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Jakob Cimino Receives Alan P. O’Shea Memorial Scholarship

Congratulations to Jakob Cimino, one of the two recipients of the Alan P. O’Shea Memorial Scholarship. The Mechanical Contractors Association of New Jersey established the scholarships to honor the memory of Alan P. O’Shea, its former Executive Director, and memorialize his many contributions to the mechanical contracting industry.

Jakob, a freshman studying Construction Management, is a recent addition to the student chapter at the University of Nebraska. In the midst of the pandemic, he switched majors, universities, and came out of the gate looking for a group to help him get a foot in the door for his future career.

Luckily, the chapter was still able to hold their annual Internship Day and Jakob was the first to sign up to participate. Internship day is a special event where all of the MCA-Omaha companies offering summer internships gather around the board table and have the students come in one by one for a short interview. Not only is Jakob set to intern with MCAA member company, Control Services, this summer, but he actually already started as of December 1, 2020!

After quickly realizing he enjoyed being a part of his student chapter, Jakob explained, “I decided that I wanted to surround myself in that environment and start my career path. Once I did that, I never looked back and it has done nothing but benefit myself and help me learn to become a better person. It has helped me get into a place that I never thought that I would be in at this point in my life and now I already have my foot in the door of the mechanical industry because of it.”

MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Jakob on this distinguished scholarship and thank the MCA of Omaha, Inc. for its commitment to supporting younger students keeping them invested in the mechanical contracting industry.

Masen Dinklage Receives Reilly Family Memorial Scholarship

Congratulations to Masen Dinklage, this year’s recipient of the annual Reilly Family Memorial Scholarship. John W. Danforth Company, an MCAA member company, established the scholarship to commemorate the memory of its leadership, the Reilly Family. Kevin “Duke” Reilly served as Danforth’s Chairman/CEO. Wayne, Patrick and Emmett Reilly contributed a combined 128 years of commitment and loyalty to their company and the industry. This national scholarship symbolizes the Reillys’ many contributions to the mechanical contracting industry.

Masen, a senior studying Mechanical Engineering at The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has found himself on the College of Engineering dean’s list for the past four years. In addition to his academic achievements, Masen has held three separate student chair positions within his student chapter in which he has organized and coordinated student volunteer work for chapter fundraisers. Masen served as the Golf Chair in 2019, Wine Tasting Chair in 2020, and is currently the Beer Tasting Chair for 2021.

Masen has interned at MCAA member company, The Waldinger Corporation, for the past three years and has absolutely loved his experience. When asked what has drawn him towards a career in the mechanical contracting industry, Masen shared, “I want to be confronted with consistent challenges during my career and it is very evident to me that the mechanical contracting industry will provide new challenges every day. Additionally, I have had the pleasure of meeting many quality people within the mechanical industry. I have a strong desire to continue working with these people and build new relationships throughout my career.”

Masen, MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate you on receiving this prestigious scholarship and look forward to seeing the impact you make within our industry!

Thank you John W. Danforth Company and CEO, Robert Beck, for your commitment to keeping future industry leaders invested in the mechanical contracting industry.

Meet Luke Bennett, MCAA’s 2020 William A. Bianco Jr. Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Congratulations to Luke Bennett, MCAA’s 2020 recipient of the William A. Bianco, Jr. Memorial Scholarship. MCAA member, Kinetics, established the annual scholarship to honor Mr. Bianco and his many contributions to the industry’s continuing advancement.

Luke, a sophomore majoring in Construction Management, joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln chapter in the Fall of 2019 and eagerly signed up to attend MCAA’s GreatFutures Forum only a few weeks later.

While attending the conference, Luke struck up a conversation with one of MCA-Omaha’s local members and a former student chapter member himself, Adam Crnkovich, and came home from the conference with an internship at the Ray Martin Company. Luke has continued to intern with Adam at the Ray Martin Company and through this experience has found mechanical contracting to indeed be his desired career path.

Luke may have secured his internship early on, but that did not stop him from stepping up as an officer his first year in the student chapter. For Summer 2020, Luke was the Lincoln campus Recruitment Chair. This is usually one of the chapter’s more challenging positions, and was even more so in 2020 due to not being able to gather in person. In spite of COVID-19 restrictions, Luke was successful in recruiting four additional students to their chapter.

MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Luke on this prestigious scholarship and would like to thank Kinetics for their commitment to supporting younger students to keep them invested in the mechanical contracting industry.

Ahmed Seck is Awarded the Foster McCarl Jr. Memorial Scholarship During MCAA’s Virtual Education Conference

Ahmed Seck, a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park, has been awarded the Foster McCarl, Jr. Memorial Scholarship for 2020. This national scholarship honors Foster McCarl, Jr.’s many contributions to advancing the mechanical contracting industry, including his efforts toward establishing what is now known as the John R. Gentille Foundation (JRGF). McCarl’s Inc. (Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania) is the scholarship sponsor.

Ahmed, a Mechanical Engineering major, has been honored with several academic accolades over the last few years, including making the dean’s list for academic excellence. When asked about his interest in a career in the mechanical contracting industry, Ahmed said, “What drew me towards a career in the mechanical contracting industry was after joining my MCAA UMD chapter last year and having the opportunity to work on a nationwide competition with my team. Working on this project heightened my understanding of the mechanical contracting industry by exposing me to some of the responsibilities that one has to assume in the real world as a contractor.” He continued on to share, “Although our proposals would not of course be considered in the real world, it really felt as though we were contractors. We had our own firm name, our own responsibilities, a headquarters, a deadline. It truly felt real and exhilarating. It gave me confidence that I could indeed do this in the real world.”

Ahmed and his fellow University of Maryland College Park student chapter team members went on to make it into the Final Four of MCAA’s 2019-2020 Student Chapter Competition. Those who worked alongside Ahmed said in preparation for the competition, Ahmed dedicated multiple hours a week to sharpening his presentation, interviewing, and professional networking skills.

During his time with the student chapter, Ahmed has worked closely with eight industry mentors to advance his understanding of mechanical systems and innovative technologies. Ahmed continuously communicates with the mentors to seek opportunities for professional advancement and feedback for constructive improvement.

MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Ahmed on this distinguished scholarship.

Dr. Sherif Attallah Named MCAA’s 2020 Educator of the Year

The student chapter at Ball State University proudly nominated Dr. Sherif Attallah to be MCAA’s 2020 Educator of the Year because they believed he is more than qualified and deserving of this prestigious award, and MCAA’s Career Development Committee agreed. Here’s why.

Chapter Participation

Dr. Attallah played a crucial role in planning and participating in Ball State’s first annual Top Golf event. Dr. Attallah attends most of their chapter meetings, at which he always helps members with challenges they may be facing with their role in the competition. Dr. Attallah still holds several field trips for his various classes and the student chapter, often organizing and leading these numerous educational field trips himself.

Mentoring

Dr. Attallah’s connections within the industry help his students communicate with industry professionals who are willing to speak to their chapter. Whenever his students have a question about something that he does not know, Dr. Attallah puts them in contact with someone who does. When planning for their fundraiser, he was a significant contributor when trying to find participants; he used his network to reach out and get several participants involved. He did a phenomenal job with this being the chapter’s first annual Top Golf event, which they now plan to continue annually. In his teachings of the mechanical class at Ball State, Dr. Attallah has brought in several contractors that teach the class and sit with the team after talking to them about the mechanical industry.

Membership

Dr. Attallah is the professor for several introductory classes for the Ball State program. With this connection, he plays a crucial role in recruiting younger members for the chapter. Dr. Attallah also implements new and useful recruiting ideas, along with suggesting new members. Every year Dr. Attallah helps his student chapter come up with new activities for their chapter’s first call-out meeting for the school year. In the past, this event has been the deciding factor when recruiting new members to join their chapter and learn more about the mechanical contracting industry.

Student Internships

Dr. Attallah has helped several of the team members get in touch with industry professionals, which in turn leads to internships as well as full-time employment. The members have greatly benefited from his involvement with the mechanical internship program. With his teaching of the mechanical class, he gets to help students that are not in the chapter by letting them hear from the industry professionals that he brings in about internships and joining their chapter.

Employment

Last year two Ball State University student chapter members found full-time careers in the industry, one with North Mechanical and one with Bowen Engineering. He continues to lead his students towards the mechanical field every year.

Faculty Internships

Dr. Attallah has worked with HMH Contractors and, most recently, Kiewit during the summers. With HMH, he worked as an estimating engineer during the summer. In addition to helping HMH during a particularly busy time, he gained industry experience to bring back to the chapter and the mechanical class. During his time with Kiewit, he was a faculty scholar for their company and was a massive help over the summer.

Thank you for serving as an advisor, educator, and mentor to students, Dr. Attallah!

Beyond the Classroom Video Series: Participation–The Key to Growth

Adam Crnkovich is currently a Project Manager at the Ray Martin Company and a previous member of the University of Nebraska- Lincoln student chapter. As a student, Adam really enjoyed participating in MCAA’s Student Chapter Competition as it gave him incredible exposure to technical aspects that contractors work on, as well as played a huge role in his understanding of the industry as a whole.

Additionally, during his time in his student chapter, Adam actively attended MCAA GreatFutures Forums and MCAA Annual Conventions which he says not only helped him continue to learn about the industry and network, but ultimately helped him grow further into his field and as a person. Adam shared participating in these opportunities “gave me a lot more experience that not only understand if this is something I wanted to pursue, but also how I could be better in the industry and grow as a person and career in general.”

Adam loves that the mechanical contracting industry is not only about building things, but building people and relationships, something he has personally benefited from.

Congratulations to MCAA’s 2020 Student Chapter of the Year, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln

MCAA’s Career Development Committee proudly awarded The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Chapter as MCAA’s 2020 Student Chapter of the Year for their continuously outstanding achievement as an organization of students who are planning careers in the mechanical construction industry.

The University of Nebraska Student Chapter is sponsored by the MCA of Omaha. Vishnu Reddi, Assistant Professor of Practice with the Durham School, College of Engineering, is the chapter’s faculty advisor. Together, this chapter managed to get creative to not only survive but thrive during an incredibly challenging year.

Community Service

The student chapter volunteered to be judges at the NAWIC Block Kids event in January 2020.

MCA-Omaha participates in a variety of community service events each year. In January, their student chapter volunteered to be judges at the NAWIC Block Kids event. This event encourages kids from kindergarten to sixth grade to build new inventions out of Lego blocks related to the construction industry. In 2020 their group had twelve volunteer judges, their largest group yet! As volunteer judges, the students interacted with the kids and helped spark their imaginations and interest in construction.

Their student chapter participated in the annual Heat’s On Omaha and Heat’s On Lincoln event in the fall. Heat’s On consists of HVAC service members traveling with a student chapter member to the homes of elderly community members to inspect their furnaces before winter. There, the service members and the students inspect the filter, flame, sensors, flue gas, and check the batteries in all the smoke detectors. In 2020, four students participated in Heat’s On Omaha, which included one brand new member, and three students participated in Heat’s On Lincoln. Unfortunately, the students were not able to travel with the service members due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but were there to support the event by handing out sweatshirts, masks, and breakfasts.

A third community service event that was scheduled for 2020 was Domination Donation. This is a brand-new event created by the University of Nebraska student chapter that is a competition between local contractors to see who can raise the most money for a charitable cause. Due to COVID-19 this event was postponed. It will now kickoff this year.

The 2020 members of the MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy

Career Development

MCA-Omaha provides numerous career development opportunities for the MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy. The students are able to gain experience and explore the industry through networking events, mentorships, internships, and full-time employment opportunities. Many events and fundraisers are held throughout the year, all of which are led by committees of MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy students. These events include beer tasting, wine tasting, golf outing, community service, competition, and recruitment. The committees include academy students, a student chair, as well as multiple local MCA-Omaha contractors interested in helping with the event. Many of these contractors have been a part of the student academy in the past and can provide insight from past events.

The mentor program is at the core of every student’s career development opportunities within MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy. Each student within the academy is paired with a contractor from a local MCA-Omaha company. The students are paired with their mentors based on their specific interests about the industry. Mentors engage with the students through a variety of required activities throughout the year. One activity involves the mentor taking the student to their company’s office to show them what daily work looks like for them. Another activity is taking the student for a job walk at a current job site to see how construction projects operate. Other events include getting lunch or coffee together and attending an MCA-Omaha event together. This program is a great way for students to gain experience and knowledge about the industry from a local professional.

Throughout their involvement with the MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy, each student is paired with a mentor from a local company, has the opportunity to intern with a local contractor, and has the chance to serve on a committee with MCA-Omaha contractors. These networking opportunities are extremely beneficial to academy members, and the goal is for each academy student to carry those personal relationships into their future careers.

Competition

The University of Nebraska student chapter has participated in the MCAA Student Chapter Competition since it was started. The student competition this year certainly looked a bit different, but these students used this as an opportunity to find new solutions given the circumstances. Their team arranged to have three meetings with local contractors to ask questions via Zoom, which they admit was a bit challenging since they couldn’t be as hands on with learning by looking through plans together in person. However, they were eventually able to have one socially distanced meeting in person, which was the most useful to their team.

Recruitment

The MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy works extremely hard to continue to find responsible and dedicated student leaders to join the academy. The unprecedented challenges this year yielded many creative solutions to continue to reach out to new students, however the chapter persevered.

Their first event in August was a socially distanced recruitment fair in Lincoln. During the recruitment fair the students handed out flyers and applications, as well as had an estimating game to play for a chance to win a prize. The chapter also converted their annual in person Q&A event to a virtual Q&A, offering four $25 gift cards for any new student who logged on. This was an opportunity for them to meet and have a current member answer any questions they had. Three new students joined and all received gift cards.

In addition to providing virtual opportunities and reaching out to students by word of mouth, the chapter utilized the University’s E-Blasts to share information about the academy with a Facebook link, as well as a slide on the Engineering College’s hallway TVs for students still able to attend in person classes. In total, four new students joined their chapter, which is a huge success due to having to utilize virtual recruitment strategies.

Fund Raising

MCA-Omaha is fortunate to have support from over 30 local mechanical contractors. Their chapter typically hosts multiple events each year which gives students the opportunity to network with these contractors and raise funds for their chapter. Despite all of the challenges in 2020, they were still able to raise a total $10,031 from their fundraising events.

Students at the golf outing raffle in October.

Two of their four traditional fundraising events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the golf outing raffle in October proceeded with a few modifications. Instead of announcing the raffle winners live, a large white board with numbers was used to display the prize winners, that way the participants could grab-and-go with their boxed lunches. Their Golf Outing chair recorded a video message and sent out an MCA Omaha E-Blast announcing three mystery winners who each received $500 cash. Overall, they raised $1,192 at their 2020 golf outing.

Their wine tasting in November took place in a virtual setting and was a huge success. They were even honored to be joined by MCAA President Brian Helm. Typically, this event involves the student members serving various wines and cheeses to contractors who purchase a table at the event. The wine committee worked together to move this event virtually, by delivering 5 bottles of wine to each household for them to sample and enjoy. The deliveries were a great way for students to visit MCA Omaha companies and see their offices. For this event they raised $8,839, their most profitable wine tasting to date!

Field Trips

As a part of being involved with the MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy, each student must take a job site visit with their mentor, as well as visit their office. With 20 members in 2020, that is 20+ field trips through their mentor program alone! Unfortunately, all the other scheduled group trips this year were cancelled.

Internships with Mechanical Contractors

In 2020, out of the 20 current students and 4 new members, the chapter had 15 (63%) of students have internships with MCAA companies with 91% of the group having some sort of internship. Each year, students have the opportunity to participate in Internship Day in the fall. Internship Day is where students can interview with multiple MCAA contractors looking for interns the next summer and are placed where they would be the best fit. One benefit of 2020 is that the students found themselves with a lot more free time on their hands with virtual learning and many were able to work part-time during the fall of 2020 and especially during the long winter break from Thanksgiving to mid-January. Of their four new members, three have been accepted for an internship during the school year and for summer 2021.

Employment

The chapter had one student graduate in December 2020. He is currently employed with Helm Group, an MCAA member, meaning they had all (100%) of their graduates employed with mechanical contractors last year!

Congratulations to The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Chapter on this well-deserved recognition!

MCAA’s Virtual Education Conference Delivered Education & Awards, Welcomed New Leaders

MCAA’s first Virtual Education Conference from March 22-25, 2021 featured top quality education seminars and an interactive exhibit, honored award winners, thanked retiring Board members and welcomed new leaders.

Top Quality Education & An Interactive Exhibit

Education sessions showcased topics from emerging trends to driving business growth and identifying potentially critical issues. Participants heard from United Association General President Mark McManus and MCAA President Brian Helm about the importance of our labor and management relationship, and how we can work together toward a meaningful and lasting labor/management partnership.

The latest technology systems and trends were discussed, along with best practices for adapting to them. Attendees learned how to grow a strong and profitable service business, how to work better with a multi-generational workforce, and how to reduce healthcare costs, increase productivity and improve company culture and the bottom line.

An interactive exhibit featured presentations by the conference sponsors with plenty of time for questions and answers.

Congratulations, Award & Scholarship Winners!

The Closing General Session provided an opportunity to celebrate excellence and offer congratulations to award winners.

CNA/MCAA Safety Excellence Awards

MCAA President Brian Helm recognized the MCAA member firms that achieved the highest level of safety excellence last year saying, “There is nothing more important to us than the safety and health of the people on our job sites and in our companies, especially this past year.”

The winners were:

W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc.
Icon Mechanical
Mall City Mechanical 
Matrix HG, Inc.
Southwest Town Mechanical

To be eligible to win a CNA/MCAA Safety Excellence Award, a company has to submit a written application describing its safety and health program in 2020 and why it believes it deserves the award, and an innovation that helped it achieve a high degree of safety excellence last year. Companies are divided into five categories by number of hours worked, and a winner is chosen in each category.

MILWAUKEE TOOL-MCAA Safety Professional of the Year Award

MILWAUKEE TOOL Senior Vice President Scott Teson presented the MILWAUKEE TOOL-MCAA Safety Professional of the Year Award to Cheryl Wiese, Safety Director of Modern Companies in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He noted that Cheryl was a key stakeholder in her company’s ability to overcome the many challenges COVID-19 presented, from understanding the science to implementing safe return-to-work protocols and ensuring her team had the proper PPE to return to work and do their jobs safely.

John R. Gentille Foundation Scholarships

Mark Rogers, President of the newly renamed John R. Gentille Foundation, announced the recipients of the John R. Gentille Foundation Scholarships. He noted that the students receiving scholarships were selected for their academic performance, leadership skills, interest in developing a career in the mechanical industry, work ethic, and technical abilities.

The Foster J. McCarl, Jr. Memorial Scholarship

Ahmed Seck of the University of Maryland College Park received a $5,000 scholarship check in memory of Foster McCarl, Jr., without whose vision there would be no foundation. McCarl’s Inc. (Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania) is the scholarship sponsor.

The William A. Bianco, Jr. Memorial Scholarship

Luke Bennett of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln received a $5,000 scholarship check in memory of the foundation’s former President and MCAA Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recipient William A. “Bill” Bianco, Jr. The scholarship is sponsored by Kinetics of Fremont, California.

The Reilly Family Memorial Scholarship

Masen Dinklage of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln received a scholarship check for $5,000 in honor of the Reilly family, honoring Wayne Reilly, Emmitt Reilly and Patrick Reilly. John W. Danforth Company in Tonawanda, New York, is the scholarship’s sponsor.

The Alan O’Shea Memorial Scholarship

Parker Scott Filius of Purdue University and Jakob Cimino of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln each received a $2,500 scholarship check in honor of Alan O’Shea. MCA of New Jersey is the scholarship’s sponsor.

FERGUSON – Women in the Mechanical Industry Scholarship

Kimberly Sikkema of Ferris State University and Sarah Galan of Wentworth Institute of Technology each received a $5,000 scholarship, sponsored by Ferguson, for worthy female students invested in career in the mechanical contracting industry.

Josam Endowed Scholarship

Hailey Brennan of the University of Maryland, College Park received a $2,500 scholarship underwritten by the Josam Company. This scholarship category was added last year and offers established a $2,500 annual scholarship for students pursuing a degree in Construction Management, Mechanical Engineering or a similar field. Provided that all qualifications are met each year, the recipients will receive the scholarship in their sophomore, junior AND senior years.

New Student Chapter Chartered

MCAA welcomed its newest student chapter by granting a charter to Utica College in Utica, New York. The new chapter is sponsored by The Mechanical Contractors Association of the Capital District.

Educator of the Year

Dr. Sherif Attallah of Ball State University was recognized as the Educator of the Year based on his mentoring, industry knowledge, involvement, and active participation in MCAA’s Student Chapter program activities. In addition to a trophy, he received a check for $5,000.

Student Chapter of the Year

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln was selected as this year’s Student Chapter of the Year. The Career Development Committee chose the winner after evaluating how well the chapter promotes an understanding of the mechanical industry and the career opportunities we offer. They received a check for $3,000.

MCAA Student Chapter Competition

Fairleigh Dickinson University won the top prize of $10,000 and a trophy for their work on this year’s Student Chapter Competition project, which required student chapters to act as the prime contractor on the renovation project to the historic University of Pennsylvania Museum.

Virginia Tech Blacksburg Campus was the runner-up team, placing second and receiving a trophy and check for $5,000.

Kansas State University and Missouri State University rounded out the final four. Each of these finalists received $2,500.

Six additional teams that just missed the final four were recognized with checks for $1,000. They are, in alphabetical order:

Ball State University
Binghamton University
McMaster University
Purdue University
University of Maryland College Park
The University of Missouri Columbia

Thank You to Retiring Board of Directors Members

President Helm expressed MCAA’s thanks to retiring Board members, saying, “We appreciate all their time and talents, and they will certainly be missed on the Board. We thank you for your service as a member of the MCAA Board of Directors!”

Troy Aichele
Nashville, Tennessee

Gary Grandchamp
Kirlin Group
Rockville, Maryland

Ken Harbour
Cleveland Mechanical Services
Atlanta, Georgia

Bob Hightower
Apollo Mechanical Contractors
Kennewick, Washington

Bill Hughes
MILWAUKEE TOOL
Mickelton, New Jersey

Mike Brandt
Immediate Past President, MCAA
Smith and Oby Company
Walton Hills, Ohio

Welcome, New Leaders

President Helm shared some final words before passing the gavel to MCAA’s 2021 President, Armand Kilijian. President Kilijian introduced the Executive Committee and new Board members who will lead the association in the coming year.

Executive Committee

Immediate Past President
Brian Helm
The Helm Group

President-Elect
Bob Bolton
Arden Building Companies

Senior Vice President and Treasurer
Robert Beck
John W. Danforth Company

Vice President and Assistant Treasurer
Rick Gopffarth
Dynamic Systems

New Board Members

Each of the following has been elected to a three-year term on MCAA’s Board of Directors.

Shaabini Alford, Murray Company
John Dineen, Postler & Jaekle Corporation
Jim Gaffney, Goshen Mechanical
John Marlow, US Engineering Construction
Parthiv Amin, SLOAN

President Kilijian congratulated the new Board members before delivering his first address to the association as its president, saying:

“I look forward to continued collaboration and innovation as we see what the pandemic throws at us next and what our “next normal” will look like. There has never been a better time to be an MCAA member.”
Armand Kilijian, MCAA President

Meet the Final Four Teams in MCAA’s 2020-2021 Student Chapter Competition

MCAA is so excited that our Virtual Education Conference (VEC) | Essential Learning for Unconventional Times, is almost here! Next week starts off with MCAA’s Annual Student Chapter Competition on Monday, March 22^nd from 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET and you will not want to miss it. Get to know the final four teams before the big competition!

Fairleigh Dickinson University

MCAA’s student chapter at Fairleigh Dickinson University was chartered in 2003. Wonjae Choi, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, is the current faculty advisor.

The FDU chapter has entered the MCAA Student Chapter Competition every year since 2004. They competed in the Final Four at the 2018 MCAA Convention in San Antonio. In 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019, the chapter placed in the top 10 and received a Certificate of Merit recognizing their achievement.

The chapter received Emerging Chapter grants in 2004 and 2007. They also received a Chapter of Excellence Grant in 2005, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020.

Meet Fairleigh Dickinson’s competition team:
(The competition team consisted of all Mechanical Engineering majors)
Francis Castro, Class of 2021
Keion Oglesby, Class of 2021
Andrew Sayad, Class of 2022
Natalie Stanton, Class of 2021
Alejandro Zapata, Class of 2021

Kansas State University

Kansas State University’s chapter received its charter at the 2010 Convention in San Francisco. The chapter’s current faculty advisors are Paul Karr and Jongchul Song. KSU has consistently participated in the student competition since 2011. Chapter members have attended all of the MCAA Conventions and Student Chapter Summits and GreatFutures Forums since it was chartered.

The chapter received an Emerging Chapter Grant in 2011, 2014 and again in 2019. They received a Chapter of Excellence Grant in 2018 and 2020.

Meet Kansas State University’s competition team:
Annie Burnam, Construction Science and Management, Class of 2021
Collin Champagne, Construction Science and Management, Class of 2022
Carlos Espino, Architectural Engineering, Class of 2024
Kayla Huffman, Architectural Engineering, Class of 2022
Trevor Waggoner, Architectural Engineering , Class of 2022
Peyton Winter, Construction Science and Management, Class of 2024

Missouri State University

Missouri State’s student chapter was charted in the Spring of 2017 and the chapter has been incredibly involved in MCAA’s Career Development Initiative, attending every GreatFutures Forum and Convention since. Jacob Nelson is the current faculty advisor.

Meet Missouri State University’s competition team:
(The competition team consisted of all Construction Management majors)
Nathan Bextermueller, Class of 2022
Cole Eiler, Class of 2021
Tanner Hartman, Class of 2021
Cabriah Hillman, Class of December 2021
Keagan Hosman, Class of 2022
Ryan Sweeny, Class of 2023

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Campus

MCAA’s student chapter at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Campus was chartered in 2007. The chapter has consistently participated in MCAA events, and their local MCA of Metro Washington hosted MCAA’s last GreatFutures Forum in Washington, D.C. in 2019.

Most recently, their student chapter was awarded an Emerging Chapter Grant in 2020.

Georg Reichard, PhD, PE has been the faculty advisor of this student chapter from the start and still stands as the faculty advisor today.

Meet the Virginia Tech Blacksburg Campus competition team:
(The competition team consisted of all Building Construction majors)
Ke’Aja (KJ) Jefferson, Class of 2021
Andrew Nguyen, Class of 2021
Justin Zeigmont, Class of December 2021

MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation (JRGF) congratulate all of the finalists and recognize their commitment and dedication to this year’s project.

MCAA’s Sponsor Spotlight 16 Welcomes Gary Moore, Victaulic Executive Vice President

In the sixteenth episode of MCAA’s Sponsor Spotlight series, Brian Helm, MCAA President is joined by Gary Moore, Victaulic’s Global Executive Vice President of Sales. The Sponsor Spotlight Series is a new way for MCAA contractor members to learn more about the Manufacturer/Supplier Council (M/SC) Governing Board members, their products, their relationship with MCAA, and what being a member means to them.

Gary began his career with Victaulic in June 1988 as a sales representative in Canada. Within ten years, he was made the President of Victaulic Canada. When he moved to the United States in 2003, he was first the Vice President of Sales in North America, followed by North and South America, and finally, the Americas and EMEAI. He took on his current role as the company’s Global Executive Vice President of Sales in 2009. Gary was the National Director of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada’s Supplier Council, and he has been involved with the MCAA Manufacturer/Supplier Council in the U.S. for the last 18 years, including three years on the Board of Directors.