A traveling exhibit from the IBEW Museum was officially opened Friday, Sept. 19, by International President Lonnie R. Stephenson and International Secretary-Treasurer Salvatore "Sam" Chilia as part of the Electrical Industry Expo that preceded the 39th International Convention in St. Louis.

The large, central exhibit included key selections from the permanent IBEW Museum housed at the International headquarters in Washington, D.C., which were carefully packed and shipped more than 800 miles for the Convention.

The highlight, said IBEW museum curator Curtis Bateman, was 12 sheets of paper that had never been displayed before: the original, handwritten proceedings from the IBEW's first convention in 1891. In them, the 10 original founders painstakingly hash out the details of membership, including dues — 10 cents a month — and the union's first logo.

Also captured in those pages is the nomination and election of the National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers' first president, Henry Miller. "It's really exciting to have these historic documents in St. Louis," Bateman said, "We were just over a mile from the boardinghouse where these 10 men met 125 years ago, so for those 10 days, it felt like we'd brought this stuff home."

Surrounding the museum in the expo hall were more than 90 vendors, ranging from tool makers to solar companies. St. Louis Local 1 volunteers were selling T-shirts, pins and commemorative coins on behalf of the Electrical Workers Historical Society, the nonprofit responsible for buying and renovating the very boardinghouse where the union was founded, which opened to the public on Sept. 15.

"The response has been just amazing," said Local 1 Business Representative John Kahrhoff. "A lot of people were able to see the house this week after the ribbon-cutting, and they want to be a part of making it happen. Every dollar makes a huge difference."

Nearby, representatives from American Retirement Solutions auctioned off a hand-made wooden cooler with the IBEW logo mounted on top, raising more than $3,800 for the Henry Miller house.

Other exhibitors included the Electrical Training Alliance, IBEW Education Department and the IBEW Political Action Committee. The Education Department's booth was a particularly big hit with attendees, who stopped to take photos with a 12-foot scale replica of the St. Louis Gateway Arch and a life-size cutout of the IBEW's founding fathers.

A full list of exhibitors follows:

3D Internet
Los Angeles
Software training and mobile applications

A&S Financial Services, LLC
Plantation, Fla.
Non-network savings, union-labor exclusive

AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust
Washington, D.C.
Real estate fund

AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust
Washington, D.C.
Investment company run by a labor-management board

Allen Bates Technologies, Inc.
Pittsburgh
Union-related software development

American Advertising
Boonville, Ind.
Clothing, hats, decals, bumper stickers, banners, flags, yard signs, and other advertising services

American Income Life Insurance
Washington, D.C.
No-cost benefits to working families and life insurance

American Retirement Solutions
Baton Rouge, La.
Investment and retirement planning

American Technical Publishers, Inc.
Orland Park, Ill.
Training materials and educational resources for electrical apprentices and contractors

The American Time Companies
Rochester, N.Y.
Watches, clocks, and other promotional products

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
St. Louis
Health insurance

ASB Capital Management, LLC
Bethesda, Md.
Full-service investment management firm

AT&T
Woodstock, Md.
Communication services

Awards & T-Shirts
Raytown, Mo.
Apparel, promotional material, awards, and other union items

Bank of Labor
Franklin, Tenn.
Banking services

BeneSys
Troy, Mich.
Third-party administration services

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
Washington, D.C.
Secure and stable health coverage for organized labor

BMA Media Group
Willoughby, Ohio
Union marketing, communications, video production, website design, and special events

BMO Taft-Hartley Services
Milwaukee
Retirement services

BNY Mellon Asset Management Servicing
Everett, Mass.
Investment management and investment services

Broadbent Institute
Ottawa, Ontario
Non-partisan organization championing progressive change

Bulwark Protective
Nashville, Tenn.
Fire-retardant apparel

Cementex Products, Inc.
Burlington, N.J.
Personal protective equipment and insulated hand tools

CIGNA HealthCare
Atlanta
Health care

Columbia Partners, LLC Investment Management
Chevy Chase, Md.
Investment advisory services

Delta Dental
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
One of the largest dental benefits delivery systems as well as benefits administration

DragonWear
Seattle
Designer/manufacturer of work wear for the utility and petrochemical industries

Eberts & Harrison, Inc.
Mount Airy, Md.
Union liability, fiduciary liability, and cyber liability planner

Edison Electric Institute
Washington, D.C.
Association representing all U.S. investor-owned companies

Electrical Training Alliance
Bowie, Md.
Educational curriculum and training materials

Excelsior College
Albany, N.Y.
Nonprofit distance learning institution

Express Scripts, Inc.
St. Louis
Integrated pharmacy benefit management services

Florida Power & Light
Jupiter, Fla.
Third-largest electric utility in the United States and an IBEW Code of Excellence partner

Foreman's Development Series
Arlington, Texas
Professional supervisory training program

Foster & Foster, Inc.
Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.
Actuarial consulting services

Frank Doolittle Company
Bellevue, Wash.
Custom-decorated union-and U.S.-made promotional products

Gap Wireless
Mississauga, Ontario
Complete journeyman and apprenticeship tool kits

Harger Lightning & Grounding
Grayslake, Ill.
Lightning protection, grounding and bonding equipment, Ultraweld/Ultra Shot exothermic products

Helmets to Hardhats
Washington, D.C.
Nonprofit that connects military service members with careers in the construction industry

Humana
Louisville, Ky.
Group Medicare Advantage plans for employer groups offering retiree coverage

IBEW Education Department
Washington, D.C.
Connecting IBEW members with the tools to learn, lead, and thrive

IBEW Hour Power
Golden, Colo.
An online magazine connecting IBEW members

IBEW Local Union 1
St. Louis
The birthplace of the IBEW, founded in 1891

IBEW Manufacturing Department
Washington, D.C.
Promoting IBEW-made products through IBEWmade.com

IBEW Political Action Committee
Washington, D.C.
Donate to the IBEW PAC

Image Pointe
Waterloo, Iowa
Union-made clothing and promotional products

Ingalls Shipbuilding
Pascagoula, Miss.
Develops and produces technologically advanced warships

Invesco
Portland, Ore.
Investment management and investment services

John Hancock Retirement Plan Services
Westwood, Mass.
Retirement plan services

Kaiser Permanente
Oakland, Calif.
Health care

Marco Consulting Group
Chicago
Investment consulting and corporate governance services

MassMutual Financial Group
Enfield, Conn.
Financial services

MetaMedia Training International, Inc.
Frederick, Md.
Education and training materials

Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation
Brookfield, Wis.
Cordless products, accessories, and hand tools

Multi-Employer Property Trust
Bethesda, Md.
Real estate fund

MWG Apparel Corporation
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Fire-retardant apparel, boots, and other personal protective equipment

NEBF
Washington, D.C.
Pension benefits

National Real Estate Advisors
Washington, D.C.
Real estate investments

National Utility Industry Training Fund
Washington, D.C.
Training partnership between the IBEW and utility companies across the United States

OneAmerica
Milwaukee
Retirement products and services

Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Walnut Creek, Cali.
Electric and gas utility

PNC Institutional Asset Management
Pittsburgh
Discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, trustee, and custody services

PoweringAmerica
Bethesda, Md.
Leading the electrical construction industry

Principal Financial Group
West Des Moines, Iowa
Financial services

Prudential Retirement
Hartford, Conn.
Financial services, 401(k), and multi-employer contribution plans

Robbins Geller
San Diego
Securities law firm

Rothschild Asset Management
New York
Financial services

Runkle Law Firm, PLLC
West Lake Hills, Texas
Litigation law firm

SAV-RX Prescription Services
Fremont, Neb.
Medical prescription services

Scarborough Alliance Group
Irvington, N.Y.
Retirement service and education

Scott+Scott, LLP
Colchester, Conn.
Law firm representing unions in corporate fraud-related losses

ScreenSafe
Joliet, Ill.
Drug-testing administration services

SEI
Chicago
Global provider of asset management

Southern Company
Birmingham, Ala.
Electric utility services

Stars & Stripes
Bridgeview, Ill.
Silk-screen and embroidery products

Tyndale Company, Inc.
Pipersville, Pa.
Flame-resistant clothing and top-quality apparel

UCOMM Communications
Bay Shore, N.Y.
Website production, internal and external communications

ULLICO, Inc.
Washington, D.C.
Labor-owned insurance and investment company

Union Built PC, Inc.
Copiague, N.Y.
Computer hardware and software

Union Insurance Group
Chicago
Commercial insurance

Union Privilege
Washington, D.C.
Benefits for union members

Union Sportsmen's Alliance
Franklin, Tenn.
North American hunting and fishing association

Victory Capital Management
Brooklyn, Ohio
Asset management

Vision Service Plan
Long Beach, Calif.
High-quality, cost-effective eye-care benefits

Volpentest HAMMER
Richland, Wash.
Safety and emergency response training

Web Connectivity, LLC
Lebanon, Ind.
IT services

Working Systems, Inc.
Olympia, Wash.
Union-made software, creator of LaborPower®, LPExpress®, and LaborPower® Web

Zenith American
Seattle, Wash.
Taft-Hartley third-party administrator

Zubie Wear
Universal City, Texas
Union-made apparel