Up Close with Joan Blacker

By Shirley Coyle, LC

A dozen years ago, Joan Blacker found herself laid off after turning down a relocation to the Midwest from her beloved home turf in the Northwest. She looked forward to a summer off with her girls, which would give her some time to look for a job closer to home. The lighting world had other plans for her, and as the summer of 2011 started, she was offered the position of Assistant Service Manager at Northwest Edison, an electrical contractor.

Joan found she had a lot to learn about fluorescent and LED lighting, coming from a small manufacturer of halogen work lights. “So I rolled up my sleeves and got to work learning all I could about lighting. I attended workshops at the local Seattle Lighting Lab and traveled to manufacturer training. Our President and CEO, Dan Camilleri, is just amazing as an owner – really family-oriented. It was a great opportunity!”

Asked about the challenges faced along her career path, Joan commented, “I had reservations when LED hit the ground running. It changed so quickly, first induction, then LED. Keeping up with changing markets and products was definitely a challenge. For years it was primarily servicing T12s or T8s, and now we are seeing customers with LED to be maintained. While it was a big challenge, my involvement with manufacturers and NALMCO has made this easier. A lot of our facility managers didn’t trust the technology initially. On LED, it was hard for building owners and property managers to resist a lower price and a similar warranty. They didn’t understand they were not comparing apples to apples.”

Joan made it her mission to learn all the ins and outs of Northwest’s business, developing relationships with cohorts, vendors, and customers as she learned the business. Promoted to Director of Service Operations in 2013, Joan took on the priority of leading a team to growing profitability. In 2014, Joan was invited to be on the Northwest Edison Leadership Team, where she has learned all aspects of the company. Northwest Edison invested in training for their leaders (LEAP, a full-year leadership training program in Seattle). With building customer relationships as a top priority, Joan has been involved in sales and some project management over the years. Joan took on the leadership of the accounting team while continuing her Director of Service Operations role. Her favorite part is the customer relationships – engaged with customers constantly, she notes, “I love the different hats I wear, and my job is never boring!”

Reflecting on challenges, Joan pointed to the difficulties in hiring skilled labor. “We have an amazing field team; however, building on the team has been a challenge. With the requirements for state licensing becoming more stringent every year, we are seeing fewer next generation skilled tradesmen.

With the advancement in lighting controls, EV charging, IAQ and battery storage systems, the requirements for learning have changed – being an electrician is no longer running pipe and wire, or installing lamps and ballasts. It’s more involved. The additional education on these technologies takes time.”

While Joan has known various NALMCO members from other business activity, she became directly involved in 2023, enjoying her first Annual Convention and Trade Show in Palm Springs. “NALMCO is so great – everybody is willing to share successes, failures, ideas, and to collaborate –they are fantastic. I love it!” Joan is now part of NALMCO’s Program Committee and is all-in on the content planning and preparation for the upcoming 2024 Spring Seminar program in Dallas, TX from March 5-7, 2024.

Asked for her advice to anyone entering the industry, Joan offered: “Remove the blinders that we sometimes have in our jobs, blinders that make us miss opportunities to learn and grow. Pay attention to what is happening around you in other areas of the company, and have a willingness to learn and to help where you can. Make yourself knowledgeable, be flexible! Stay involved…the industry is ever-changing. Get involved in NALMCO – a great group of individuals and companies you can learn from.”

Embracing her non-working hours with the same enthusiasm as her workdays, Joan loves to travel. Before her three girls left home, many years were spent camping, hunting and fishing with Joan’s husband, her girls, close friends and family. Two of Joan’s daughters now work for her at Northwest Edison – “Watching our three girls grow into amazing young women has been the best.” Joan is also thrilled to now have a grandson, with a granddaughter on the way in April. The annual camping trip has now been replaced with an annual trip to a warm destination with Joan’s group of girlfriends – “We love the sun!” There’s no question that Joan Blacker is thriving, sharing her positive energy and attitude – inside and outside of a job she loves.