Brett Castein and Jordan Pratt of Southwest Electrical Services on the Ideal National Championships Team Event

EIN Ideal TrueNorth 400

Dec 20, 2019

By Blake Marchand

Held from November 7th to 9th in Orlando, Florida, and recently aired on ESPN 2, the Ideal National Championships gives electricians a chance to display their skills in a high-level competition. The event expanded internationally for the first time this year — over 55,000 electricians from 5 countries attempted to qualify for a chance to compete in the championship event. Last year’s event was the first to feature electricians from outside the United States. For 2019 they increased the number of Canadian qualifiers, and extended the competition to Mexico, Australia and China.

At the championship event 70 professionals and 66 students/apprentices competed. Among those 70 professionals were Brett Castein and Jordan Pratt of Southwest Electrical Services. From St. Thomas, Ontario, Jordan and Brett competed in the team portion of the event under the name True North.

Although they didn’t place as high in the competition as they would have liked, the experience was certainly positive for the both of them.

Brett Jordan 2“Overall, awesome experience,” Jordan noted, “it gives us something to work towards each year. Makes me want to continue to grow in this industry.”

Brett noted that the electrical industry is so varied that it was great to talk with the other competitors about what they’re doing, because it provided perspective into other potential opportunities for growth as a professional. “It’s nice to branch out and see what else you can learn and do,” he said.

“I had a pretty positive experience at the nationals. It has made me want to become a better electrician and broaden my skill set,” Jordan said, “My favourite part was watching the top electricians who are very skilled in every part of the field.”

Jordan and Brett were introduced to the competition three years ago. They each ended up with the top two times in Canada, unfortunately Canadians weren’t eligible that year to go down to the National Championship. This year was their second year competing together as a team.

As for the competition itself, Brett provided some insight into what they were asked to do. “This year it was a little house – they were going to pour concrete as the floor, so we ran a bunch of pipe underneath where the concrete would go then stubbed them up into a whole service from a panel to the meter, did some grounding bonding and a receptacle.”

“Our strategy was to start with the things we were confident with, and then tackle the tasks we weren’t too sure Brett Jordanabout,” said Jordan, “Clearly we need to come up with a better strategy next year,” he said joking, but added, “Considering the challenge was something we had never done before, I am happy with our performance.”

Pipe bending was a bit of a challenge for them, as Jordan alluded to, being something they aren’t doing on a regular basis, working mostly residential jobs. But being there the previous year they knew it could be a part of the competition and made a point to practice before hand. “It takes us a while to measure it out, whereas some guys can just eye it out,” Brett noted.

Just as it is in professional sports, everything has to be second nature. Everyone is operating at a high level, when you pause to think or hesitate you are at a disadvantage.

Being there a second year also helped with nerves. “There’s camera’s everywhere, there’s crowds cheering you on, it’s pretty intense but it’s a one of a kind event, for sure.”

“Once you’re in it, you’re in it,” Brett said laughing, “The new board will come out and we’ll buy it, practice at home and be ready for the competition.”

With the added experience of a second year down in Florida at the national event, they’ll look to qualify once again and improve on their result.

Blake Marchand is Associate Editor, Kerrwil Electrical Group

Related Articles


Latest Articles

  • Littelfuse: Solid-State Industrial Relays Quality Test Report

    Littelfuse: Solid-State Industrial Relays Quality Test Report

    April 21, 2025 Littelfuse Provides Insights Into Their Solid-State Industrial Relays Introduction Solid-State Relays (SSRs) are a critical component in modern electrical & electronic systems, providing reliable switching capabilities for various applications from industrial automation to consumer electronics. When it comes to choosing the right solid-state relay for your application, it’s important to know the… Read More…

  • PataBid vs. Accubid Classic: How Electrical Estimating Software is Evolving

    PataBid vs. Accubid Classic: How Electrical Estimating Software is Evolving

    April 21, 2025 By Melvin Newman, Patabid CEO The landscape of construction technology — especially in electrical estimating software—is evolving at a rapid pace. With the rise of cloud-based platforms, AI-driven automation, and advanced data integration, contractors now have more options than ever when choosing the right digital estimating tool.    With the rise of… Read More…

  • ESA has Identified Increasing Safety Concern Surrounding Meter Base Installations

    ESA has Identified Increasing Safety Concern Surrounding Meter Base Installations

    April 18, 2025 ESA and EFC are raising awareness on an increasing safety concern the ESA has identified surrounding meter base installations. ESA identified an increase of installed meter bases where the neutral block is isolated from the enclosure. According to OESC Rule 10-210 a bonding conductor must be installed between the meter base and… Read More…

  • Non-residential Construction Investment Continues to Reach Record Highs in January 2025

    Non-residential Construction Investment Continues to Reach Record Highs in January 2025

    April 18, 2025 Overall, investment in building construction rose 1.8% (+$393.7 million) to $22.1 billion in January. The residential sector increased 2.3% to $15.4 billion, while the non-residential sector was up 0.8% to $6.7 billion. Year over year, investment in building construction grew 5.7% in January. On a constant dollar basis (2017=100), investment in building construction increased 1.5% from the previous month to $13.2 billion… Read More…


Changing Scene

  • nVent Sustainability Report Highlights Progress and Focus on Electrification

    nVent Sustainability Report Highlights Progress and Focus on Electrification

    April 15, 2025 nVent Electric plc announced the release of its 2024 Sustainability Report. The new report highlights nVent’s achievements in each of its sustainability focus areas: People, Products, Planet and Governance. The report also highlights how nVent solutions support electrification, digitalization and sustainability efforts around the world. “nVent is becoming a more focused electrical… Read More…

  • Ontario Introduces Legistlation to Unlock Trade and Labour Mobility Within Canada

    Ontario Introduces Legistlation to Unlock Trade and Labour Mobility Within Canada

    April 18, 2025 As a next step in its plan to protect Ontario by unleashing the province’s economy, the Ontario government is introducing the Protect Ontario through Free Trade within Canada Act to unlock free trade and labour mobility within Canada. This legislation will, if passed, create new opportunities for job creation and investment attraction, supporting economic… Read More…

  • Ontario, P.E.I. Join Nova Scotia With Legislation to Remove Internal Trade Barriers

    Ontario, P.E.I. Join Nova Scotia With Legislation to Remove Internal Trade Barriers

    April 18, 2025 Prince Edward Island and Ontario have joined the Nova Scotia by introducing reciprocal legislation that will help foster an environment of mutual recognition of goods, services and labour mobility between these provinces. “Leaders across the country are expressing interest in removing trade barriers, and I’m very pleased that P.E.I. and Ontario have… Read More…

  • New Brunswick Signs MOU with Ontario to Reduce Trade and Labour Mobility Barriers

    New Brunswick Signs MOU with Ontario to Reduce Trade and Labour Mobility Barriers

    April 18, 2025 The governments of New Brunswick and Ontario have signed a memorandum of understanding on free trade and labour mobility. “Ontario is New Brunswick’s second-biggest trading partner, and we are excited to be building on the positive momentum to reduce internal trade barriers across Canada,” said Premier Susan Holt. “Today’s signing of this… Read More…