Jedd Lake, Operations Manager, Dixie Electric, Alpharetta, GA, is the winner of NECA's Free Airfare prize for NECA 2008 Chicago. Lake attended the NECA Show frequently as a kid with his father, a NECA contractor, but this year will mark one of the first times he’s attended since he started working professionally with an electrical contracting company himself.

"What a great surprise!" Lake said when he was notified that he had won the prize. "This just made getting to the NECA Show easier."

As a younger contractor, Lake is looking forward to meeting some of his colleagues who are also starting their careers in electrical construction.

"The NECA Show is really the best place to meet with the people who understand your business," he said. "Right now the industry’s moving in so many directions, I'm really interested in what other contractors are doing around the country."

Lake is also excited about getting a sneak peek at some of the new products that his company could be using next year. "There's real value in making those connections with manufacturers right now. It saves you time when you have to make purchasing decisions on future products because you've already had a chance to talk with the folks who make them. I'll be able to bring home a lot of good information from the NECA Show."