February 11, 2026
12:00PM - 4:00PM

Navigating the Skilled Labor Shortage: Mega Projects, Incentive Pay, and the Department of Labor

The event is to be held at Gibsons Steakhouse - Oak Brook, IL.

Gibsons Steakhouse 2105 Spring Road Oak Brook, IL 60523

Wednesday, February 11th, 2026
Gibson's Steakhouse in Oakbrook
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm - ~4:00pm seminar

The Electrical Contractors’ Association of City of Chicago (ECA) is proud to sponsor the "Navigating the Skilled Labor Shortage: Mega Projects, Incentive Pay, and the Department of Labor" Seminar on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Gibsons Steakhouse at 2105 Spring Road in Oak Brook, IL (630) 954-0000.  The session is to be presented by Ted Uppole, Vice President NECA Labor Relations, Brendan Coakley, Assistant Professor in the Construction Management Department at California State University, Chico, and Dr. Anthony Perrenoud, Department Chair for the Construction Management Department in the College of Engineering at Boise State University.

The re-electrification of the United States is in full swing and while this creates tremendous opportunity for electrical contractors, it brings with it a new host of challenges with no simple solutions. This seminar will examine 1) the impacts of mega projects on local construction markets; 2) how incentive pay works in practice and its implications for productivity, labor supply, cost, and retention; and 3) an incentive pay/per diem best practices session to help contractors stay in compliance with the US Department of Labor.

Program is scheduled as follows:

Gibsons Steakhouse
2105 Spring Road
Oak Brook, IL
12:00 pm - Lunch
1:00 pm - ~4:00 pm - Seminar

This program is complimentary for ECA members!

Registration link is below:

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Ted Uppole started in the union electrical construction industry in 1992 and has served in various capacities: the Central Indiana Chapter Manager, Western Region Field Rep., Western Region Executive Director and currently is Vice President NECA of Labor Relations. His experience in labor relations, his understanding of the dynamics / growth of the megaproject throughout the Midwest and beyond makes him ideally suited to address the issues to be discussed in this seminar.

Brendan Coakley is an Assistant Professor in the Construction Management Department at California State University, Chico. Before Chico State, he spent ten years in the construction management industry. He worked as an Assistant Project Manager for a large union commercial electrical contractor in San Jose, California. He then transitioned to facilities management at Chico State. There, he advanced to Manager of the Design and Construction Department, overseeing capital improvement projects for the university.

Since 2022, Dr. Anthony Perrenoud has served as the Department Chair for the Construction Management Department in the College of Engineering at Boise State University. He worked 12+ years in the Idaho and Arizona construction industry as an Electrician, Project Manager, and Consultant. Dr. Perrenoud received a PhD in Construction Management from Arizona State University in 2014. He currently teaches the estimating class within the CM program. Today his research in construction focuses on workforce development, labor management, leadership, and project risk management.