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Congratulations to Carter Bennett, one of the two recipients of the Alan P. O’Shea Memorial Scholarship. The Mechanical Contractors Association of New Jersey established these scholarships to honor the memory of Alan P. O’Shea, it’s former Executive Director, and to memorialize his many contributions to the mechanical contracting industry. These scholarships were presented by Richard Tomaiko (MCA of New Jersey President) and Phillip Petillo (MCA of New Jersey Executive Director) at the MCAA24 Awards of Excellence Breakfast in Orlando on March 20th.
Carter anticipates graduating from Ferris State University in May 2025 with a degree in HVAC/R. He is currently active in his student chapter and has held the position of Treasurer. This summer Carter will be interning with MCAA Member, Limbach Company LLC.
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“The amount of time and effort that MCAA puts into finding careers for their students seems to be the most out of the organizations. At Ferris, we have several companies that will come in and tell us about their company. For students that go into the HVAC/R trade blindly, it can be hard to imagine how work really is since it likely won’t be just like the labs that we have in school. When companies actually come in and talk about what they do, students can receive a much clearer picture into what they are walking into.
After I graduate, I would like to share my experiences with students to help them find a career for themselves. Being a student makes me realize how daunting it can be to find a career after college. Something that would make me want to work for a company would be knowing that they invest in someone as a person and not just to get the job done. When a company spends time teaching new employees and realizing that they have potential for more, it’s very appealing. The second thing would be the company’s atmosphere. Realizing that it is more like a family can make it a much more enjoyable place to work. These values are very important to me because I am someone who doesn’t look at a job opportunity as short-term, but more as an investment for myself.”
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MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Carter on this prestigious scholarship and thank the MCA of New Jersey for their commitment to supporting students interested in pursuing a career in the mechanical contracting industry.