Incoming NETA President Dan Hook is Vice President of GCBS Engineering Services & Solutions at CBS Field Services. He is a NETA and NICET Level IV Certified Technician and has served on the NETA Board of Directors for eight years. Hook’s responsibilities are nationwide, including strategically growing the businesses and acquisitions in the company’s Field Services Division.
CBS Field Services focuses on onsite maintenance testing of service-aged equipment and acceptance testing of newly installed equipment in accordance with ANSI/NETA Testing Specifications. The company’s customer base includes heavy industrials, commercial, data centers, utilities, and government installations.
Hook holds an MS in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and maintains his Professional Engineer license in Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Arizona. He earned an MBA from Pacific Lutheran University, with a concentration in entrepreneurship and closely held businesses.
In this interview, Hook shares his vision for NETA and comments on the accomplishments of outgoing NETA President Eric Beckman.
NW: What inspires you the most about the tenure of outgoing NETA President Eric Beckman? How do you plan to build on his initiatives?
Hook: Eric’s ability to listen to all voices involved and methodically step through lasting solutions was on full display during his extended three-year term as NETA President. In this volunteer full-time leadership position, his sincere dedication to the industry was inspiring. Eric has an invaluable ability to wade through noise and distractions and to focus on root causes and corrective actions for the betterment of NETA.
Eric has set us on an exciting path with a new Executive Director and additional staffing to continue NETA’s success into the future. My first focus will be on improving and streamlining existing policies and procedures. When the Board reconvenes in 2025 for its biannual strategy session, I desire to have freed up staff time and resources from manual, time-intensive efforts to better implement the next one or two long-term strategic goals approved by the Board.
Eric’s leadership has been transformational for the Association. He did it humbly, no ego, no nonsense. Truly inspiring.
NW: What tops your list of priorities for your presidency?
Hook: First is the Qualified Electrical Equipment Maintenance Contractor (QEMC) Program. Chasen Tedder is the newly appointed chair of this program administered by NETA, which was launched less than 12 months ago to fill a need in the electrical power industry identified by the NETA Board. Qualification of electrical maintenance workers and condition of maintenance are of paramount importance as required by NFPA 70B and NFPA 70E. Supporting Chasen and his committee in building this program is one of my top priorities.
I am also going to work on NETA’s industry awareness and partnerships. For NETA to fulfill its vision as the worldwide expert in electrical power systems and equipment assessment, our industry awareness and partnerships must continue to grow. The Alliance Partner Committee chaired by Jim Cialdea and the Conference Committee chaired by Ron Widup will also be a priority. Both committees have been very successful in the past and have launched new initiatives for this year. One of those initiatives is the Electrical Power Innovations Conference (EPIC) on October 13–15 in Dallas, which will address emerging technology and trends shaping the future of the electrical power industry.
NW: What do you think will be your biggest challenge in serving as NETA’s President?
Hook: The biggest challenge I see is building engagement from the membership. We have made substantial progress — thank you, Roger Grylls, Chair of the Volunteer Engagement Committee — but we still have a relatively small group of volunteers doing a lot of work. Some member companies don’t attend member meetings or the PowerTest conference or engage in other activities that would benefit them as well as the Association. This is an ongoing challenge that likely will never be 100% resolved, but we must address it often and continue to push for more participation.
NW: What is the most important thing you want the NETA membership to know about you?
Hook: I want NETA members to know that I am deeply committed to excellence within our organization. I am dedicated to listening, understanding needs, and making decisions toward solutions. If I make a bad decision, I won’t hesitate to own up to it and make another decision to fix it. My goal is to continue building on the strong foundation laid by my predecessors and to lead NETA into a future where we set new benchmarks for the industry.
OUTGOING PRESIDENT ERIC BECKMAN LED NETA THROUGH ROUGH WATERS
Eric Beckman’s presidency was one of challenges, adaptation, and evolution, adapting to serve our members through the pandemic, instituting new work and business protocols, ushering in a new Executive Director, and more. “I’m proud of the Association’s growth and the direction NETA is heading,” he says.
“The biggest challenge was ensuring that NETA staff and administration had a smooth transition as we brought the staff and all operations — including finance, accounting, and administrative services — internal to NETA,” says Beckman. “I had lots of support from key staff members, and a lot of credit goes to NETA Executive Director Bryant Philips. Without a doubt, this transition would not have been as successful without him leading the efforts.”
With three years of NETA leadership behind him, Beckman says it’s clear that the biggest challenge facing the electrical power testing field is the limited number of skilled workers in the industry and the need to train more. “I’m very excited about the NETA Apprenticeship Program that is now with the U.S. Department of Labor for approval as a National Guidelines for Apprenticeship standard, and what that is going to do to help our industry.”
Beckman also expects energy storage and the ramp-up of electric vehicles to “drastically affect the grid and the need for safety and reliability of those systems,” which represent opportunities for NETA and its members.
When asked what advice he would like to leave behind for incoming NETA President Dan Hook, Beckman says, “Dan doesn’t need much advice from me. I have no doubt he will be successful based on the type of support he has given me over the past years of my presidency and in the years before that. If anything, I’d say, ‘Don’t be afraid to ask for help.’ We are all volunteers with busy jobs. The Board of Directors and our NETA staff members are always willing to help.”
Hook is looking forward to picking up the reins and building on Beckman’s progress. “Eric’s ability to conduct business and make decisions in a methodical way is notable,” Hook says. “He was meticulous about seeking out needed information and then proceeding forward without drama or spectacle. During transformational times, there are often difficult and uncomfortable situations to face. Eric handled them with the utmost professionalism and poise.”
Hook says Beckman has perhaps left NETA stronger than any other past president. “Under his leadership, NETA has transformed its operational structure in ways that will be beneficial to the membership well into the future,” says Hook. “NETA is more fiscally responsible, more transparent, and better prepared to meet the needs of its membership, and is therefore the strongest it has ever been. NETA has the largest membership ever and continues to implement new strategies for growth.”