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Kevin Waller has accepted a summer internship with MCA of Chicago member Mechanical, Inc. Kevin is a junior studying Construction Engineering and a member of the Iowa State University student chapter sponsored by the MCA of Iowa.

Kevin’s first contact with Mechanical, Inc. came last summer. He worked with one of the company’s field superintendents in the Chicagoland area while working for a local general contractor.

“Before attending the 2019 MCAA Great Futures Forum in Washington D.C., I researched companies that were attending the event and noticed that Mechanical, Inc. was one of them. At the Forum, I was able to meet and talk with MCAA and Mechanical, Inc. President Brian Helm. The following week, I had the opportunity to network with Mechanical, Inc. again, this time at the Iowa State career fair. I was fortunate enough to receive an internship offer from them in the following weeks.”

During the upcoming summer, Kevin will be working as a Project Engineer Intern at the company’s office in Westmont, IL.

“I’m very excited to apply my knowledge of mechanical systems and construction engineering to various projects this summer with Mechanical, Inc. The construction engineering program here at Iowa State has done a great job preparing me for many of the challenges I know I will encounter. While attending Iowa State, I have been heavily involved in the MCAA student chapter and I currently serve as a cabinet member. As far as my involvement in MCAA goes, I was able to participate in this year’s student competition. Through the competition, all of us students gained a lot of really valuable project management experience. Next year, as a senior with internship experience in the mechanical contracting industry, I plan on leading the Iowa State competition team.”

Kevin looks forward to attending MCAA2020 with his student chapter, where he hopes to continue building connections with MCAA members.

Meet Kevin and other student chapter members like him at MCAA2020’s Networking & Recruiting 360 event Wednesday, March 18, 9:00 am – 11:00 am. MCAA thanks Viega for sponsoring the event.

To preview students’ resumes and to see who will be in Maui, visit mcaagreatfutures.org.

Starting this year, $500 grants will be offered to students who accept internships or full-time positions thanks to funding from the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF). MCAA members can use these grants to help them attract much-needed talent, and new interns will appreciate the investment in their success. This small gesture may be the beginning of a great future with your company.

Take it from Andrew Nguyen, who will be interning with The Bowers Group this summer. He said, “it’s both relieving and exciting to feel welcome in a field where I am new and unfamiliar, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Recruit at MCAA2020

Start putting this new recruiting tool to work at MCAA2020. The Networking & Recruiting 360 event on Wednesday, March 18, 9:00 am – 11:00 am gives you the opportunity to connect one-on-one in a reception-style environment to discuss full-time, internship and co-op opportunities within the industry. Students from top construction management and mechanical engineering programs will come with resumes in hand, so be prepared to find your next hire.

Paige Theby, a University of Missouri-Columbia graduate who recently joined Murphy Company said, “I think it’s really neat that they [MCA] are focusing on and teaching the younger generation about the mechanical contracting industry.”

MCAAGreatFutures.org Puts Talent at Your Fingertips

Can’t make it to MCAA2020? Head to MCAAGreatFutures.org to search for talent online. MCAA’s career-related website is committed to connecting our members with the best and brightest students who will comprise the industry’s future workforce. Search profiles and resumes by University, desired location or even a specific skill set like BIM or AutoCAD. A keyword filter allows you to zero in on those 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.

How The New Grant Application Process Works

Once you find a prospective intern, check to be sure they’re a student 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 Visa Gift Card to the member company so it can present the Gift Card to the student at the start of their internship. It’s a great way to show your company’s commitment to that individual’s future in the industry.

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

Kylie Nedelka, a mechanical engineering major from the University of Missouri-Columbia, has accepted a second summer internship with SIEMENS, a member of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council. Kylie found the opportunity at the 2018 GreatFutures Forum, where she met Kristin Junia, Program Manager at SIEMENS.

“We were traveling on the same bus to Disneyland and we struck up a conversation,” said Kristin. “I was impressed with her communication and how comfortable she was in new situations and invited her to visit us at the job fair the next day. When she stopped by our booth, we spoke more in depth about her education and the type of internship she was seeking, and we offered her a position with Siemens Smart Infrastructure (then Building Technologies). Ultimately, we identified a spot for her in our Seattle branch, where she worked primarily in the field.”

Kylie reflects on her experience with SIEMENS:

My summer internship with Siemens was incredible. I gained invaluable knowledge that has already helped me in my engineering career. Going into the internship, I was nervous that I would be overwhelmed with new information, but thanks to MCAA, I was familiar with certain subjects that I dealt with in my internship. Siemens company culture made me feel immediately welcomed. Everyone was willing to take the time to teach me, and I could apply this new knowledge to actual Siemens projects. I was truly a part of the team. 

The first five weeks of my internship was spent in the office with the engineering department. My main project was USPS service migration from insight to desig0. My last five weeks, I worked as a field technician at a data center. This experience was very rewarding because I got to do hands-on work that led to a better understanding of HVAC systems.

My experience was so great, that I have accepted a position as an engineering intern for this upcoming summer! I look forward to the new experiences to come!

Kristin Junia said, “Kylie has made a positive impact in our business. We are excited that she will be returning this summer, this time in our Chicago branch. In this role she will be more office-based, focusing on building automation system design and integration. She will work alongside our engineers to identify gaps in engineering and create an action plan to address needs. We want Kylie to experience different roles and responsibilities within Smart Infrastructure so that she is able to determine where she sees herself in the future.”

Alex Berman, a 2019 Construction Management graduate from Kent State University and a past MCAA Student chapter member, has found success in the industry as an Estimator and Project Assistant at MCA of Cleveland member Geauga Mechanical in Northeast Ohio.

“I really enjoy my role here. I get to work on bids and takeoffs, but also work on projects as they are being built. My role as a project assistant consists of equipment tracking, submittals, and quality control/punch lists. Since it is a family company, I have worked at Geauga during summers throughout high school and into college. I officially was an estimator and project assistant intern the summer before my senior year.”

At Kent State, Alex was involved in the MCAA Student Chapter – even serving as its president her senior year. She says, “It was a great opportunity to work on the projects with my peers and get additional real-world bid experience. The industry professionals are great at giving support and taking us on project site tours to see mechanical elements in real life. The student chapter really gave us great opportunities to network and intern in our area.”

Alex has stayed involved with MCAA through the MCA of Cleveland. “I started attending the Cleveland Chapter meetings as one of the representatives for my company. Through this I joined our local technology committee and attended the MCAA Technology Conference in San Diego. I am looking forward to learning more about technology in the industry and sharing that information with others in our local chapter.”