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Applications for MCAA’s 2020 JRGF Student Chapter Grants Due September 14th!

JRGF provides funding through grants to help chapters cover the costs of projects, participation in the annual MCAA Student Chapter Competition, field trips, scholarships and travel to MCAA events.

A Chapter of Excellence Grant is for chapters that are well-established and thriving but need additional funds for student scholarships, travel to MCAA events, special projects, field trips or other chapter operations. The grant is divided accordingly:

$7,500 Chapter of Excellence Grant
- $5,000 Student Scholarships
- $2,500 Chapter Operations & Projects

An Emerging Chapter Grant is for new or rebuilding student chapters to help cover the cost of student scholarships, travel to MCAA events, special projects, field trips or other chapter operations. The $3,000 grant is for either student scholarships or chapter operations.

Deadline: September 14, 2020

Completed applications are due to Megan Walsh at mwalsh@mcaa.org by Monday, September 14^th.

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Thank You for Supporting Your Foundation

Please join us in saying thank you to the MCAA members who have given to the John R. Gentille Foundation (JRGF) in 2020. Their support enables the JRGF to identify and work to solve the issues that confront the organized mechanical construction and service industry, challenges such as future workforce, productivity and technology.

Your peers supporting these vital efforts in 2020 are:

Arden Engineering Constructors, LLC
Binsky & Snyder, LLC
CCI Mechanical, Inc.
CFI Mechanical, Inc.
Cleveland Plumbing Industry Promotional and Education Fund
CPMCA
Dynamics Systems, Inc.
Eastern Iowa/Western Illinois MCA
Ferguson
Harrell-Fish, Inc.
Hughes Environmental Engineering, Inc.
John W Danforth Company
JPG Plumbing & Mechanical Services, Inc.
Kinetics Systems, Inc. – (Bill Bianco Scholarship)
MCA of Akron, Ohio, Inc.
MCA of Greater Springfield, Missouri
MCA of Indiana, Inc.
MCA of Kansas City
MCA of Northwestern Ohio, Inc.
MCA of Rockford, Inc.
MCA/MSCA of New York, Inc.
McCauley Mechanical Construction, Inc.
Mechanical Contracting Industry Fund of Cleveland
Michael F. Russo
Mid-Atlantic MCA
Nooter Construction Company
North Mechanical Contracting, Inc.
Piping and Service Industry Coalition
Poole & Kent Corporation
Service Fitters Industry Promotional Fund of New York
The John F. Gallagher Company
West Chester Mechanical Contractors
Western New York Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors, Inc.

Learn more and donate on the JRGF website.

Beyond the Classroom Video Series: Real-World Experience Matters

In this month’s edition of Beyond the Classroom, Peter Gebert, a Washington State University student, talks about the highlights of being involved in his student chapter and how that involvement has led to more learning opportunities, hands-on experience, and ultimately two internships with McKinstry.

Gebert’s interest in Mechanical Contracting was piqued while on a field trip to Seattle, “I’m walking through all these high rises and they are putting in all this HVAC, heating, plumbing, electrical and that really kind of got me going.” Gebert said. “Wow, there is so much you can do, there is so much going on in construction other than concrete and steel.”

Upcoming Beyond the Classroom videos will showcase how MCAA student chapter members and MCAA members alike are benefiting from the program. They will also share the opportunities available to students who choose careers in the mechanical industry.

MCAA’s GreatFutures Virtual Fall Program Finishes Week 2

MCAA’s GreatFutures Virtual Fall Program has kicked off! Each of the 17 presentations is meant to help students navigate the proposal and bid process for the annual MCAA Student Chapter Competition project.

Did we mention registration is free and you only have to register once for ALL of the presentations!

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email with the MCAA’s GreatFutures Virtual Fall Program website login instructions. This website includes:

All virtual program details;
Presentation descriptions;
Speaker overviews; and
A full agenda with links to join the live sessions!

We encourage you to attend as many presentations live to interact with fellow students and engage with the presenters in the presentation Q&A. If you are unable to attend any of the sessions live, don’t you worry, the recorded presentations will be posted on MCAA’s GreatFutures Virtual Fall Program website AFTER the live session.

MCAA is sending a weekly Monday reminder email to registered attendees, highlighting the presentations for that week. Don’t forget to add them to your calendar!

MCAA’s GreatFutures Virtual Fall Program is sponsored by

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Beyond the Classroom Video Series: Finding Longevity in Your Career

In this month’s Beyond the Classroom, meet Sarabeth Gandara, a Preconstruction Engineer at U.S. Engineering. Gandara is a past MCAA Student Chapter member and an Architectural Engineering graduate from Milwaukee School of Engineering. In the video segment, Gandara talks about her experiences with MCAA and how the mechanical contracting industry is the perfect mix of technical and personal relationships. Sarabeth shares the importance of looking for a position with a company that has viable longevity.

Gandara is currently a member of the MCAA Career Development Committee, which is made up of member contractors, whose aim is to provide education and resources to student chapter members. The committee’s goal is to connect students with members by creating networking and employment opportunities while ultimately cultivating the next generation of industry leaders in mechanical contracting.

MCA of Chicago Hosts Summer Interns

The mechanical contracting industry provides many career paths, and that includes the opportunity to work for an MCA local affiliated association. This summer, MCA of Chicago has two interns, Judie Prophete and Ervin Prophete. They are learning about how an association is managed and how the MCA of Chicago provides resources and education to its members.

MCA of Chicago Director of Communications Abby Baughan said, “It’s been great having Judie and Ervin working with us this summer. They’re bright, hard-working and make great additions to our team. When I was in college, I knew very little about association work and mechanical contracting. Like most people, I sort of fell into it. I think it’s great that, as college students, Judie and Ervin are being introduced to this world filled with so much opportunity. I hope this internship opens their eyes to all of the possible career paths that are available to them.”

Meet Judie Prophete

Judie is an incoming senior at DePaul University, studying accounting and business management.

“As the accounting intern and administrative assistant for the MCA of Chicago, I spend the majority of my time helping our Director of Finance, Susan Rocque, with various tasks and projects. The other part of my time is spent doing administrative work around the office and helping where I am needed. I am learning a lot about accounting and finance, gaining a lot of new experience and learning a lot about what it is like to work in an office setting.”

During her internship, Judie hopes to continue learning more about the professional workplace and about programs and tools that are specific to her field of study. She also hopes to gain more confidence so she is prepared to enter the business world.

“From what I have seen in the month that I have been interning here, there are a lot of aspects of the professional workplace that school cannot prepare you for. The only way to truly learn these things and succeed is to actually be put in those situations and just do the best you can with what you have. I am fortunate enough to be learning those things surrounded by welcoming, forgiving and patient co-workers in a friendly and positive work environment.”

Meet Ervin Prophete

Ervin Prophete is a senior at DePaul University in Chicago, studying public relations and advertising.

Ervin is a marketing intern. His responsibilities include creating and posting graphics on social media, helping Director of Communications Abby Baughan with compiling the weekly emails, scheduling events on the MCA of Chicago Facebook page and updating the MCA website with future events and classes.

Ervin talked about what he hopes to get out of this internship. “I have learned a lot so far in this internship and feel that every day I step in the office is a day I gain more knowledge about the marketing world. I am hoping to just learn as much as I can and become proficient in the tools I have been introduced to in my time here so far. By the end, I would like to be able to use the knowledge I will have gained to do some freelance work while I finish school.”

MCA of Chicago Career Development

MCA of Chicago members are also focused on getting talented students into the mechanical contracting industry, even if they do not follow the typical academic path.

Brandon Hubner of Premier Mechanical, Inc., shared his company’s unique insight about hiring the right talent:

“The way the Premier has looked at hiring is that a person’s major focus of study or background is less important than the skills that they bring to the table and how well they can help round out our team and add value with other talents that they have. Construction, and mechanical contracting even more so, is a unique industry and every system we install is different. Rarely are two buildings built identically, or with the same team of general contractors and subcontractors. If systems and teams are rarely the same, then why always hire from within the same field of study? In our experience, we can better tackle unique projects with unique individuals. Given the number of variables there are to construction, we would be passing over a lot of really good candidates if we focused just on construction management and mechanical engineering majors.”

McElroy’s Inc. Intern Receives MCAA Internship Grant

McElroy’s Inc., an MCA of Kansas City member, presented Parker Beal with an MCAA Internship Grant at the start of his 2020 summer internship. The grant is funded by the John R. Gentille Foundation. Parker said, “This grant will help me continue to fund my college degree and expenses. I see this not only as a great learning opportunity, but also as a motivation to tell other interns in the future about what I have learned and experienced in the mechanical industry.”

This is Parker’s third consecutive internship with McElroy’s Inc. The Architectural Engineering student has a particular interest in MEP. After he graduates from the University of Kansas in the spring of 2022, he intends to pursue a master’s degree in Business Administration.

This summer, Parker is using BIM software and other programs to aid in design and load calculations for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems in both commercial and industrial buildings. He will be shadowing Vice President Wade Jueneman, head of commercial construction for McElroy’s Inc.

“McElroy’s has given me valuable opportunities to help further my understanding and knowledge in the mechanical industry,” Parker said of his experiences. “I’m looking forward to developing my skills to transform ideas into design solutions and then see my work in action.”

About the MCAA Internship Grants

Having MCAA interns working at member companies is a win-win for the mechanical contracting industry. Employers get top talent and build a pipeline of future employees. Students gain experience, create connections, develop skills and further their interest in mechanical contracting. In paying the student instead of the employer, MCAA’s goal is to increase the overall number of interns and drive the overall number of talented employees accepting full-time positions with MCAA members after graduation.

How the Grant Application Process Works

The MCAA member company will first ensure a prospective intern is in good standing at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or technical school. While MCAA encourages its members to give priority to students from the MCAA Student Chapter Program, this is not a requirement to receive a grant.

Each MCAA member company can submit up to two internship grant applications per year. Once an application is reviewed and accepted, MCAA will send a $500 gift card to the member company so it can present the Gift Card to the student at the start of their internship.

MCAA will follow-up with each company and intern to ensure the process and overall internship was successful.

Start Your Search for Top Talent Today

MCAAGreatFutures.org gives members access to student profiles and resumes. The profiles are searchable by university, desired location, and even a specific skill set, like BIM or AutoCAD. A keyword filter allows users to zero in on students who fit the bill.

Not finding a match? Try reaching out to our 60 MCAA Student Chapters. The chapter advisors are a great resource to help find the right person. And, MCAA members have exclusive access to post job openings on our job board.

Help build our industry’s GreatFuture – apply for a grant!

U.S. Engineering Intern Gains Valuable Experience Virtually

The ever evolving COVID-19 restrictions have forced MCAA member companies to adapt to new normals. MCAA member, U.S. Engineering (USE), is among them. The company has transitioned their summer internship program to a virtual platform and has been quick to adapt to online engagement in order to assure the internship experience is valuable for this summer’s 24 interns.

Among those interns is Kenny Griffin, Iowa State University MCAA Student Chapter member.

About Kenny

Kenny Griffin is an incoming Senior at Iowa State University and a member of the university’s MCAA Student Chapter. He is studying Construction Engineering with a mechanical emphasis.

In June Kenny began his internship with U.S. Engineering’s Rocky Mountain division and has been assigned to a Project Manager team comprised of two PMs and two Senior PMs. He has had the opportunity to perform different tasks, ranging from projections, O&M’s, updating equipment logs and reviewing RFI’s and submittals.

Kenny says, “We are currently tasked with the construction of the mechanical systems of a high technology facility for a confidential client. This is an expansion of an existing facility, housing its own central utility plans as well as various specialty testing labs and clean rooms.”

MCAA Student Chapter Experience

Kenny found his internship opportunity at the 2019 MCAA Great Futures Forum networking event in Washington, DC, where he was introduced to Sarabeth Gandara, U.S. Engineering Project Engineer.

“I later caught up with Sarabeth and Desiree Sharp (from the Kansas City office) at the Friday morning job fair where I was able to learn about USE, their office locations and the types of work USE performs. After the GreatFutures Forum concluded, I was contacted by Sarabeth for an interview and the rest is history.”

Kenny currently serves as his MCAA Student Chapter’s Vice President and says, “I have endless great things to say about the experiences you gain from being part of MCAA. It has opened countless doors of opportunity to meet peers from other programs across the country, as well as gain exposure to companies that do not frequent job fairs near Iowa State University.”

Start Your Search for Top Talent Today

Find student chapter members like Kenny by visiting MCAAGreatFutures.org, where members have access to student profiles and resumes. The profiles are searchable by university, desired location, and even a specific skill set, like BIM or AutoCAD. A keyword filter allows users to zero in on students who fit the bill.

Beyond the Classroom: Let’s Get Down to Business

In this month’s Beyond the Classroom, meet University of Nebraska senior, Ali Brown. She is an MCAA Student Chapter member and current intern for The Waldinger Corporation. Ali is the 2020 Women in the Mechanical Industry – Ferguson Scholarship recipient. You can read Ali’s profile HERE.

Ali is earning her degree in Business Administration & Human Resources. In this video, Ali shares her perspective on entering the mechanical contracting industry and emphasizes the importance of business and human resources.

Marelich Mechanical Company, Inc. Offers Career Opportunities for Chico State Student Chapter Members

Marelich Mechanical Company, Inc. employs summer interns and new-hire project engineers from Northern California MCA student chapter programs. Chad Johnston, VP of Operations said, “Even with the circumstances we were still able to bring aboard seven summer intern and new-hire project engineers. We provide them a job opportunity, and most importantly give them experience in the plumbing and mechanical sector of the construction industry.”

Chad Johnston shares an overview of Marelich Mechanical’s onboarding process for interns and full-time hires:

New hires get the chance to spend a day in the main office meeting different department staff: Human Resources, IT, Safety, Purchasing, Estimating, Detailing, Design and Operations. The following days are typically spent riding around with the plumbing, piping, and sheet metal superintendents walking through various projects and fabrication shops to experience all aspects of Marelich operations beyond their specific project assignment.

This summer, due to the impacts of COVID-19, the onboarding process was drastically modified. All new hires were brought into a mostly vacant office, meeting only a few essential individuals allowed in the office, with face masks used and social distancing maintained. No welcome aboard handshakes, no superintendent ride-along, no touring of multiple jobsites, and no group Marelich camping and rafting trip that have been done in past years.

Chad says, “Yes, things are different this year. For any new hire to any company right now, the empty offices, teams working remotely, and the mandated social distancing makes our organizations feel different than they did just a few months ago. Fortunately, we were able to continue our process of giving students of our Nor Cal MCA Student Chapters schools the opportunity for a career and experience in the industry.”

Below are just a few of the tasks interns and new-hires will be performing this summer:

Reading and understanding project plans and specifications
Writing, submitting, tracking, and resolving RFI’s
Shop drawing submittals and tracking
Processing equipment and material submittals and structural anchorage packages
Managing equipment and material procurement and their releases to meet the project schedule
Attending, documenting, and follow up for on-site meetings
Developing labor loaded schedules; Tracking installed quantities and labor tracking
Estimating, tracking and managing change orders
Coordinating design changes with subcontractors & vendors
QA/QC process follow-up

Chico State Interns

Marelich currently has three MCAA Student Chapter members of California State University, Chico interning this summer including, mechanical engineering major, Jimmie Whitton and construction management majors, Erich Anderson and Wyatt Hattich.

Wyatt Hattich is the retuning MCAA Student Chapter Vice President at Chico State. This summer, Wyatt is working on the HVAC in a luxury 19-story apartment building, Trinity Phase IV, in San Francisco. The largest Whole Foods in San Francisco is being built in the basement below the lobby of the apartments. Below the Whole Foods are five-floors of parking that will connect to the Trinity Phase III building next door.

Wyatt reflects on his experience so far as an intern, “What I really like about Marelich is that they all have made me feel very welcome in their company. They are all so open to help me succeed and learn new things about the mechanical industry. I am very grateful that Marelich allowed me to intern this summer and have given me such a positive experience.”

Full-time Chico State Hire

Ryan Smith graduated Chico State May 2020 with a Construction Management degree and just started full-time as a Project Manager with Marelich.

He is helping to manage the pipe fitters and sheet metal unions, focusing on HVAC work. During his experiences so far, Ryan has learned, “what truly make a great project manager is how you fix your mistakes when they arise.”

His current project is a San Francisco high end hotel and residential condo project. There are over 500 units between the hotel and condos, each has a fan coil unit which is connected to a VRF, and over five miles of refrigerant line.

“Since it is San Francisco we get to use cool tools like zoom lock which is like pro press. I process the submittals, RFI’s, IOM’s, and fix problems on the daily basis. San Francisco is a high stress environment but has some of the smartest individuals I have ever worked with. I thank MCAA for giving me such a great opportunity and for connecting me with such a great employer, Marelich Mechanical. Thank you for all you have done and for pointing me in the right direction.”

Start Your Search for Top Talent Today

Find student chapter members like Wyatt and Ryan by visiting MCAAGreatFutures.org, where members have access to student profiles and resumes. The profiles are searchable by university, desired location, and even a specific skill set, like BIM or AutoCAD. A keyword filter allows users to zero in on students who fit the bill.