O'Connell Electric Newsletter - 2018 E4

Since 1911

Since 1911

Corporate Headquarters

830 Phillips Road

Victor, NY 14564 Ph. 585.924.2176

Albany

2360 Maxon Road Ext. Schenectady, NY 12308 Ph. 518.346.0077

Buffalo

20 Lancaster Parkway Lancaster, NY 14086 Ph. 716.675.9010

Rochester

390 Systems Road Rochester, NY 14623 Ph. 585.424.3472

Syracuse

Hancock Airpark

7001 Performance Drive N. Syracuse, NY 13212 Ph. 315.437.1453

Construction Services

- Building Information Modeling

- Prefabrication - Design Build

Service and Maintenance

Security Integration

Power Group

Communications

Victor/Rochester brian.rittenhouse@oconnellelectric.com Buffalo brad.keatley@oconnellelectric.com Syracuse donald.coon@oconnellelectric.com Albany tom.sauer@oconnellelectric.com

Victor/Rochester andrew.dohse@oconnellelectric.com Syracuse david.coon@oconnellelectric.com

Victor/Albany/Buffalo/Rochester gregory.briggs@oconnellelectric.com Syracuse joseph.duh@oconnellelectric.com

michael.parkes@oconnellelectric.com

Rochester Solar Technologies lane.young@oconnellelectric.com

Large Wind Projects tim.ehmann@oconnellelectric.com

Albany tom.sauer@oconnellelectric.com Victor/Buffalo rob.unger@oconnellelectric.com Syracuse joseph.duh@oconnellelectric.com

Technical Services

- Preventative Maintenance - Testing and Commissioning

Temperature Control

Victor/Albany/Buffalo/Syracuse joe.leggo@oconnellelectric.com

Victor/Rochester craig.ramsdell@oconnellelectric.com Syracuse donald.coon@oconnellelectric.com

Natural Gas robert.acquilano@oconnellelectric.com

Transportation

- Airport - Bridge - Highway richard.maher@oconnellelectric.com

www.oconnellelectric.com

Our strength as a full service electrical contractor is rooted in the diversity of our services

OCE Electricians working in tight quarters down in a manhole splicing 13.2kV line in Haverhill, MA. Once complete, the upgrades will provide more reliable power to residents and businesses throughout the city.

Scott Rohr, LU 104 right

Rich Mangino, LU 104 Left

O’Connell Electric Newsletter is a publication of O’Connell Electric Company, Inc. For comments, inquiries, or to be added to our mailing list, email john.miller@oconnellelectric.com

Welcome to the winter edition of the O’Connell Electric newsletter. We are pleased to share with you some of our featured projects and employee news, which clearly demonstrates the commitment and the spirit of innovative people who work with passion to provide high quality work and is what makes O’Connell Electric who we are.

Our work outlook remains strong with a current backlog as large as its ever been and we are experiencing a robust construction economy. This has caused increased workloads and has expedited the pace at which projects must be completed. And with more work comes more stress, decisions, commitments and possible mistakes. We need to make sure that safety is always the number one priority on all job sites and at home.

In addition to the growth happening in the construction industry, our strategic plan calls for expansion and renovation at our corporate headquarters in Victor which will be starting this coming month. We are also renovating a 22,000-square-foot building we purchased next door to our Power Group in Henrietta, NY, to be the new home for our Victor Construction and Construction Services Divisions.

Our growth brings an abundance of opportunities, and developing our team is one of our main priorities as the need for top talent continues to grow. The success of our initiatives will ultimately depend on the strength of our team.

Please enjoy reading the newsletter and I want to wish all of you a great holiday season. Thank you for your hard work and the sacrifices you make in your personal lives to support this company. It is very much appreciated. Please continue to be safe and watch out for each other at home and work.

Happy holidays to you all,

Record Attendance at 2018 Safety Picnic

Safety is not just one of our core values at O’Connell, it’s embedded into everything our employees do, every day, at home and at work. We are committed to our role as a leader for advancing safety practices at job sites and the culture within the electrical industry as a whole.

This year we hosted our 6th annual safety picnic, bringing together our employees for a day to focus on becoming the safest electrical contractor in the nation. With over seven months of planning and commitment from our volunteer safety committee members, we were able to attract the largest participation for this event. More than 800 attended, including employees from our five office locations, guests, and vendors.

The picnic was hosted at the Pinnacle Athletic Campus in Victor, NY, located minutes from our corporate headquarters. In the trade-show style event, vendors showcased improved tooling and equipment, technology, and safety supplies. Several guests provided demonstrations including Klein Tools, ADMAR, Dival Safety, Hilti, Milwaukee Tools, and Dewalt. Interacting directly through hands-on activities with the vendors allowed for an engaging and memorable learning experience.

Along with vendor participation, we brought in a variety of guest speakers from National Grid, IBEW Local Unions, American Heart Association, and more, to relay important safety presentations to the group. Brad and Dolores Gardner shared their chilling story of Brad losing his arm in a near-death industrial accident. Even with Brad’s noticeable work ethic and reliability, he fell victim to the domino effect associated with the lack of workplace safety and situational awareness. His moving presentation was a strong reminder how critical safety is for each of us to go home to our families every day.

Cheryl Dinolfo, Monroe County Executive, partook in the picnic briefly speaking about the positive impact

O’Connell has on our local communities and introduced Monroe County Public Health Commissioner, Dr. Michael Mendoza, who discussed the spiraling opioid epidemic. He stressed how the deadly epidemic is a national crisis, and the importance of perceiving all the numbers and statistics we hear each week in the news as actual people, because this epidemic is affecting families across the nation. The more we work to create awareness on the topic and work to help each other, the better we can get a handle on the opioid problem that is plaguing our communities.

Heart disease is our nation’s number one killer, causing 40% of all deaths. Denise McGraw, from the American Heart Association, provided information about living a long and healthy life. Through moderate exercise and a nutritious diet, heart disease and stroke can be prevented before it is too late. McGraw explained the signs of a heart attack and stroke to help O’Connell employees in future incidents that can be avoided or handled immediately. McGraw also introduced all of us to “Life’s Simple Seven”, a set of rules we can follow to start living healthier lives.

The Field Safety Committee presented safety awards to employees who truly exemplified our core values. Recipients were chosen by the Field and Corporate Safety Committees after being nominated by their peers. Congratulations John Fox, General Foreman, LU 43Andy Schaffner, General Foreman, LU 43 - Adam Blum, Journeyman, LU 1249.

The unbelievable amount of time, money, and resources that go into hosting our annual picnic has been well worth our efforts. Employees are more engaged with our safety programs, collaborate more on job sites, and even motivate our customers and sub-contractors to work more safely. For us, you just can’t put a price on that.

Outstanding job to John Fox - for your exemplary commitment to safety as demonstrated during a job briefing observed by the senior management of National Grid while on a site tour of several NG projects in Western NY.

The head of National Grid (UK) visited the sites with local NG personnel and was particularly impressed with the thoroughness of Fox’s tailboard presentation as well as the overall project.

Field Safety Committee

Special thanks to the safety team for arranging and executing switching training in the Syracuse office. I had the pleasure to attend for part of a day, and as always, the crew was great.

Andy Dohse GM Victor Service Department

During the March storm restoration event, the line crew working in Kent Cliffs, NY for NYSEG was highly complimented by NYSEG Corporate Safety for an excellent work zone setup. The road had to be closed for several hours to replace two poles, two transformers, four spans of three-phase primary, secondary feeders and services. The area was approximately ¼ mile from the substation and served over 800 customers on this circuit.

Upon arrival the area looked like a bomb had gone off. Traffic was weaving around the downed utility and communication wires. The first task was to close the road to pedestrian and vehicle traffic to make the area safe for our linemen.

The crew developed a work plan, made up a material needs list, conducted a tailboard and started the task of restoration. Double dead-end loops were opened so the work area could be isolated and the power line, up to that point, could be energized supplying 75 customers with electric. Crews tested and installed grounds to “box in" the work area. All crew members wore rubber gloves throughout the day and night. They proceeded to untangle the mess of communication wires, electrical wires, upside down transformers, etc.

As darkness approached, we received an unannounced visit from NYSEG Corporate Safety. The inspector entered the work area and was immediately stopped and asked for ID and the reason for being there. He stated he was there to observe the work site for safety. The crew member explained that before proceeding he must understand what is on our tailboard, then sign in and be escorted through the site.

After the site visit, the safety rep spoke with Mark Valerio, OCE Safety Coordinator for the Power Group, and stated that this was the best work site and tailboard that he had visited on the storm.

Thank you to the O’Connell crew for working safely and professionally throughout the year on all jobs.

Crew members: Randy Fletcher, Kyle McNulty, Pat Wildhagen, Matt Mahany, Dylan Calhoun, Caleb Gardner, Austin Bachelor, Eric Jensen, John Shippee, Craig Changelo, Dan Deruzzio, Brian Jacobs, Jeff Clark, Matt Smalt, Mark Valerio

Randy Fletcher, Superintendent David Emmi, Project Manager Power Group

If you know someone who deserves a little recognition, let us know.

There's no limit & shoutouts are free!

Growth Allows Capital Investments to Continue

Construction is under way to renovate our corporate headquarters office in Victor, NY. The project includes adding 1,800-square-feet to the main reception area and completely renovating three sections of office space. More than 8,000-square-feet will be renovated.

Along with our headquarters work, renovations are underway at our newly acquired building at 400 Systems Road in Henrietta, NY. The building sits adjacent to our Power Group and will increase the operating space for our expanding fabrication shop and construction services team by approximately 18,000-square-feet, with an additional 4,000 for office space. Our Victor Construction Division will be located at the new building as well.

With both offices in view - 390 & 400 Systems Road, you can see the increase in operating space for our fabrication shop and construction division is substantial.

The fabrication shop is staying very busy and we anticipate an increase in work orders as renovations are complete. Two employees were recently added to the team to assist with job layout, coordination and design. A need for skilled fabricators also continues to grow.

If yourself or someone you know might be interested, we encourage you to view job postings on our website.

An aerial view of 400 Systems Road (bottom), and our Power Group (top).

Renderings depict how the front of our new headquarters office will look.

OCE

For 2018, O'Connell was ranked #8 among the regionally published lists of fastest growing companies in both Rochester and Albany. Companies are ranked over a three-year growth period, taking into consideration both dollar and percentage increases.

We are very excited to see our organization grow and evolve to what it is today. It stands as a testament to the hard work and success of our men and women at O'Connell, and to our market position in this industry.

~ Vic Salerno, CEO

NextCorps Fosters Growth & Innovation for Rochester's Tech Startups

Since its founding in 1987, NextCorps (formerly known as High Tech Rochester) has been committed to assisting technology innovators with building their businesses and creating new products. The company officially opened its state-of-the-art facility in the iconic Sibley Square, in downtown Rochester.

The 40,000-square-foot facility includes signature co-working space located in the former Tea Room, private offices and suites, wet labs for biotech companies, a fully-equipped prototyping lab, conference rooms, a roof deck overlooking the Rochester skyline, an auditorium, common areas, a kitchen/cafeteria and game room.

NextCorps also provides resident companies with mentoring, legal, financial, accounting, networking, business plan development, and marketing services. The facility will be home to an array of software, biomedical, health care, photonics, and electronics ventures. Accommodations can be made for as many as 100 or more companies.

O’Connell supported renovations providing the electric, fire alarm, security and data build-out throughout the entire sixth floor. The project was a collaborative effort between OCE’s Victor Construction and Communications Divisions.

Rob Miller - Electrical Construction PM

Nick Garnier - General Construction Foreman

Rob Unger - Communications PM Angelo Infantino - Communications Foreman

Schenectady Amtrak Station

Long overdue for upgrades, 2018 begins a new era for the Amtrak Station in Schenectady, NY. Twenty million dollars was invested to replace an outdated building from the 1970s. An earlier station at the site, built in 1910, was demolished in 1971.

The work is part of a New York State Department of Transportation-funded project to construct a new facility, involving building demolition, track work, water remediation, platform reconstruction and the new station.

The design is inspired by the aesthetics and architecture of the former Union Station, built on the same site in 1910. The new station will provide comfortable waiting and ticketing areas as well as greatly improved accessibility for people with disabilities.

The station will feature a new platform and rehabilitated concourse access, including a new elevator. It will enhance safety by providing a secondary ramp egress from the platform for emergency use.

O'Connell provided all electrical construction services for the new station.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was recently hosted for the train station. Several local and state leaders attended to celebrate the completion of a great project for the region. We’re proud to have supported the renovation of the train station.

Division: Albany

Foreman: Dave Poucher

Million Air Hangar

Million Air was founded in 1984 by the Mary Kay Cosmetics family as a single site located in Dallas, Texas, with the original goal to deliver outstanding service in a luxury fixed base operations (FBO) facility to customers and sales reps.

Hancock Airfield in Syracuse is home to the company's newest facility consisting of a 28,000-square-foot hangar with an upscale, 11,000-square-foot terminal. It provides aircraft storage, fueling, ground handling, cleaning and other services. The terminal has a passenger lounge, a hospitality check-in area, a soda and coffee bar, quiet rooms, a flight planning area, offices and a multimedia conference room.

O’Connell supported the GC in turning over a completed electrical design build project on time. The project was constructed in a secure, controlled environment on the edge of a runway maintaining the secured area separated from a new public access point. The architectural aesthetic interior was designed to provide an open environment utilizing light finish colors, open cabled railings, glass walls and natural lighting. Concealing the electrical installation in an open structure environment required detailed planning. Tom Reap was the Foreman for O’Connell on this project. It was his eye for detail and field experience, working daily with the GC Managers in the field through ever changing design decisions, that show particularly well in the end product. Tom led a team of six electricians at its peak to ensure the project was completed on time.

The electrical distribution consisted of a 600A, 480/277 volt, three phase, four wire system serving the lighting, convenience power, fire alarm, data-communication, fire protection, mechanical, plumbing and fire protection systems.

Visual points of interest incorporated into the design include exterior color changing signs, interior back lit illuminated signs and interior architectural LED lighting technology with vacancy sensors and wireless control. The lighting in the terminal areas utilizes vacancy detectors while the hangar utilizes a wireless control system. Standard 24-hour operation is maintained at 50% system output and when occupied, increases to 100% output.

O’Connell Electric worked closely with project owners/ designers to achieve the final product expected. The Owner's Representative stated that the project ranks in the top five FBO sites in their brand (the other sites being in the southern United States).

NEXGEN Power Systems

We recently wrapped up a multi-year project helping construct a high-tech manufacturing facility in Dewitt, NY, for NEXGEN Power Systems. The company develops state-ofthe-art technology solutions utilizing GaN on GaN discrete semiconductor devices, modules, and systems that increase efficiency and reliability of power conversion systems while dramatically reducing their cost, size, and weight.

The building requires elaborate electrical infrastructure to support clean rooms, air filtration systems, and chemical control systems..

Division: Syracuse Project Managers: Don Coon / Shane Premo Foreman: Andy Schaffner / Ben Ray

updates from the

consisted of full site development, including environmental controls, site work, approximately 500 foundations, 38 large-diameter caissons for T-line structures and a new control building. We also performed the full electrical scope which included the complete build-out of a 14 bay breaker and a half station, AC/DC station service, 200 relay/ control panels and associated cabling/terminations, testing/commissioning, relocation of transmission lines and demolition of existing substation

Crews worked through the night in July when a contractor driving a dump truck leaving a paving job at Rush Henrietta High School, located in a suburb of Rochester, struck communications wires with his dump box up, causing 15 poles to come down across the road. O’Connell was called in to handle removing the broken poles and wire, and installing the new ones. Crews were on the scene by 2:00 PM and worked through Monday night. In total, 75 linemen were mobilized with approximately 38 trucks to expedite restoration of the electrical service. The incident garnered nationwide attention after we posted several photos to our social media page.

The Gardenville Substation wrapped up over the summer. OCE served as the prime contractor for the large 115kV rebuild in Western New York. The project

and transmission line facilities. The project was completed six months ahead of schedule.

Hurricane Florence was a powerful and long-lived hurricane that caused severe damage in the Carolinas in September, primarily as a result of freshwater flooding. Florence dropped a total of 36 inches of rain in Elizabethtown, NC, becoming the wettest tropical cyclone recorded in the Carolinas, and also the eighthwettest overall in the contiguous United States. Despite making landfall as a weakened Category 1 hurricane, Florence still had enough wind speed to uproot trees and cause widespread power outages throughout the Carolinas. O'Connell mobilized 172 linemen with 92 distribution trucks for storm response.

In Massachusetts, one of our underground crews is pictured installing a new submersible four-way switch. The work is part of a large underground distribution conversion project designed to upgrade power for the city of Haverhill, MA.

Forty six wind turbines were constructed in the town of Arkwright, NY, creating 78.4 megawatts of power – enough to provide 35,000 homes in New York with clean energy each year. O’Connell connected the wind farm to a dual circuit National Grid 115kV transmission corridor. The project included a 5-breaker ring configuration to connect 78.4 MW of wind generation along with a utility-requested line swap to help remedy an existing congested circuit.

To date we have completed over 14,000 pole replacements and have made framing modifications to over 23,000 poles in New York state to make room for new high speed internet. This effort has consumed 112,000 man hours since we started in late 2017.

Big Power for Big Data

A telecommunications company in Syracuse contracted O’Connell for $2.4 Million to modernize a loading dock, install two 2,500 amp backup generators and complete the electrical infrastructure for a new data center that included an uninterruptable power supply system (UPS).

Steady communication between O’Connell and the client, along with our experience in the electrical industry, were key to the success of this fast-paced project. Our project management and field teams overcame significant challenges including managing multiple change orders by appropriately forecasting labor and materials as well as safely hanging pieces of DC bus-duct that, at times, weighed over 1,000 pounds. O’Connell’s attitude for craftsmanship and the crew’s work ethic allowed the project to be completed on time.

The project included the installation of:

• One 13.2kV 100A Primary Circuit

• One 13.2kV Primary Switchgear

• Two 13.2kV to 480V 3MVA Transformers

• Two 2MW Generator Sets

• Two 3000 amp SWBDS with Integral ATS and Tie-Breaker

• Two 3000 amp UPS Units

• 8000 amp DC Plant and BusDuct System

• Seven ATS Switches for HVAC Equipment

• Exterior Ground Grid

• Data Center Raised Floor Grounding

• Cable Tray Systems and Panduit Fiber Runner System

• Fire Alarm VESA and Suppression Conduit and Cabling

• Data Server Rack Distribution

• Building Lighting, Power and HVAC Wiring and Controls

CRAFTSMANSHIP

Nothing shows our skill more than recognizing superb craftsmanship. To win a craftsmanship award, projects must be of the highest level and demonstrate challenges that were overcome during construction. Craftsmanship award winners also demonstrate integrity and responsibility. They have taken the time to learn their trade at the highest level and how to effectively manage projects. This year,

HP Hood Revives Old Yogurt Plant in Batavia

The dairy processor purchased the idled yogurt production facility in Western New York and plans to invest over $200 million to convert it from mass production of yogurt to two extended shelf life liquid products.

With existing plants at capacity and demand growing, HP Hood was looking for a facility the company could get up and running quickly for long-shelf-life dairy and nondairy products.

The plant was built in 2012 for $206 million as a joint venture between PepsiCo and Theo Muller Group and became known as the Quaker Muller Dairy plant. Now, it's the HP Hood plant, which Hood acquired from Dairy Farmers of America for $54 million.

Hood is adding 100,000-square-feet of refrigerated warehouse space to the plant, which is already 363,000-square-feet. After the expansion, with retooling the plant, and the purchase price, Hood will have sunk nearly $200 million into the new facility by the time it goes into full production.

O'Connell was contracted to support demolition of the yogurt processing equipment in mid-2017. Hood has been able to begin running sellable almond milk since July of 2018 and is continuing work through additional phases this winter. Expectations are that Hood will be in full milk production by Spring of 2019. OCE has had up to thirty electricians at the plant working up to seven 10-hour days.

We provided major distribution work to support all of the facility's processing equipment and new interior/exterior lighting as well as the fire and security systems. Crews also installed a new 115kV - 13.2kV service from the existing substation, previously built by OCE, to power an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) building.

We will be working on the new state-of-the-art ASRS cold storage building this fall, completing all of the control work and power distribution for the new stacking system.

Division: Victor Construction Estimator: Brian Shaffer

Project Manager: Richard Maher Foreman: Jeff Matthews

Employee News

Team News

New Employees and Position Changes

Michael Augustine Warehouse Assistant, Henrietta Office

David Butts Design & Fabrication BIM Coordinator, Construction Services

Brian Chamberlain Safety Coordinator, Buffalo Office

Jim Chase Estimator, Victor Office

Scott Collins Truck Driver, Syracuse Office

Robyn Cull Accounts Payable Specialist, Victor Office

Troy D'Agostino Warehouse Assistant/Truck Driver, Henrietta Office

John Danvir TEGG Engineer, Technical Services

Peter Dawes TEGG Engineer, Technical Services

Trista Dennis Project Coordinator, Syracuse Office

Wayne Dunton TEGG Engineer, Technical Services

Jacqueline Finlayson TEGG Engineer, Technical Services

Paul Hefti Project Manager, Syracuse Office

Cody LaPack Cost Accountant, Victor Office

Jack McCarthy IT Specialist, Victor Office

Jennie Morrow Office Admin/Project Coordinator, Albany Office

Kelley Nudd Executive Administrative Assistant, Victor Office

Sam Obermayer Project Manager, Syracuse Office

Robert Pelletier Safety Coordinator, Power Group

Diane Pepe Buyer, Victor Office

Alexander Robinson Safety Coordinator, Power Group

Kevin Sullivan TEGG Engineer, Technical Services

Brooke Tegas Project Coordinator, Technical Services

Brian Tripoli Payroll Specialist, Victor Office

Zach Zielke Project Coordinator, Power Group

Kim Senn Billing Specialist, Victor Office

Help Spread The Word!

Email employee news to john.miller@oconnellelectric.com

Joe Turri to Serve as OCE General Counsel

Joe has served as O’Connell’s outside legal counsel for forty years while as a partner at Harris Beach PLLC and upon his retirement in 2018, he began his role as the company’s General Council based in our Victor Headquarters Office. Joe has also been a member of the company’s board of directors for ten years.

Joe’s career focused on construction law including contract drafting, administration and dispute resolution through arbitration or litigation. He also represented clients in commercial litigation, including employment, partnership and corporate disputes, and in commercial real estate counseling. Joe is experienced in municipal and zoning law, commercial workouts and intra-company litigation. He has represented a broad range of public and private sector employers, owners and contractors, as well as architects, engineers and surety/insurance companies.

Joe has been recognized by the industry leading guide, The Best Lawyers in America, 2007 to 2018 (as Lawyer of The Year in Construction litigation, 2016, Lawyer of The Year in Construction Law, 2015, and Construction Law for Litigation, 2007). He has also been recognized by the prominent rating service “Super Lawyers” for Construction Litigation. New York Magazine named Joe among New York State’s “Top Construction Lawyers” for three consecutive years. On the American Registry, he has been cited as America’s Most Honored Professionals from 2011 – 2017. Joe received the Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award for Construction in 2017.

Joe received his Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School.

SAL BALBI

TEGG Technician of the Year

Every day is different in the field, and that's what fuels Sal, a Technician for OCE's Technical Services Division. His continuing dedication to develop as a professional helped him become TEGG's 2017 Technician of The Year.

Sal grew up in Hamlin, NY, where he still lives today with his wife and four children. He has been working for OCE for eighteen years, and as a Testing Technician for eight years.

Many times I walk into situations where there is an unresolved issue or problem on site. Being able to step up to the plate and resolve any loose ends is critical. Leaving a project knowing that you met or exceeded the customers’ expectations or needs is very rewarding.

~ Sal Balbi

Susan Parkes McNally Honored at Inaugural Women of Excellence Gala

Sue received the first-ever Rochester Business Journal Women of Excellence Award, joining the ranks of Rochester's most inspiring women!

The 2018 inaugural class featured 34 women from a variety of industries. They all have achieved professional excellence, display a commitment to community service, and embrace having a positive impact on others by serving as a mentor.

Sue was nominated in recognition of her leadership working in key management capacities in varied roles as Executive Vice President of O’Connell Electric. She has more than 45 years of experience in the construction industry and manages all of O’Connell’s human resource functions, policies, and programs as well as the administration and reception departments. In addition to supporting O’Connell’s corporate strategic initiatives, Sue organizes all corporate events and the company’s philanthropic initiatives.

She is a founding family member and board member of The Mary Parkes Center for Asthma, Allergy, and Pulmonary Care as well as the Walter and Carmina Parkes Family Foundation. She has also served at different committee and board capacities for the University of Rochester, The American Lung Association, the Pluta Cancer Center, Fairport Central School District, the Harley School, Horizons at Harley, and more.

Victor Salerno Receives Rochester Rotary Award

This summer, Vic was honored as the 81st recipient of the Rochester Rotary Award, the oldest, most prestigious civic award in Rochester. Rochester Rotary honored Vic for his service as a philanthropist and community volunteer, most notably to St. John Fisher College, the Rochester Museum & Science Center and the local IBEW.

The Rochester Rotary Award recognizes community members who personify Rotary’s “Service Above Self” motto and who demonstrate exceptional community spirit, touch the lives of many citizens, serve as a positive role model, and share wisdom and knowledge to empower others.

Vic is arguably one of the most generous and committed volunteer members of the Rochester community in addition to being a highly qualified and successful business leader at O'Connell Electric. He is also one of the most decent, hardworking, and ethical human beings I have ever known.

~ Donald Bain, President Emeritus - St. John Fisher College

Sue and Jon McNally

Eileen and Vic Salerno

Dave D'Ettorre Project Manager, Communications

Dave was elected as Chair Person for the ASIS WNY Chapter. He also received a Meritorious Service Award at the annual ASIS Conference this year in recognition of his work to foster the spirit of goodwill and professionalism with ASIS International.

Brad Keatley General Manager, Buffalo

Brad was elected as President of the Western, NY NECA Chapter. This is Brad's third term as President.

Joe Pellerite

Executive VP

Joe was re-elected to serve in a Board Position for the Western, NY NECA Chapter, and has also been re-elected to a three-year term for the Finger Lakes Workforce Development Board.

Michael Parkes, P.E.

General Manager - Power Group

Mike was elected as Chair of the ELECTRI Program Review Committee effective Jan. 2019. He has been a longstanding ELECTRI Council Member and also serves on the Development & Enhancement Committee.

John Miller Marketing Manager

John was elected as a Board Member for the Victor Chamber of Commerce and as a Board Member for the Rochester Junior Builders Exchange.

Dave Emmi Project Manager - Power Group

Dave was elected as Vice Chair of the Board for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Rochester Chapter. He was also elected as a Board Member for the Rochester Junior Builders Exchange and serves on the Building Committee for the Boys and Girls Club of Rochester.

David Adams IT Manager

Dave was elected to serve on the Board for Literacy Volunteers of Rochester

Robyn Cull Accounts Payable Specialist

Robyn was re-elected for a second term as Board Secretary for Middlesex Friendship House Board, a food pantry/thrift store for community members of Yates county.

Auburn

Wins NECA Project

The awards were developed to showcase the exceptional work performed by member-contractors throughout the country. NECA created the Project Excellence Awards to recognize companies for their outstanding commitment, professionalism and ingenuity in delivering an electrical project across 11 different market sectors.

Mary Parkes Golf Tournament Sets New Record

The Rochester Junior Builders Exchange experienced a record year raising funds at its 23rd Annual Charity Golf Tournament at Victor Hills Golf Club in Victor, NY. The event, which drew over 300 golfers, raised $230,500 to benefit the Mary Parkes Center for Asthma, Allergy and Pulmonary Care, an affiliation of the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Managing a golf tournament of such magnitude takes a lot of coordinated effort. Each year, a committee of more than twenty people plan the event, and another twenty volunteer to help facilitate the day’s activities.

Soon after Mary’s passing, her parents, Walter and Carmina Parkes, siblings, family, friends, and physicians who cared for her, started a support group for individuals and their families struggling with asthma. This led to the building of the first Asthma Center in the area in Mary’s memory as well as providing a Center of Excellence to those who need specialized asthma care.

The Junior Builders Exchange chose to support the center after learning about Mary’s story and the commitment

of those who helped create the center. Working closely with the Parkes family, the JBX has seen the tournament grow from raising $4,000 in its first year to now more than $230,000 in 2018.

Funds raised allow the Asthma Center to further its ongoing initiatives, technological advancements and research efforts while continuing to build upon and expand its excellence in patient and family care.

Recent Additions to our O’Connell Family

Micaiah

Finley

Mary

Jensen

D'Agostino. Daughter of Troy and Victoria D'Agostino - Power Group.

White. Grandson of Therese and John White, Victor Office.

DePorter. Grandson of Susan and Dave Ames, Victor Office.

Noel Thomas. Daughter of Chris and Melissa Thomas, Victor Office.

Tom Parkes, Susan Parkes-McNally, Linda Clement, Walter Parkes, Maureen Prince

This fall, dozens of men and women from our Syracuse Office volunteered time and materials to support Brady Farm, a local community garden that provides organic produce and education to under served communities in the Syracuse area. Brady Farm was started only a few years ago with the goal of providing affordable, fresh, locally grown produce to the community. The farm strives to maintain affordable prices in order to serve all people using a combination of weekly box shares, market shares, market stands, and donations to reach as many people as possible.

The total value of donated work was $75,000. Our vendor partners donated the majority of materials. This day of volunteering was well attended by our OCE team and the farm was elated with the end results. The picture of the team only represents about half of the people that attended. Great job to all our employees who volunteered. Your actions speak volumes to OCE’s core values as you’re not just representing Syracuse, but the entire company. Thank you.

Kicking For a Cause!

OCE represented well at the Junior Builders Exchange Annual Kickball Tournament. Thirteen teams across the industry came out to play.

The tournament raised $4,000 this year, which was donated to Rochester Habitat for Humanity.

We can’t express enough thanks to O’Connell Electric. Their staff donated their time, services, and materials, and the Brady Farm now has lights, heat, an ability to run cold storage and greenhouses. Not to mention a coffee maker. We can do so much for our community with power. Thank you, O’Connell!

~ From a message shared by Brady Farm

Work Safe. Work Proud. Work Tomorrow.