IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection Diversity Director Sylvester Taylor honored with North County Inc. Leadership Award

North County Inc. (NCI) has honored IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Sylvester Taylor with a 2023 Leadership Award.

Taylor has had a long tenure of service to the North St. Louis County region, including treasurer of the Hazelwood School Board and he has served on the board of the Black Jack Fire Protection District.

Taylor has also been instrumental in connecting young people in the region with careers in the electrical and communication technology industry. The Electrical Connection is a partnership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 and St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).

Taylor was honored along with several other community and civic leaders and organizations at the 46th Annual Leadership Breakfast on May 12 at the Marriott St. Louis Airport Hotel.

“Celebrating champions of North County is always an honor. We are excited to recognize the many dedicated people, businesses, and organizations working to improve our community, better the lives of others, and advance the local economy,” said NCI President and CEO, Rebecca Zoll.

APPRENTICESHIP AMBASSADOR
Last year, Taylor was selected as an Apprenticeship Ambassador by the U.S Department of Labor. He has used his more than 30 years of experience in the electrical industry with IBEW Local 1 to champion registered apprenticeship opportunities for people historically underserved.

Taylor is recording secretary for IBEW Local 1, and for the past 19 years has been the voice of minority workers as the co-founder and current president of IBEW’s Electrical Workers Minority Caucus. He has used that voice to help shape the Electrical Connection’s diversity goals, leveraging the modernization of infrastructure as a recruitment tool in underserved communities.

In 2021, the St. Louis Business Journal named Taylor one of its “Champions for Diversity and Inclusion.”  The business publication noted that Taylor “works to chart a path for more minorities in the electrical industry.”

Members of the Electrical Connection provide safe and reliable electrical construction, maintenance, repair and replacement services across Missouri, the nation and the world.  Learn more at www.electricalconnection.org.