Category: Service

Want to Grow Your Business? Register for the PCA Plumbing Service Conference

While the construction industry has bounced back from the lows of 2020, the pandemic has helped teach contractors a valuable lesson – growing your business can help you ride out the low times. Plumbing service presents a perfect opportunity for plumbing, mechanical and mechanical service members to grow their business into new sectors. The ideal time to start the process is now when backlogs are full. The PCA Plumbing Service Conference presents a great opportunity to learn how to add service to your business.

As Neptune Plumbing CEO and PCA Chair Scott Wallenstein puts it, “We started getting into plumbing service a couple of years before The Great Recession. When times were low in 2007 and 2008, plumbing service was a great way to compensate for the slowdown in our construction department. Now we see it as a cornerstone of our business because of the higher margins, cash flow and regular business through maintenance agreements.”

The PCA’s new Plumbing Service Conference is a great way to learn how contractors have added plumbing service operations. While attending the conference, you can see it in action. Join a tour of Neptune Plumbing’s Cleveland facility to see how they perform their plumbing service operations. They will demonstrate how they handle inventory, dispatch, stock a plumbing service truck and perform comprehensive plumbing service operations.

The conference will be held September 20-21 in Cleveland, Ohio and limited to only 50 participants. The conference is filling up fast, so register now! To learn more, or to reserve your spot, visit our event page.

Resource Highlight: MSCA’s HVACR 101 Workbook Series

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MSCA’s HVACR 101 Workbooks. The series of 10 workbooks familiarize new staff with the industry equipment, processes and terminology they’re likely to encounter to help them succeed in their jobs.

The workbooks are available in WebBook format to maximize the learning experience. Each one includes a training video, relevant course material and a quiz. The workbooks are also available as PDF downloads that do not include the videos.

Access the full list, including detailed descriptions of what is included in each, in the Resource Center.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MSCA’s Barb Dolim.

New National Service & Maintenance Agreement Effective August 1, 2021

A new six-year National Service and Maintenance Agreement has been finalized, approved and signed by the UA and MSCA/MCAA effective August 1, 2021. This Agreement will continue to play an important role in growing the HVACR market for the organized sector.  Several important modifications are included in the new Agreement, which should benefit all national signers and local UA unions. Click “Learn More” for details on the changes in the new Agreement and a link to the new document.

There are Heroes Among Us – Let’s Recognize Yours!

MSCA’s Everyday Hero Award is a great way for you to honor those individuals working for your company that go above and beyond to make a difference in their communities, churches or within their own families.

These extraordinary individuals get involved or perform these acts simply out of the kindness of their hearts. Whether it is helping the needy, aiding the elderly, volunteering for a charitable organization or fostering children, they are truly heroes.

Help us honor these generous and caring individuals that work for you by nominating them for the MSCA Everyday Hero Award. To submit your nomination, complete the brief form below and send it back to MSCA. Not only will we recognize them but MSCA will make a very generous donation to their charity of choice.

Deadline for nominations has been extended to August 20, 2021.

Learn How to Grow Your Business, Attend the PCA Plumbing Service Conference

While the construction industry has bounced back from the lows of 2020, the pandemic has helped teach contractors a valuable lesson –growing your business can help you ride out the low times. Plumbing service presents a perfect opportunity for plumbing, mechanical and mechanical service members to grow their business into new sectors. The ideal time to start the process is now when backlogs are full. The PCA Plumbing Service Conference presents a great opportunity to learn how to add service to your business.

As Neptune Plumbing CEO and PCA Chair Scott Wallenstein puts it, “We started getting into plumbing service a couple of years before The Great Recession. When times were low in 2007 and 2008, plumbing service was a great way to compensate for the slowdown in our construction department. Now we see it as a cornerstone of our business because of the higher margins, cash flow and regular business through maintenance agreements.”

The PCA’s new Plumbing Service Conference is a great way to learn how contractors have added plumbing service operations. While attending the conference, you can see it in action. Join a tour of Neptune Plumbing’s Cleveland facility to see how they perform their plumbing service operations. They will demonstrate how they handle inventory, dispatch, stock a plumbing service truck and perform comprehensive plumbing service operations.

The conference will be held September 20-21 in Cleveland, Ohio and limited to only 50 participants.

Neptune Plumbing to Host PCA’s First Plumbing Service Conference

The PCA has partnered with Neptune Plumbing of Cleveland, Ohio to host the first PCA Plumbing Service Conference from September 20 -21, 2021. Similar to MCAA’s successful Fabrication Conference, the centerpiece of the Plumbing Service Conference will be a hosted facility tour of Neptune Plumbing’s commercial plumbing service operations. In addition, there will be plenty of education geared towards building and optimizing a plumbing service operation through a series of roundtable discussions and presentations. Attendees will learn the differences between different service operations lines, building their business, recruiting, and training.

“We know that as plumbing contractors, it’s essential that we balance our operations and build out plumbing service divisions in our companies, but not enough of us do it,” explains Scott Wallenstein, PCA Chairman and Neptune President. “We thought it would be easier to show how we address plumbing service to help others jumpstart the process. Now contractors can ask questions of our leadership, our service technicians and the staff in charge of each part of our business and gain their insight.”

Registration is NOW OPEN for PCA, MCAA and MSCA members to attend. 

DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

REGISTER TODAY

Time is Running Out! Nominate Your Everyday Hero Today!

MSCA has been honoring our industry’s heroes for the past seven years during our annual education conference. These unsung heroes, who do extraordinary things every day, simply out of the kindness of their hearts, truly make a difference for the better not only in our industry but in our communities as well. This pandemic has been hard on all of us, but is has also shined a light on so many of our employees and peers that have taken their heroism to the next level – and we want to honor them! Help us recognize these generous and caring individuals at this year’s MSCA21 being held October 14 – 17, 2021 at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn, Scottsdale, AZ by nominating a hero today!

Deadline for nominations is August 1, 2021

NOMINATION FORM

MSCA21 Sells Out in Record Time

Online registration for MSCA21 has closed due to overwhelming demand. Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions we had to limit attendance this year. If you are currently registered and need to make any changes or if you would like to get on a waitlist for conference registration, please email mscaconference@mcaa.org. We truly appreciate everyone’s support and look forward to a great live event this year.

MSCA21: Bounce Back from Setbacks

Slowing down the pace or rate of change isn’t an option, especially true after this last year. Therefore, skilling your people to more readily adapt to change as well as bounce back quickly from challenging setbacks is your organizations competitive advantage. During this session you will learn how building your “Bounce” skills is a critical element in creating and sustaining your Leadership Vitality. During MSCA21 October 14 – 17, 2021, Sara will walk attendees through a systematic “bounce approach” framework to strengthen the skills of resilience.

The framework does this by:

  • Helping people find calm through the chaos to increase their uncertainty tolerance;
  • Decreasing wasted emotional energy on “false-threats” causing people to feel stuck and overwhelmed, and instead focusing on the most important information;
  • Increasing awareness of the choices and opportunities people have when facing change and ambiguity and channeling that into appropriate action.

Sara talks more about what she will share during the MSCA Conference in the video below.

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

MSCA21: Bringing TOGETHER the Best October 14 – October 17, 2021

Join us as we come TOGETHER, in person, to experience the best the industry has to offer. Together, we will review how the past year has impacted your business and your customers. More importantly, we will look forward to a bright and successful future, all from the comfort of the award-winning J.W. Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Here are just some of the highlights you will experience while you spend time TOGETHER:

  • Amazing keynote speakers to inspire and motivate 
  • Timely education sessions focusing on today’s hottest topics
  • Over 30 roundtable discussion forums offering unique insights on industry-specific concerns
  • A special Women in the Mechanical Industry (WiMI) program focused on resilience and mindset
  • An impactful one-day bonus program certain to challenge your thinking
  • An exhibitors display showcasing the latest and greatest
  • Time to enjoy the beautiful Scottsdale resort in a safe environment
  • AND so much more!

Registration opens mid-June.

MSCA Sales Institute – Final Classes for 2021

Limited number of registrations still available.

Last March the world as we had known it changed forever. The pandemic impacted every facet of our lives from how we work, live, play, learn and gather. We had to create new ways of doing business and be creative in how we tackled each day. The role of the salesperson went from meeting clients, selling PM contracts and often prospecting door-to-door to life in a virtual world as a valued advisor and expert. Sales personnel were expected to help customers navigate through new safety concerns, new regulations, tenant anxieties and changing priorities as they dealt with both a health and economic crisis.

Even as the pandemic begins to ebb, the role of the salesperson will never be the same. Many new lessons have been learned. New proven best practices have been implemented. New sales opportunities are flourishing. The MSCA Sales Institute recognizes the impact the pandemic has had on the sales function and has updated all sales classes accordingly in order to better prepare sales teams for future success. NOW is the time to provide this relevant and important training to your sales employees to ensure their skills and abilities are focused, fine-tuned and far-sighted.

The following sales classes currently open for registration:

MSCA Sales Masters Program
Week 1: October 3–7, 2021, Chicago, IL
Week 2: November 7–12, 2021, Houston, TX

This two-week course is designed by MSCA in-the-field experts in partnership with sales specialists from the University of Houston, and is perfect for service sales employees who often find it difficult to get useful training for their level of expertise specific to the mechanical service industry. 

MORE INFORMATION

MSCA Sales Basecamp
October 11–12, 2021, Salt Lake City, UT

This two day, entry-level program for service sales personnel will prepare recent hires with all the relevant skills necessary to confidently sell HVACR/plumbing services while creating added value for the customer

MORE INFORMATION

Nominate Your Everyday Hero TODAY!

MSCA has been honoring our industry’s heroes for the past seven years during our annual education conference. These unsung heroes, who do extraordinary things every day, simply out of the kindness of their hearts, truly make a difference for the better not only in our industry but in our communities as well. This pandemic has been hard on all of us, but is has also shined a light on so many of our employees and peers that have taken their heroism to the next level – and we want to honor them!

Help us recognize these generous and caring individuals at this year’s MSCA21 being held October 14 – 17, 2021 at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn, Scottsdale, AZ by nominating a hero today!

Deadline for nominations is August 1, 2021. 

NOMINATION FORM

National Service and Maintenance Agreement Negotiations to Begin Spring 2020

The National Service and Maintenance Agreement continues to be an excellent tool used by  HVACR and plumbing service contractors around the country to grow market share and remain competitive in this highly competitive market.  The current National Agreement is effective through July 31, 2020.  The MSCA Labor Committee will be discussing potential changes or modifications with the UA later this year.  Although we anticipate very few changes, we would appreciate your input or recommendations on terms and conditions which you feel may be helpful in expanding your service business.  Please send all comments to bdolim@mcaa.org  by December 6, 2019.

Report Shows MCAA Members Don’t Invest Enough in Tech Budget and Manpower

In 2018, MCAA sponsored a JBKnowledge Construction Technology Report that surveyed over 2,800 professionals in the construction industry. In the newly released MCAA-Focused Report, the responses given by MCAA members were separated and compared to those of the rest of the construction industry.

While MCAA members are getting heavily involved in VDC and mobile technology, they are behind the rest of the industry when it comes to some aspects of R&D. As the report’s primary researcher, Liz Beechinor from JBKnowledge points out, “Our research is showing that the construction industry as a whole is behind on R&D spending compared to other industries, but when we take a look at MCAA members’ responses and compare that to the construction industry, they are even further behind. Fewer MCAA contractors have dedicated R&D budget and employees dedicated to R&D.”

According to a 2017 McKinsey Report, the construction industry as a whole spends less than 1% of their revenue on R&D. Compared to the auto industry, which spends 3.5%, and the aerospace industry, which spends 4.5%, this can seem relatively underfunded.

What is even more concerning is construction companies’ lack of any R&D budget. The 2018 MCAA-Focused Construction Technology Report showed that 56.8% of those surveyed had no budget for R&D, while 63.5% of MCAA members reported that they didn’t budget for R&D.

The same could be said for having employees dedicated to R&D. In the last few years, we have seen more MCAA and MSCA contractors dedicate manpower to technology research and implementation, but on average, they are still behind the rest of the industry.

Most respondents that identified as MCAA members reported that they had one or two people dedicated to R&D, while 37% do not have employees dedicated to R&D. During a presentation on the topic at MCAA19, MCAA’s Director, Construction Technology Sean McGuire explained, “While we are seeing more members take technology seriously, smaller companies are going to always be more limited on budget and manpower that they can dedicate towards research and implementation. Larger GCs and CMs can absorb these costs a little easier simply as a function of their size.”

Being bigger does not necessarily mean better though.  As Sean notes, “While research and staff budgets can be absorbed by larger companies easier, the bigger you are, the harder implementation becomes. Small companies can adopt changes a lot faster because you can get less people pulling in the same direction faster.  Large companies have to dedicate more resources to implementation and follow up.”

This lines up with another report question that asked what the most limiting factor was for adopting new technology. Not surprisingly, lack of staff and budget received the highest response rates and were concerns for nearly half of the MCAA respondents. The report provides further insight into these questions as well as BIM productivity and estimation and mobile device and hardware use.

Keep Your Service Techs Safe in the Field – This Video Can Help!

MCAA’s Mechanical Service Safety Training Video teaches your service techs how to protect themselves from the most common safety hazards in the field.

Your workers will learn:

  • How to conduct a quick walk-around vehicle inspection
  • Why it’s important to preplan their days to ensure that they have the right tools, materials and safety equipment on hand
  • How to protect themselves and others while driving
  • Why they should check in with their supervisor or someone at the office when working alone
  • How to safely set up and use ladders
  • When fall prevention/protection are needed and how to properly protect themselves
  • How to protect themselves from electrical hazards while working on equipment pushing 480 volts or less
  • What additional protection is needed when working on equipment pushing more than 480 volts

Download or play the video

There’s More…

Accompanying materials are also available to assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts:

Highlight key training points

Download the Pocket Guide

Document worker training

Download the Documentation Sheet

Confirm that workers understand the training concepts

Download the Test

Download the Test Answer Key

Want More Safety Resources?

MCAA has you covered, with a full range of resources to help you protect your workers from injury and comply with applicable safety regulations. Here’s where to find them:

On our Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page, where they’re listed by category with links.

Go there now

In the Resource Center, where you can use the blue Refine Your Search bar to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for.

Visit the Resource Center

Have questions or need personal assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

PCA Debuts New Seminar for Plumbing Service Contractors

This summer, the PCA is beta testing a new seminar on Plumbing Service to its members.  The Plumbing Service Roundtable is designed to be an efficient, one-day seminar that will allow attendees to be out of the office as little as possible.

The roundtable is scheduled for June 21st at the Hilton Chicago O’Hare, conveniently attached to the airport.  With a program scheduled from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, attendees will have the ability to fly in and out the same day to maximize their time out of the office.

Sessions will primarily be led by contractors with the intention to open up dialog between attendees and share best practices.  The curriculum will include content on recruiting, training, technology, inventory, sales and truck setup.

With this new session being a beta-test, registration will be limited to 35 attendees and a limit of only one attendee per company.  It is also recommended that attendees already be engaged in plumbing service at some level in order to share their experiences.

Registration is open and available on a first-come, first-served basis.  For more information, download the brochure or register online.

 

Member Company, Arista, Boosts Consumer Confidence with New XOi Wearable Technology

The collaboration of member company Arista, NYC metro area’s leading HVAC contractor, and XOi Technologies revolutionizes the way the HVAC service industry interacts with clients by empowering customers to see the tasks completed on a service call rather than trying to decipher job details from a bill. Customers no longer have to rely solely on trust when assessing job performance and are provided with video documentation of each service call.

Leading HVAC companies, like Arista, are beginning to use new video documentation technology provided by companies similar to XOi Technologies that helps them prove the value they provide to their customers with planned maintenance and repair service.

An HVAC technician in the field uses wearable technology that looks like a pair of
safety glasses, but actually allows them to take video of what they see and do. They can record video evidence that shows you exactly what they’re doing and why.

Arista’s evidence-based approach to service assures customers they are getting what they pay for; the bill matches the services rendered. The video documentation is a useful record-keeping tool, especially for business owners and property managers in charge of multiple sites.

MSCA Discussion Forum is LIVE!

Here are the easy instructions on how to use MSCA Discussion Forum:

  • Log into MSCA’s website with your username and password
  • Go to Discussion Forum tab at upper right hand corner and click
  • Scroll down and pick a topic that you want to join or start a new topic
  • Share your thoughts or ask a question and hit the submit button
  • Connect with experts and peers in interesting discussions and get feedback

Want to share a profile image or go “incognito” with a different name?

  • Go to “My Forum Settings” and click
  • Click “Edit” if you want a different name to appear for your profile and save changes (default is your first name)
  • Click “Change Profile Photo” if you want to add an image or profile pic
  • Click and drag an image or select one from your files
  • Adjust the square frame over your image and click “Crop”
  • Clicking “Crop” saves your image and you can change it at any time

New MCAA Safety Bulletin Covers Key Changes to NFPA 70E (Electrical Safety in the Workplace)

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently released its latest standard covering electrical safety in the workplace. The most current version of the standard, which is on a 3-year revision cycle, is NFPA 70E – 2018. MCAA has prepared a safety bulletin covering the key changes that affect mechanical service workers who are working on equipment pushing 480 volts or less. The bulletin highlights the key changes on the front page, and provides a side-by-side comparison of the key changes between the 2015 and 2018 versions of the standard on subsequent pages.

Safety Bulletin

Additional MCAA/MSCA safety resources to help your company address the key changes to NFPA 70E  for 2018 will be available later this month. The resources include:

  • A new model lockout/tagout program for electrical safety in the workplace (the revised standard requires a written electrical safety lockout/tagout program); and
  • A revised model program on Electrical Safety for Service (Based on NFPA 70E – 2018).

If you have questions about the new standard, please contact Pete Chaney at pchaney@mcaa.org, or 301-990-2214.