Get ready for the Runway 5K!

By Holly Lurgio

Runway 5K set for April 28

As a reminder to everyone, Northampton Airport will host the 2nd Annual Runway 5K on April 28!

Money raised from the 5K will serve children, young people and families whose lives have been impacted by foster care in the Greater Pioneer Valley. Not a runner or walker? Cleaning out your closet that day? That’s ok, see the flyer below for a SUPER easy way to donate to support Team No Sparks! Any size donation is appreciated!

Here are some photos from last year’s event. While we certainly hope this year’s weather is better, we still had a blast in the rain!


Incredible generosity at Elm’s inaugural CAN-Struction extravaganza!

A GIANT HIGH-FIVE to everyone who pitched in, got creative, teamed up, and lent a hand at Elm’s inaugural CAN-Struction extravaganza! Your awesomeness knows no bounds! Thanks to your incredible spirit, we’re sending over 1,000 nonperishable goodies off to food pantries in Westfield, Middletown, and Marlborough! 

Rebecca Hart from the Westfield Food Pantry popped by to express her gratitude and check out our can-tastic creations. She mentioned how crucial these donations are, especially during this time of the year when folks are still reeling from holiday expenses and trying to keep warm.

And let’s talk about the Elm crew— When they weren’t crafting sailboats and plugs out of cans or fashioning bunnies from crackers, they were busy putting together a whopping 65 Easter baskets chock-full of treats for our local military families. A round of applause to all for making such a meaningful impact in the lives of others!


Interested in volunteering a couple of hours at the Westfield Soup Kitchen? Here’s how…

On Friday, April 26, Elm will be serving dinner at the Westfield Soup Kitchen. We are still in the planning stages, but if you could spare a couple of hours that afternoon we would love to have you! Reach out to Holly if you’re interested! hlurgio@elmelec.com

SafetyNet upgrade details; work anniversaries, new hires and more

Safety Alert

We’ve upgraded the SafetyNet by updating the Safety Alerts section and adding a new opinion of the month, Job Box Talks, & Hazard Assessments (Rev 1.5). Check out recent updates HERE.

If you have issues accessing the SafetyNet please reach out to Bob Houghton or Nick Mulveyhill for assistance.


Getting a Better Night’s Sleep

Daylight Saving Time has many people overtired and out of their routines. If you’re having trouble sleeping, hearing how important it is may be frustrating. But simple things can improve your odds of a good night’s sleep.

  • Stick to a sleep schedule. Go to bed & wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends.
  • Get some exercise every day. But not close to bedtime.
  • Go outside. Try to get natural sunlight for at least 30 minutes every day.
  • Avoid nicotine & caffeine. Both are stimulants that keep you awake.
  • Don’t take naps.
  • Avoid alcohol & large meals before bedtime.
  • Limit electronics before bed. Read a book or listen to soothing music.
  • Create a sleeping environment. Keep it cool & dark. Get rid of sound & light. Silence your cell.
  • Don’t lie in bed awake. If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get up & do a relaxing activity until you feel sleepy again.
  • See your health care provider if nothing you try helps.

Congratulations to the following employees celebrating a work anniversary in March!


Please give a warm welcome to the following new hires at Elm:

Elm East snags big catch in Cape Cod; update on ongoing/upcoming projects

By Ben Haynes

Work continues to come in for the eastern region – whether through new customers, or existing, customers the backlog is healthy. Elm recently completed work for Kayem at their Chelsea, MA, facility thanks to a combined effort from Elm East and the Main Office. With some projects wrapping up, it’s going to allow us a quick second to catch our breath and prepare for the next. As always, we appreciate everything YOU do for us – without such skilled workers in the field we would not be able to complete our projects or keep our customers. Thank you for embracing the “Elm” way of doing things! 

Upcoming Projects:

720 Main Street Pump Station Replacement – Barnstable, MA

  • Mike Saltmarsh and his crew of poo specialist landed a big one at the Cape, and we aren’t talking about sharks. The project is in the early stages with temporary power being provided for dewatering activities and the general contractors job site trailer. Construction is set to begin later this summer and carry through for 5+ months. Below is a brief overview of Elm’s scope on this project:
  • Electrical Construction includes the procurement and installation of some of the following systems: lighting; communications; alarm systems; motor control centers; panel boards; power panels; variable frequency drives; standby generator; automatic transfer switch; conduit and wire to name a few.
  • Instrumentation & Controls Construction includes the installation of instrumentation and SCADA panels provided by others.

Titleist Ball Plant 4 Casting Line – New Bedford, MA

  • Elm East was brought in by Engineering to assist on the installation of the electrical components on the Pro V1 ball casting lines. Work commenced on March 4th on a casting line that will be fully assembled, tested then disassembled and documented and sent overseas to another Titleist plant. The goal is to have this work completed in a 5-week window for the customer. Elm previously completed a casting line at Ball Plant 3 located up the road from this facility.
  • I’m not a golfer – but, apparently these things are like gold.

Ongoing Projects:

Kens Phase 2 Warehouse Addition – Phase 1 Completion – 4/24

  • Expansion of the existing Marlborough facility is underway with the phase 1 construction of the new loading dock area set to wrap up in mid-April. Phase 2 construction will include a new cooler and additional dry storage warehouse space. This project has presented some logistical issues due to the limited space available in the rear parking lot area. As always, Elm has worked alongside the general contractor as well as the customer to make sure deadlines are being met.

Littleton WWRF Effluent Recharge – Littleton, MA

  • After initially mobilizing the site to install the incoming duct-banks to facilitate temporary power for the dewatering efforts, Elm will be returning to the site to start placing some of the in-slab conduits. A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to get to this point. A big thanks to Tim Rzeszutek for handling the 3D coordination and attending several jobsite meetings to push this along. Prefabrication of the underground stands is set to begin at Cycle Street later this month.

ABC Names Elm’s Paul Asselin ‘2024 Craft Instructor of the Year’

We would like to give a HUGE shoutout to our very own Paul Asselin.

Earlier this month, Paul traveled to Orlando, FL, where he was announced as the recipient of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) 2024 Craft Instructor of the Year Award. Way to go, Paul!

Below is the press release sent out by ABC acknowledging Paul’s accomplishment. He also got some local love from The Business Journal of Western Massachusetts, which you can read by clicking here.

ABC Names 2024 Craft Instructor of the Year

ORLANDO, Florida, March 14—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced that Paul Asselin, Gould Construction Institute Instructor, ABC Massachusetts chapter, Woburn, Massachusetts, is the 2024 Craft Instructor of the Year. Asselin was honored at ABC Convention 2024 in Orlando, Florida, on March 13.

ABC presents the annual Craft Instructor of the Year Award to an outstanding instructor with a passion for their craft, creativity, a positive attitude and the ability to transfer knowledge through excellent communications skills and forward-thinking teaching to future construction professionals.

With nearly 40 years of experience in the construction industry, Asselin has taught basic through advanced electrical courses since 2001. He is the training manager for Elm Electric Inc., Westfield, Massachusetts, where he has worked since 1983. Asselin is also the wiring inspector for his hometown of Russell and previously served as chair of the local vocational school general advisory board and the electrical shop advisory board.

“Holding dozens of electrical and teaching certifications, Paul utilizes his electrical expertise to better his community and the construction industry as well as the next generation of craft professionals,” said 2024 National Chair of the ABC Board of Directors Buddy Henley, president, Henley Construction Co. Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland. “A truly outstanding teacher whose excellence extends beyond the classroom, Paul’s nominator said that he wholeheartedly embraces any opportunity for professional development and is just as adept at teaching simple topics as more advanced ones, which is attributable to his excellent written and verbal communication skills. Congratulations, Paul, on this honor, and I appreciate how you have furthered the industry and career pathways for countless electricians.”

“Problem-solving is a daily occurrence,” said Asselin. “From the field to the classroom, it’s important that we, as craft professionals, know how to solve problems. As I tell my students, it is about training your brain to problem-solve, which we do our whole lives. Technology and safety awareness are vital components of our industry and are important tools in the way I teach, work and volunteer in my community.” As Craft Instructor of the Year, Asselin received a $10,000 cash prize. Co-sponsors of Craft Instructor of the Year are the National Center for Construction Education and Research, the training, assessment, certification and career development standard for the construction industry, and Tradesmen International, North America’s premier craft professional staffing resource. Asselin will also be profiled in the June issue of Construction Executive magazine.

Employee Spotlight: Jodie Bastarache

In this month’s employee spotlight, we caught up with Jodie Bastarache from the Elm East office in Marlborough, MA.

Q: How long have you been working at Elm?

A: I started with Elm in October of 2022.

Q: What brought you to Elm/how did you get your start here?

A: I was working at the neighboring company here in Marlborough, and was always chatting with the Elm guys when I could. After months of talking and hearing about how awesome the company is to its employees, I took a chance and applied with the support of the Elm East crew. And here I am, happier than I have been in YEARS!

Q: Can you tell us a little about your role at Elm?

A: I run the warehouse here in Marlborough. I keep track of all the tools the crews need, take in and deliver job materials to the job sites when needed. Recently, I have been getting into helping schedule inspections with the towns, which is super interesting. Basically, if you need me for whatever reason, I’m there to assist! All while keeping the shop orderly, of course.

Q: What are some of the things you enjoy most about working at Elm?

A: I love that the company genuinely CARES about its employees. I’ve worked for some major companies and have never been treated with such respect. You can tell everyone actually likes who they work for/with. You are valued, and there is so much to learn from each person you encounter. The amount of knowledge you can gain from your co-workers is immeasurable. I learn something new every day.

Q: What has been one of your most rewarding experiences at Elm?

A: Aside from being hired as someone with no ties to Elm previously… to be honest, it’s this employee spotlight! It makes you feel seen and that you are making some sort of impact. I can’t wait to see what the future brings here at Elm!

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not working?

A: I love watching my sports. I am a huge Boston fan — Celtics, Bruins, Patriots and Red Sox. I’ll watch/listen as often as possible. I also adore hanging out with my 19-month-old niece, sister and brother in-law.

Q: Do you have a particular hobby or talent that co-workers may not know about?

A: I wouldn’t say it’s at ‘talent’ at all, but I do like getting out to the golf course once a month or more when possible. I’m not good by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s somewhat relaxing and gets the mind off of any worries.

Reviewing National Ladder Safety Month

The month of March has been National Ladder Safety Month. In that spirit, it feels like a great time to review our own ladder safety protocols at Elm. Here are some tips from our Safety Department that you’ll want to keep top of mind when your work calls for using a ladder.

When using a ladder, be sure to:

  • Ensure you have proper training on the specific ladder to be sued
  • Inspect ladder prior to each use
  • Proper setup of ladder (clean and stable ground)
  • Use 3 points of contact when ascending and descending ladders
  • Choose the right ladder for the task
  • Secure ladder at the top and base whenever possible
  • Properly secure ladders to vehicles
  • If a ladder is damaged, tag it out of service and remove it from site immediately

The Safety Department and Upper Management appreciate everyone’s effort bringing Safety to The Next Level with proper use of ladders!

From Bob’s Desk: Making Elm financially solid for years to come

By Bob Bacon

If you are a regular reader of Bob’s desk, this month’s installment should tie together my last several newsletters. I discussed the strength of the Elm leaders who will lead the company into the future. Our guiding business principals of Safety, Service, Integrity and Evolution have been better identified and communicated. The final step in “Elm 3.0” was how we make the company financially solid for years to come.

I began purchasing the company in a multi-year deal from our founder Bob Schmidt in 1995. The company was small and my personal expenses were low. This allowed me to complete the buyout and refinance the company by 2000. “Elm 2.0” was on its way.

Fast forward 24 years, the company is many times larger, it needs a lot of capital to operate and recent Massachusetts taxes now penalize successful Chapter S corporations like Elm with additional taxes. The other stockholders and I have been happily reinvesting a portion of our after-tax income back into the company every year to help it grow and evolve. Over the last 52 years, Elm has grown on average over 10 percent per year! If we all had been fortunate enough to invest $1,000 in Elm every year since 1972 we would each have more than $1.5 million invested in Elm!

Elm Electrical has been a very good investment for me and my fellow stockholders. The third piece of our company’s success is its financial strength. We wanted a way to keep the company well capitalized, reduce the negative effects of Massachusetts corporate tax burdens, allow other fellow employees the benefits of ownership and provide a means for retiring shareholders to redeem their shares. Over the next few weeks, Elm will be announcing our plan that satisfies all four of these financial objectives.

I am very hopeful Elm 3.0 can be even more successful than 2.0 and it will benefit our employees and community for many years to come.

From Bob’s desk: Celebrating our successes

By Bob Bacon

I was discussing the topic of Elm being as successful in the next few years as it has been in the last few years and one of the people on the call said, “nothing lasts forever.”

My response was, “maybe not, but Elm has had 52 years of steady growth. That’s pretty good.”

“True, but…” they went on.

Certainly, I can’t predict the future and I am sure there will be some difficult years ahead of us, but if we keep focused on our core values we will be OK.

When I think of Elm, I tend to focus on what we could do better. I am sure many of you do the same thing. This is WHY we are successful, always improving. We can get frustrated with things that could be better, but let’s take a minute and think of what we are doing well. How about, we are really good at trying to improve.

We do a lot of things really well. It would take pages to list everything. Here are some that come to mind for me:

Service – In the last seven years, Elm’s top 100 or so customers have generated millions in sales. 70% of that business has been for clients 3 or more years and 37% of it took place with clients in all 7 years. (I picked 7 because that data was easily available).

Safety – We are managing safety and risk really well. Our workers compensation modification rate is .72 which means we receive a 28% discount on our rate. Since we do even better because of the effort we all put into safety, we have begun receiving refunds from our insurance group.

Integrity – We consistently do what we say and meet our commitments. Dan Piper told me selling Piper to Elm was one the best decisions he has ever made. Piper was started by Dan’s grandfather in 1929 and Dan continues to work with us. You hear stories about mergers that don’t work, but this one has been fantastic for both companies. Our financial strength and integrity allow us many options. For example, we needed approval for a very large bond on a multi-year project. Because we are a trusted and consistent company, Elm was approved.

Evolution – Elm has grown at a double-digit annual rate for the last 52 years! You can’t do that without learning, adapting and innovating. We have been really good at this. We have always invested in apprentices and understood the value of hiring and inspiring them, but the old method had limitations. The development of Elm University, and our training programs, is an adaptation that will help us continue to grow a talented and dedicated group of electricians and technicians.

Take a minute to reflect on something we are doing well and celebrate a little bit.

As always, I appreciate you comments rbacon@elmelec.com.

CAN-Struction teams needed, purchasing department reminders, Fidelity NetBenefits for your saving strategies, work anniversaries and more

We still need two more CAN-Struction teams! Join us in a little friendly competition as teams go head-to-head, turning cans of food into works of art. The design work is done, cans have been collected, now we just need BUILDERS!

There will be team t-shirts and awards for awesomeness!

Remember, all food will be donated to food pantries after the event. We’re not just building structures, we’re building a stronger, more connected community! Reach out to Holly hlurgio@elmelec.com or Deana dcasamento@elmelec.com to sign up!


Congratulations to all our employees celebrating a work anniversary in February!


RUNWAY 5K

The Runway 5K to support the Treehouse Foundation will be Sunday, April 28 at Northampton Airport. Team No Sparks will be representing Elm again! If you can’t join the team or are busy that day, make sure you throw your support behind Team No Sparks!  

https://runsignup.com/Race/157410/Donate/o9E2G0eQLm4RMEKL


Fidelity NetBenefits

Fidelity makes it easy to  schedule a planning appointment with a Fidelity advisor to discuss your 401k investment strategies. Log into your Fidelity account HERE. Select Planning Strategies and then click on ‘Schedule an appointment’ to plan a convenient time to discuss your 401k financial picture & savings strategies.


NH License Holders

New Hampshire requires all NH electrical license holders to complete the 15-hour continuing education class within the first year of the three-year code cycle. If you did not complete your 15-hour continuing ed class in 2023 then your NH license may be invalid.

For resources to help acquire your training, see www.electricallicenserenewal.com. You will want to take the Massachusetts version (if you are also licensed in MA) & then also ask for the NH 15-hour credit.


HNE Healthy Choices Rewards

Did you know you can win Amazon, Big Y, Visa & Spa finder gift cards from Health New England just for participating in the Healthy Choices Rewards Program?

It’s easy. Create account or log into your existing account at  webmdhealth.com.

Click on Rewards and then 2024 Health Choices Rewards Program. You can earn points for entering your blood pressure or the date of your last physical. Earn extra points for wellness challenges & health trackers. Then, redeem your points for entries to win $25, $50 & $100 gift cards!


Collection for the Animals

We’re collecting for the Dakin Human Society. They need:

  • Canned & dry cat/kitten food
  • Light tuna in water
  • Human baby food (meat flavors only, no vegetables)
  • Clumping & non-clumping cat litter
  • Cat toys
  • Fleece blankets
  • Bath-size towels
  • Dry dog food
  • Bully sticks

Bring your donation into any Elm branch & then click HERE to be entered into a raffle to win a $50 Big Y gift card.


Purchasing Dept. Reminder

Effective Feb. 1, Brittany Samson x183 has stepped into the role of lead purchaser supported by Sydney Peralta x147. Please email orders by 2:00 pm to Bsamson@elmelec.com & copy Speralta@elmelec.com.


pFML Codes in Portal/Time Entry

There is now a code for time-off requests & time-entry for Family Medical Leave (pFML) hours. If you are off on approved pFML time use job 492, phase 1115, EC 14 both to request time off in the Portal & also for weekly time-entry for pFML time.

All pFML requests must go through HR for processing. Once claims are approved, you would use 492/1115/14 to request time off through the Portal (to be approved by your supervisor) & for your time entry.

For questions, please reach out to Elm HR.