Centers for Excellence

International Center

Richard & Darlene McBride

Robert & Sharon Doran

A charitable trust gift of $1 million from Dick and Darlene McBride and a Regent-level gift of $250,000 from Robert and Sharon Doran established the Foundation's International Center. This ambitious outreach initiative supports Foundation research and education for programs selected for their international impact on electrical construction. The International Center creates a strong link between electrical contractors and industry partners in the United States and their counterparts worldwide. Activities conducted through the International Center include:

• Electrical Technology Institute (ETI) - This Institute offers educational programs for electricians and managers in Mexico, concentrating on US technologies and business practices. ETI also promotes participation by US contractors in the Mexican market. The International Center provides significant marketing and administrative support to promote the Institute throughout Mexico and Latin America.
• Contractor Exchange - The International Center sponsors the interchange of ideas, technologies, and best practices among contractors in the US and internationally. This includes organized trips bringing US contractors into direct contact with the management and the workforce of contracting firms in other countries. In return, these companies are given the opportunity to come to the United States to see, first-hand, what the electrical construction industry is doing domestically. In addition to the new market opportunities that are identified for all, contractors gain a better understanding of the ways to establish successful international partnerships.