Meeting/Event Information

Moderator - Juan Vasquez 

Jeffrey R. Weir, President, Kelso-Burnett Co.

Jeff Weir has been a member of the Kelso-Burnett team since 2006 as currently serves at its President. Kelso-Burnett has been a leader in electrical and communication construction in Northern Illinois since 1908. Our complete capabilities include electrical, voice/data communication, central office, fire alarm, security, sound and audio-visual. Kelso-Burnett has been consistently ranked as one of the nation’s fifty largest specialty contractors by ENR magazine for the past thirty years.

Jeff Weir is a 1998 graduate of St. Joseph’s College with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Prior to graduating from college, Jeff joined the electrical industry by becoming a Project Manager with NECA Partner Aldridge Electric.

In 2006, Jeff joined Kelso-Burnett Co. as Division Manager out of the Rolling Meadows branch location. During his tenure with Kelso-Burnett, Jeff has focused on the electrical construction of large scale Commercial, Data Centers, Design-build, Institutional, and Tenant Interior projects which have ranged in size from a few thousand dollars to roughly $30,000,000. Jeff has personally completed various large-scale projects for companies and organizations such as Allstate Insurance, Abbott Labs, Crate & Barrel, Northwestern University, Poplar Creek Public Library, Rivers Casino, United Airlines, Underwriters Laboratory, and various tenant build-out projects.

Mike Meyer, Director of Construction Operations, Continental Electrical Construction Co.

Michael has been in the electrical contracting industry since 2004. Prior to that he worked for a research and development firm focused on cooling solutions used in supercomputer and aerospace electronic applications.  In the electrical industry, he has been involved in estimating and project management for numerous projects. Responsibilities include; preconstruction, budgeting, project material and labor scheduling, work in progress reporting and close out documentation. Michael's detailed organization habits and succinct communication skills have been an asset on projects with vast and evolving scope. He has managed projects ranging from multi-year durations, down to carefully orchestrated, labor intense, single day projects. Regardless of the size and complexity of the project, his attention to detail and customer-focused approach have been the foundation for project success.

Mark Thomas, Executive Vice President, Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA)

Mark is currently the Executive Vice President of the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) of City of Chicago, also known as the Chicago-Cook County Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors’ Association (NECA). ECA represents nearly 600 union signatory electrical contractors in Chicago and Cook County, working closely with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local #134.

He has been with NECA since 1998, first as the Manager of the Wisconsin Chapter NECA, then as a Field Representative for NECA National covering the Midwest and joined ECA in 2017.

Additionally, Mark is a former Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy serving on both active duty and in the reserves.

He obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.

Tom Tucker, Senior Vice President, Mission Critical , Aldridge Electric

Tom has 19 years of experience in the Power and Utility construction industry, all with Aldridge. He has provided leadership across projects, teams, and business units throughout our Mission Critical, Utility, and Federal operating groups. Today, as Senior Vice President, Tom is responsible for leadership in safety, quality, operations, project execution, and customer relations across the MIssion Critical business unit. He actively engages with industry stakeholders, providing insights into best practices, risk management, and mitigation strategies. Tom is a key operational leader in hyperscale data projects and drives corporate strategy initiatives related to Planning, Safety, Estimating and Mental Health. Under his guidance, his team consistently achieves high performance.

With diverse experience across several markets, he successfully led multiple new market entry efforts, complex joint venture efforts, and numerous $100M+ projects. Through that, he has focused on people, both within his team and mentoring others within the organization, playing a role in developing a deep bench of talent that supports Aldridge’s continued growth. Putting people first has produced results in not only safety but also rapid expansion of high-performance teams.