John Murphy to Head Northern NJ NECA Chapter.

RAHWAY, N.J. -- S.M. Electric Company, Inc. President and Chief Operating Officer John J. Murphy has been appointed President of the Northern New Jersey Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the company announced today. His tenure became effective January 1, 2007 and will run for two years.

Murphy has served on the Chapter's Executive Committee in various capacities for over 10 years, so this position represents a natural evolution of his role. "I look forward to taking on the challenge of leading the Association at this pivotal time," Murphy said. "As the industry becomes more competitive, we must consistently outperform and underbid our non-union rivals in order to maintain our market share. One way we plan to achieve this goal is by continuing to emphasize the Code of Excellence performance standards that were introduced last year."

The Code of Excellence is a set of workplace conduct rules developed by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and endorsed by NECA. The program's purpose is twofold: to inspire a higher level of commitment on the part of union workers, and to demonstrate to customers that by hiring union contractors, they will obtain a more productive, high quality and safety-conscious workforce. The positive attitude generated in the workforce by this program has resulted in a very favorable response from customers. Another important benefit of the program is that it has led to increased efficiency on the job, which in turn enables union contractors to place more competitive bids.

As president of NECA, Murphy will also facilitate the renegotiation of key labor contracts from four Local Unions. S.M. Electric's 60+ year legacy of partnership with the IBEW will contribute to the process, as will the atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation that Murphy and S.M. Electric have fostered through the years with the unions.

"We look forward to arriving at a mutually satisfactory conclusion to our labor talks," Murphy remarked. "Both sides understand the challenges we face in the marketplace, as well as the abundance of opportunities we can capitalize on once our agreement is in place."

S.M. Electric is a New Jersey-based electrical contracting company specializing in the construction and installation of superior quality utility, commercial, industrial, and high voltage systems. The company's standard-setting safety practices, consistent on-time project completion and industry leadership have earned it a reputation as one of the region's top contractors for over 60 years.