Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah; and the wire/cable pulling partner offered by E5 Products, Las Vegas.
One highlight of the show was Ideal Industries' “Twice The Muscle, Twice The Power” wire connector sweepstakes. Five lucky finalists each received a chance to start up and win a beautifully restored 1969 Dodge Charger. Dave Peterson, owner of D.C. Peterson Electric Inc. in Lynnwood, Wash., won the car.
The 2007 Electric West Show will take place Feb. 21-23 at the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, Calif. For information on exhibiting or attending that event, contact Marc Ross at (203) 358-3711.