Contributions for completing the permanent training facility at the International Office have doubled since the last issue of IAEI News, covering more than a third of the expected costs.
The latest contributions are from: IAEI Nebraska Chapter, $5,000; Fred W. Brown, $100; Pavlick Electric Co., Inc., $100; IAEI Western Section, $20,000; IAEI Central Arizona Chapter, $5,000; IAEI Southern California Chapter, $2,500; IAEI Akron Division, $500; IAEI Minnesota Chapter, $1,000; Ray and Donna Weber, $100; Phil and Jama Cox, $250; IAEI Northwestern Section, $5,000; Doug Geralde, $100; IAEI Southwestern Section, $10,000; EUSERC, $500; Ray Millet, $200; IAEI North Dakota Chapter, $1,500; IAEI Rocky Mountain Chapter, $5,000; and IAEI Western Section (miscellaneous collection taken by members at Section Meeting), $485.23.
Total cost for elevator installation, HVAC equipment, finishing the space, and furnishings is estimated to be $125,000 or less.
Because the board was to meet in the designated training area in November, AC equipment and the ceiling tiles were installed. Since the meeting, heating equipment has been added. It is hoped that, with continued contributions, the room partitions, dry wall, wallpaper and carpeting will be installed shortly.
Since education has always been a foundational principle of the association, establishing on-site training and publishing facilities became part of the goal for advancement when the International Office moved to Richardson, Texas.
Through approximately 375 seminars and 100 publications, IAEI has trained thousands of people involved in various capacities in the electrical industry during the past seven years. Most of the training was done at various seminars throughout the country, involving considerable travel time and expense for the various instructors.
Ranging from simple brochures to bimonthly magazines to 400-page books, IAEI publications have been produced with a minimal staff and basic equipment. Despite this severe economy, these publications are recognized as authoritative standards of the industry.
IAEI is encouraged by this renewed interest in the conference center and hopes that other contributions will follow. It is particularly important that the elevator be installed since the conference center cannot be legally opened until access is provided for disabled persons.