Archives: News Items

2023 MCAA Safety Conference Highlighted Safety Leadership & Worker Health

Safety is the top priority for MCAA contractors, and attendance at the 2023 MCAA Safety Conference proved it. The 2023 conference was the largest safety event in MCAA history, bringing together over 350 professionals to focus on safety and health in San Diego, CA.

The conference featured 50 hours of education and training including keynotes on safety leadership, mental health, and safety management. It included 20 breakout sessions on current safety issues and priorities.

“This has been one of the best conferences I’ve ever been a part of.”
Tracy Haus, MCAA Safety & Health Committee Chairman and Baker Group Safety Director

The conference celebrated its 20th anniversary at PETCO Park at an event hosted by the MCAA Board of Directors.

Feedback from attendees was exceptional and highlighted the new expert panel discussion and presentation from Jen Massey, the UA’s Safety, Health, and Environmental Administrator.

With the increased focus on health, from mental health to worker health, MCAA will expand the conference moving forward. Mark your calendar and plan to join us for the 2024 MCAA Safety & Health Conference January 16-18, 2024 in Tucson, AZ.

Inspection Notice: Specific 3M Construction & Vest Style Harnesses

3M has notified the industry of a potential issue that could result in some construction and vest style harnesses not performing properly. This condition results in the adjuster not being able to be adjusted or not locking in place after adjustments have been made. This manufacturing issue will result in the harness not performing properly in the event of a fall, which could result in severe injury or death. Protect your workers – read the inspection notice below.

MCAA’s Final Four Student Chapters Will Compete at MCAA23 in Phoenix for First Place and a $10,000 Prize

Twenty-two MCAA Student Chapters submitted a proposal for the National Western Center Campus Energy project. Congratulations to the Final Four and Merit Award teams. The teams will present their proposals on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 28^th at MCAA23 in Phoenix, AZ.

Students were asked to provide a proposal for construction of the mechanical and plumbing systems at the new district energy facility on the National Western Center Campus in Denver, CO. The scope of the project included the installation of three 1000-ton cooling towers, six 6000-mbh boilers, a SHARC sewer heat recovery system, plate and frame heat exchangers, pumps, piping and supporting infrastructure.

This new 9,000 SF district energy facility will heat and cool multiple vertical buildings on the campus primarily by recovering heat from the 72” Delgany sewer main. The campus buildings include a veterinary hospital, a cattle expo hall and arena, an equestrian expo hall and arena, events center, agricultural education buildings with labs, greenhouses and kitchens, and a gallery/entertainment building. Upon completion, this project will be the largest sewer heat recovery system in North America. It is a huge step forward in de-carbonizing our commercial buildings with the use of both new and traditional technologies.

Thank you to the following companies for their special contributions to the competition project:

U.S. Engineering of Westminster, CO (supplying the project)
Procore (use of their Project Management software)
Trimble (use of Trimble Estimation MEP software)
Ferguson (providing pricing for pipe valves and fittings)

Semester Break Creates Employment Golden Opportunity on MCAA’s GreatFutures Job Board

College students across the country are finishing up finals and heading home for winter break. Following a few days of post-finals rest, their #1 priority will be to secure a summer internship or full-time position. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to put your company in the spotlight during the golden weeks between semesters! Post your entry level, full-time job or internship today and ring in the new year to successfully growing your workforce.

How it works:

Login with an MCAA username and password
Click on the job board within the Career Development page
Click Manage My Jobs and Add a Job to create your posting
Jobs remain active for 1 month to ensure postings stay fresh
When the job is set to expire, a reminder will be sent for you to either “mark as filled” or “duplicate” and repost for another month
Interested students can view postings and submit their contact information and resume
Your office will be notified via email when interested students submit their resume
From there, your office is encouraged to continue with your company’s application and interview process

VIEW JOB BOARD

MCAA’s Job Board Delivers Results

A student from Ball State University was recently hired by U.S. Engineering after using the new GreatFutures job board to find a summer internship. Congratulations to Reece Manning and U.S. Engineering! Read the article.

There’s Still Time to Apply for an Internship Grant!

If you already employed an intern in 2022, remember to submit an application for an Internship Grant. MCAA members may submit up to two applications per year for a $1,000 grant (to your company) and an accompanying $500 gift card (to the intern).

APPLY FOR AN INTERNSHIP GRANT

New Study Compares Contractor Usage of Best and Worst Language in Contract Clauses

The John R. Gentille Foundation (JRGF) has partnered with ELECTRI International (NECA) and the New Horizons Foundation (SMACNA) to assess and produce a detailed report on construction contracting best practices. Our collaboration is meant to provide industry-wide data that supports our members’ contract negotiations and guidance on better contract language to reduce liability. With better practices in place, risk can be shifted away from trade contractors to the appropriate party, leading to a more profitable industry overall.

First, Document Crunch identified the criteria used to analyze where the provisions at issue were considered Best Practice, Medium Practice, or Deficient Practice. Once those parameters were established, the Document Crunch proprietary platform extracted specific terms from each of the contracts to determine the frequency of each practice. After analyzing the data, Document Crunch has identified the 10 riskiest contract provisions that impact trade contractors.

Download a free copy of the research results below, which includes a description of each provision at issue, the criteria used to identify each issue, and the frequency of occurrence across the sample data.

The John R. Gentille Foundation underwrites the development of practices, tools, methods and materials to advance the mechanical and service trades.

DOWNLOAD FREE COPY

Find Your Next Great Hire With MCAA’s Revamped GreatFutures Job Board

Looking for an intern or full-time new hire? Checkout MCAA’s newly revised job board to post your open positions to a network of student chapter members from close to 50 student chapters from across the U.S. and Canada.

How it works:

Login with an MCAA username and password
Click on the job board within the Career Development page
Click Manage My Jobs and Add a Job to create your posting
Jobs remain active for 1 month to ensure postings stay fresh
When the job is set to expire, a reminder will be sent for you to either “mark as filled” or “duplicate” and repost for another month
Interested students can view postings and submit their contact information and resume
Your office will be notified via email when interested students submit their resume
From there, your office is encouraged to continue with your company’s application & interview process

VIEW JOB BOARD

School-Year Internship Grants

Have an intern working for you during the Fall semester? Don’t forget to submit an Internship Grant application! Internship grants funded by the John R. Gentille Foundation (JRGF) reward both the hiring company ($1,000) and the student ($500 gift card). Each MCAA member company may submit up to two grant applications per calendar year.

SUBMIT APPLICATION

Hiring an Intern? Apply for an Internship Grant.

Having interns working at MCAA member companies is a win-win for the mechanical contracting industry. Employers get top talent and build a pipeline for future employees. Students gain experience, create connections, develop skills and further their interest in mechanical contracting. Internship grants funded by the John R. Gentille Foundation (JRGF) reward both the hiring company and the student.

Each MCAA member company may submit up to two internship grant applications per year. Once the grant application is reviewed and accepted, MCAA will mail both a $500 student gift card and a $1,000 check to the company.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Learn More & Apply

Apply Today for the 2022-2023 JRGF Scholarships & Grants

The 2022-2023 John R. Gentille Foundation (JRGF) scholarship and grant applications are now available and are due on December 15th. Over $65,000 will be awarded to MCAA student chapter members during the Awards of Excellence Breakfast at MCAA23.

JRGF and our generous donors are proud to present the following scholarships:

Alan P. O’Shea Memorial Scholarship
- MCA of New Jersey
- $2,500 each, two awarded
Foster McCarl, Jr. Memorial Scholarship
- McCarl Family
- $5,000
Reilly Family Memorial Scholarship
- John W. Danforth Company
- $5,000
William A. Bianco, Jr. Memorial Scholarship
- Kinetics
- $5,000
Thomas J. Wanner Scholarship
- MCA/MSCA of Cleveland
- $5,000
Viega Scholarship
- Viega
- $5,000
Josam Endowed Scholarship
- Josam Company
- $2,500 for three years
- Sophomores and juniors
Trimble Estimating Scholarship
- Trimble
- $5,000
- Demonstrates an interest in a career as an estimator
Ferguson Women in the Mechanical Industry Scholarship
- Ferguson
- $5,000, two awarded
- Females
DeWALT Patriot Scholarship
- DeWALT
- $5,000, two awarded
- Military veterans or those who are currently serving

APPLY TODAY

Applications for Student Chapter of the Year and Educator of the Year are also now available and due on December 15th.

Chapter of the Year applications are to be completed by the student chapter President or another student leader within the chapter. Applications from faculty advisors or industry advisors will not be accepted. Only one application per chapter.

Educator of the Year applications are to be completed by the student chapter President or another student leader within the chapter or an industry advisor for the chapter. Peer-to-peer faculty advisor nominations will be not accepted.

CHAPTER OF THE YEAR APPLICATION

EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR APPLICATION

Please contact Michele Hoffman at 402-305-8969 with any questions.

Department of Defense Updates Cybersecurity Protocols for Contractors

In 2021, the Department of Defense announced a new strategic effort to provide enhanced cyber security efforts for their building projects going forward. The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) will ensure accountability for companies to implement cybersecurity standards to protect sensitive data during the design, build and operations of DoD facilities. Recently, the DoD has simplified and revised the CMMC to make it more streamlined and faster in what they are calling, “CMMC 2.0”.

Join us at MCAA’s 2022 GreatFutures Forum and Get a Head Start on Hiring Your 2023 Interns and New Hires

Join us September 29-October 1 at the Boston Marriott Newton for MCAA’s GreatFutures Forum! We’re getting back to the basics this year and focusing on all the things that make mechanical contracting such an exciting career choice. What is mechanical contracting anyway?

Registration is complimentary for all students, faculty, local affiliates, and MCAA members! We want to see a ton of new contractor faces at GFF22, and especially at our reimagined job fair. The fall is the best time to hire for both summer internships and full-time employment and MCAA can’t wait to see the employment connections materialize throughout the conference.