When Noah Painter began working with NECA and IBEW in the Sacramento region more than a decade ago, the local union electrical industry held less than 10 percent of the market. Today, that figure sits just north of 40 percent, marking one of the most significant growth stories within NECA nationally. For Painter, who recently stepped into the role of Executive Director of the Sacramento and Northern Nevada Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, that progress is not an endpoint. It is the foundation for what comes next. “We need to create a path that sustains the momentum that we’ve generated over the last 12, 14 years and take it to the next level,” he said. “When I started working with NECA and IBEW about 12 years ago, we had a market share of less than 10%, and our current market share is just north of 40%. It’s been a tremendous amount of growth.”
That growth has been built across two distinct but connected markets. The chapter operates in both the Sacramento region and Northern Nevada, representing electrical contractors working across different states, different labor jurisdictions, and different economic environments. Yet the structure has become one of its strengths. Sacramento has seen steady long-term growth, while Northern Nevada has experienced rapid expansion driven by technology, data infrastructure, renewable energy, and industrial development.
Painter sees that combination as a practical advantage. “The overall structure has been complementary,” he said. “One of the things that has helped is when certain sub-markets are accelerating, they do a wonderful job at being able to potentially support the other sub-markets.” In a construction environment where cycles can shift quickly, that balance matters. “Ultimately, what we are able to do is if one sector, one area submarket slows down a little bit, the other submarket actually can help support it.”
The relationship between NECA and IBEW is central to that progress. Painter points to the open communication between management and labor as one of the defining reasons the chapter has been able to grow so substantially. Rather than operating as separate or opposing interests, the two sides have built a shared approach around trust, dialogue, and market expansion. “There’s a unique relationship with management and labour between NECA and IBEW in Sacramento and in the Reno area,” he said. “We have open lines of communication. We see each other as partners. We see each other as people that we want to work with. I have the utmost respect for them. And that’s really where the foundation starts. Because if you can’t trust the partners that you’re working with, then you can’t build a sustainable foundation to try to grow your businesses.”
This foundation is now supporting some of the most technically demanding work in the western United States. In Northern Nevada, data centers have become a dominant force, bringing large-scale electrical construction opportunities and drawing contractors and electricians from across the country. Painter describes the moment as part of a broader industrial shift. “What this is, is essentially, you know, the third wave of, lack for a better term, the Industrial Revolution,” he said. “We’re seeing massive amounts of investment in data infrastructure that is attracting electricians from all over and electrical contractors from all over the United States to come into our chapter and want to work on these projects.”
Assistant Executive Director Buzz Harris, who leads the Northern Nevada division, has seen that transformation directly. The division now has approximately 4,300 electricians in the field, has gained roughly 30 percent market share over the past three to four years, and controls around 50 percent of the market. Much of that growth has been driven by data center work, but not exclusively. “Data Centers have been the largest contributor to the growth of electricians in the northern Nevada region,” Harris said. “We have also had significant growth in solar fields and the mining sector.” He added that data center construction could continue for several years, while solar and mining projects are expected to provide additional opportunities. “There are several solar farms, a lithium mine and a few other mining projects projected for the next few years.”
“Data Centers have been the largest contributor to the growth of electricians in the northern Nevada region.”
For contractors, the scale of the data center market has created immediate demand. “The data center work is great as it employs a lot of people,” Harris said. “About 85% of the electricians are on the data center jobs. The pipeline is estimated to be 3-5 years.”
Sacramento’s growth has taken a different shape, but remains equally important to the chapter’s long-term outlook. Painter points to steady increases in work hours, continued investment, and major projects that could reshape the region. Among the most significant is the planned soccer stadium in downtown Sacramento’s rail yards, connected to Sacramento Republic FC and the Wilton Rancheria Tribe. “In the Sacramento area, I’m really excited about several things,” Painter said. “We have an unprecedented opportunity to build a new soccer stadium in the Sacramento area.” The project, he explained, is expected to include a 20,000-seat stadium in the rail yards and could help activate one of the largest infill developments west of the Mississippi.
As project demand grows across both markets, workforce development has become the chapter’s most urgent priority. The electrical industry is facing a nationwide shortage of skilled workers, and Painter is clear that the chapter’s ability to sustain growth depends on expanding its training capacity. In Sacramento, the chapter and its labor partners are making what Painter described as a once-in-a-lifetime investment in apprenticeship training. “Sacramento, the Sacramento Area Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Centre is undergoing a significant, essentially once in a lifetime investment,” he said. “We’re building a new training centre off of El Centro Road. We’re tripling the size of our square footage.”
The goal is to prepare for the next generation of electricians while ensuring contractors have the skilled workforce needed to compete for major projects. “What we’re doing is we’re getting ready to be able to expand and train the next wave of apprentices in the electrical industry,” Painter said. “It’s something that is a major investment for NECA and our labour partners with IBEW, so that we can make sure that we have well-trained apprentices that go to work for our employers.” That model also creates a pathway into the industry at no cost to apprentices. “They have the opportunity to get into a school that is at no cost to them and have a great opportunity to create a career,” Painter said. The challenge now is capacity, not interest. “The commitment that we’ve made is we understand that there is a shortage of electricians nationwide, particularly in California, and we’re doing everything we possibly can to be able to support greater capacity to add more bodies, train them to become master electricians, skilled journeymen, and get out into the field working on our projects.”
Northern Nevada is experiencing a similar surge. “The Northern Nevada Electrical Training Center is bursting as the seams,” Harris said. “There will be over 500 apprentices starting fall of 2026. This is a significant increase from the 100-125 in 2022.” For Painter, the formula behind the chapter’s growth begins with relationships, but extends into execution. It requires collaboration with labor partners, engagement with the business community, and a clear ability to demonstrate the value of union electrical contractors to owners, developers, public agencies, universities, and healthcare institutions. “We’re unique in the sense as an association, as a business association, representing our electrical contractors that we work with our labour partners,” he said. “Having a strong foundation where we can collectively work together and collaborate on ideas, it’s critical.” From there, the focus is on relationships beyond the chapter itself. “It’s how do we utilize the relationships we have with people in the business community, policy makers, and make sure that we have that opportunity to show why we’re the right choice on projects.”
The next two to three years will be focused on maintaining that upward trajectory while broadening the pathways into the trade. Painter wants to continue increasing work hours, securing major capital projects, and creating more flexible entry points for people entering the electrical industry through construction electrician and construction wireman programs. “That’s really, you know, kind of the first step into our industry and creating opportunities to enhance that pipeline,” he said. If the chapter can continue building that pipeline while supporting contractors on major projects, he sees that as the clearest measure of success. “If we can execute on that, keep the momentum that we’ve had on our large projects, that’s success for our industry.” Harris sees a similar challenge in Nevada, particularly around ensuring the market continues to grow beyond its current reliance on data centers. “Success for the Nevada Division of the Chapter is growing the market and growing the work beyond the data centers,” he said.
For Painter, the chapter’s growth is not the result of one initiative or one market condition. It is the product of years of collaboration, deliberate relationship-building, and a willingness to learn from others across the NECA network. He sees value in exchanging ideas with other chapters and adapting strategies that have worked elsewhere. “One of the best things to do is, I have no problem stealing other people’s ideas,” he said. “That’s probably one of the most sincere forms of flattery, because ultimately what we’re trying to do is come up with really succinct ideas and try things that can work for us.”
As Sacramento and Northern Nevada continue to expand, the chapter’s role is becoming increasingly important. Data centers, renewable energy, mining, infrastructure, healthcare, education, and major urban development all depend on the same underlying resource: skilled electricians trained to deliver complex work safely and efficiently. For NECA Sacramento and Northern Nevada, the next chapter will be measured by how well it can sustain the momentum already created. With strong labor partnerships, expanding training centers, active contractor engagement, and a growing project pipeline across both territories, the organization is focused not only on meeting today’s demand, but on building the workforce and market position needed for the future.
