09-22-05 -- Foundation Honors Brian Christopher
09-22-05 -- Although Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath cancelled NECA’s Convention which had been scheduled for September 17-20 in New Orleans, we were not about to forego an important and much-anticipated highlight of that annual event – the presentation of national awards. These honors were bestowed at the Industry Leaders Dinner held in conjunction with our Board of Governors Meeting, which was swiftly relocated to Chicago.Following is the text of the award citation presented to Brian Christopher, recipient of the 2005 Wendt Award.
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The Wendt Award is the highest tribute bestowed annually by the Electrical Contracting Foundation and is named in honor of the philosophical and financial commitments made to the electrical contracting industry by one of its premier members, Albert G. Wendt, President, Cannon & Wendt Electric Company, Phoenix, Arizona. The award recognizes exemplary leadership and service to the electrical industry.
Brian Christopher, this year’s highly deserving recipient, began his career in 1964 as a newly licensed journeyman electrician at Christensen Electric in Portland, Oregon. He rose through the ranks to become the company’s president in 1988. Since then, he has helped the firm develop new divisions addressing lighting maintenance, sound and communication, security, energy management, and power quality. Along the way, he has built up a large, loyal customer base who can attest to his reputation as an astute and honest businessman and as a civic leader who volunteers his time and resources unselfishly to better his community.
Similarly, the Oregon-Columbia Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association can attest that Brian Christopher has advanced the local electrical industry through this same combination of progressive thinking, personal integrity, and selfless volunteerism. He has served the chapter in the key offices of president and governor and on numerous committees, perhaps making his greatest contributions in the complex realm of labor-management relations.
In particular, Brian Christopher is credited with negotiating labor agreements that not only enabled his fellow chapter members to compete in emerging technology-driven markets, but also provided the impetus for NECA and its partners in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to address lighting maintenance and sound and communication on a far wider basis. In addition, he played an integral role in establishing a new limited-energy curriculum and apprenticeship in the local area, helping to inspire the creation of the NECA-IBEW Voice-Data-Video National Agreement and the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee’s three-year curriculum for VDV installers and technicians.
Brian Christopher’s contributions to the local industry have helped produce lasting positive results for the electrical contracting industry as a whole. His direct involvement in national service for the industry include his participation on the Council of Industrial Relations, which benefited from his keen insights into establishing harmonious and effective labor relations, and on the joint Voice-Data-Video Systems Task Force, which benefited from his experience in priming new markets for the NECA-IBEW team.
Some of Brian Christopher’s greatest contributions to the industry stem from his active involvement with the Electrical Contracting Foundation. His company has invested in the Foundation at the Founder level. He has served on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and on its Program Review Committee. For several years, he has represented the Oregon-Columbia Chapter on the Foundation’s ELECTRI’21 COUNCIL. Brian Christopher is a steadfast and passionate member of the COUNCIL, attending all meetings; providing leadership in group work, task forces, and discussions; helping set the research agenda; and facilitating the conduct of that research.
For all the reasons stated here and others too numerous to list, Brian Christopher has proven himself as a man of vision who actively helps shape the future of the electrical contracting industry for the benefit of all its participants. Thus, Brian Christopher deserves to be honored with the 2005 Wendt Award.