Archives: News Items

Looking for Disaster Preparation and Recovery Resources? MCAA Partner in Safety CNA Has What You Need

MCAA’s longtime partner in safety CNA is providing access for MCAA members to several of its disaster preparedness and recovery resources. If your company is planning to prepare for natural disasters and natural disaster recovery, these resources will be very helpful to you. The resources cover:

Preparation
• Cold Weather Prep Checklist
• Flood Prep Checklist
• Flood Prep Guide
• Hail Prep Guide
• Hurricane Prep Checklist
• Hurricane Prep Guide
• Quick Prep Guide for Your Employees
• Wildfires: Reduce the Risk to your Business

Prevention
• Disaster Recovery Checklist
• Equipment Exposures for Flood
• Water Damage Prevention Guide
• Business Continuity Planning Guide
• Video: Is your business prepared?

Other Resources
• American Red Cross
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• Homeland Security
• Ready.gov

Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Resources

Keeping You Connected and Informed at MSCA18 with Technology

New this year is the MSCA Genius Bar. A tech pro will be available to assist you with questions about any of your personal devices – including phones, tablets or laptops. They will also be there to help you download and get logged into the 2018 conference app where you will be able to view the schedule, attendees, sponsors, exhibitors and more. Our MSCA tech pro will be on hand Sunday — Tuesday to assist and assure you stay connected throughout MSCA18.

The ConTechCrew from JBKnowledge will be conducting interviews each day of select MSCA members and suppliers to discuss unique technology innovations that they have implemented in their businesses. Stop by or tune into The ContechCrew Podcast for discussions on the latest technology products, software and tools from these leading contractors who are harnessing cutting-edge solutions.

Don’t miss out on getting your “Challenge Accepted” pin! You can learn a lot in just a minute. Stop by the podcast booth and take part in the MSCA Minute Technology Challenge. Answer 10 rapid fire questions about your current technology situation—you get just 60 seconds to answer! After taking the quiz you will have better insight into how you compare to your industry peers when it comes to technology. These answers will also allow us to assess the current technology needs and challenges of MSCA members so that we can better serve you. Stick around and receive complimentary advice from JBKnowledge on all things tech. Leave with new ideas that can be implemented within your own business right away as well as your pin!

Explore the Latest from Sloan Valve Company, Viega and More in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show

MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show connects our contractor members with the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:

Sloan Valve Company
The concealed flushometer everyone will get behind – Introducing the Sloan CX, our most innovative flush valve design in over 50 years.

Learn More

Viega
When it comes to your work, “good enough” isn’t good enough. With your reputation on the line, you don’t trust just any press system. You want the original ProPress®. Viega. Connected in quality.

Learn More

Need Something Different?

No worries! There are many more smart solutions for you to explore in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Visit the Virtual Trade Show

Speaking of Smart Solutions

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

This section of our website also features tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

Spaeder Saves Weeks on Layout with DEWALT HangerWorks

To meet an engineer’s demanding criteria for embedding hanger assemblies into concrete slabs for a new seven-story building, Wm. T. Spaeder Company used DEWALT HangerWorks™ software, not only achieving the difficult task but saving weeks of layout time as well. HangerWorks also improved the prefabrication process by enhancing labeling and reporting in Spaeder’s building information modeling (BIM) program.

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Looking for More Smart Solutions?

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website! You’ll see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with productivity-enhancing and cost-saving applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

Satisfied with Your ERP Software? We Need to Understand What Makes the Difference.

Need a Written Respiratory Protection Program? Start with this Model!

OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard requires that your company establish a written respiratory protection program to protect workers who may be exposed to airborne concentrations of hazardous substances at or above established levels. MCAA’s Model Respiratory Protection Program can be quickly and easily tailored to create your program.

In addition to this model program, MCAA offers respiratory protection safety training materials to simplify worker training.

If you have any questions about this or any other safety resources, or about other occupational safety and health issues, please contact Pete Chaney.

Know Your MCERF Board Members – Jon Finch

In each installment of this series, we will profile a member of the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation’s (MCERF) Board of Trustees. These volunteers represent the association’s contractor, service, and manufacturer/supplier members, as well as its local affiliates and academic advisers. They work behind the scenes to raise money and ensure the standards necessary to make MCAA successful in meeting the mega- education and research issues confronting its members.

In 2017, MCERF decided the Chair of MCAA’s Career Development Committee would become a standing member of MCERF’s Board of Trustees. This would ensure that goals and funding for MCAA’s Career Development Initiative could maintain alignment. That same year, Jon Finch, Vice President of Training at Milwaukee Tool, was elected Chair of the Career Development Committee becoming the first manufacturer/supplier representative to chair an MCAA national committee. Meet MCERF Trustee, Jon Finch.

“I am honored to be a part of MCERF and the effort to build the pipeline of talent into our industry. Working with the future leaders of our industry is such a joy. MCERF’s commitment to engage the next generation creates opportunities that will shape our future. I am excited about this group of influencers and the potential we are building.”

Jon is a strategic leader with many years of executive leadership experience in recruiting and development, training design, and facilitation in leadership. He also is skilled in coaching, recruiting, sales, finance, and presentation skills. He has expertise in documenting and teaching about behavior styles and mentorship.

Jon also brings a passion for leadership development as a strategic advantage for an organization to his credentials.

Since Milwaukee Tool began in 1924, the company has led the industry in both durability and performance. With an unwavering commitment to the trades, Milwaukee continues to lead with a focus on providing innovative, trade-specific solutions.

For more information about MCERF, contact Dennis Langley.

The Thunderbirds will be SOARing at MSCA18!

This year’s MSCA18 educational conference will coincide with the 3^rd annual Huntington Beach Air Show! The air show will take place October 20 – 21 from Noon until 4:00 pm daily, with a practice day on Friday, October 19. As a conference attendee, you will have the unique opportunity to get a prime-time view of the show, at no charge, from the conference hotel. Or you can watch from the beach — the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort is the only hotel in Huntington Beach that has direct access to the beach. This year’s featured performers will include USAF Thunderbirds, Douglas C-47 Sky Train, Lucas Oil Aerobatics, and more.

Former Thunderbird and the first woman to fly on any Department of Defense military jet demonstration team, Col. Nicole Malachowski, USAF, Ret., will be kicking off the conference Monday morning. You’ll also have the chance to meet her at the Welcome Reception Sunday night. The air show is sure to be a spectacular experience and you won’t want to miss it!

Find the Latest from MILWAUKEE TOOL, Bitzer US and More in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show

MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show connects our contractor members with the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:
MILWAUKEE TOOL
Milwaukee Tool revolutionizes tool transportation, organization, and storage for the trades with the new PACKOUT™ Modular Storage System. Designed to provide users with the ability to interchange and interlock a wide assortment of heavy duty tool boxes, organizers, and storage totes in multiple different configurations, PACKOUT™ is the most versatile and durable modular storage system in the industry.

Learn More

Bitzer US, Inc.
BITZER is a global leader in the manufacture of Screw, Scroll and Semi-Hermetic Reciprocating Compressors for commercial A/C and refrigeration applications.

Learn More

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Visit the Virtual Trade Show

Speaking of Smart Solutions

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to learn how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

Herman Goldner Keeps Costs Low and Efficiency High with SPX Cooling Tower

When the Centre Square commercial office complex needed a new cooling tower system, HVAC contractor Herman Goldner Co., Inc. turned to SPX Cooling Technologies to address the building needs, then brought in Erickson Incorporated to conquer the formidable challenge of installing the system in a busy, urban site.

LEARN MORE

Looking for More Smart Solutions?

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

Benefit From What Your Peers Know

The MSCA Discussion forum is a great place to get answers and collaborate with industry peers and experts. There are over 25 topics currently being discussed on the forum; including On-boarding New Customers, Tool Tracking and Auto Renewals. Check them all out and see what kind of ideas you can share or knowledge you can gain!

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 on lower right
Connect with experts and peers in interesting discussions and get feedback

Simplify Hexavalent Chromium Health Standard Compliance with this Model Program

To comply with OSHA’s Hexavalent Chromium Standard, your company must establish a “Hexavalent Chromium Compliance Program” to protect its workers who may be overexposed to hex chrome fumes. In the mechanical construction and service industry the fumes are generated by welding and/or torch cutting on stainless steel building materials, such as pipe and ducts. MCAA’s Model Hexavalent Chromium Compliance Program can be quickly and easily tailored to create your company’s program.

If you have any questions about this or any other safety resources, or about other occupational safety and health issues, please contact Pete Chaney.

Are Your PM Sales Living Up to Their Full Potential?

Maintenance contracts are the foundation of your business and the strongest way to grow your profits! Learning how to achieve your true growth potential through the sale of PM contracts is vital to your continued success and to increasing your bottom line. At this year’s MSCA18 educational conference, industry experts Dave Bavisotto, Chris Carter and Wayne Turchetta will shed light on the importance of growing your agreement base and the keys to successfully retaining it. With each new PM agreement having the potential to generate over 200% return on investment through repair work, you can’t afford to not foster this growth.

Join us in Huntington Beach, October 21 – 24, for this revealing session that will open your eyes to the true potential value of preventative maintenance agreements and the extremely important role they play in sustaining your business.

Want to Explore the Benefits of Micro-Learning for Safety? Join Us for a Knowledge Assessments Webinar on September 12, 2018

MCAA is hosting a webinar on the benefits of using electronic knowledge assessments for daily safety training. MCAA partner in safety ClickSafety, which provides OSHA 10 and 30 hour safety standards training courses for MCAA members at discount prices, will be presenting the webinar.

The knowledge assessments technology provides users with one daily question on a subject from a previous safety training session. The question is received by the users on their PCs or mobile devices. User response time is less than 60- seconds, and feedback is immediate. After a short period of time the daily questions become “smart-questions” homing in on each individual user’s weakest competencies.

The webinar will be presented September 12, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The length of the webinar will depend on the number of questions, so please allow 30 to 45 minutes for the webinar from start to finish.

Webinar Access:

Join Skype Meeting

Trouble Joining? Try Skype Web App

Join by phone – (844) 246-1053 – Conference ID: 813450

Remembering Larry Gunthorpe, MCAA Board Member

MCAA Board member Larry Gunthorpe passed away August 19, 2018 at the age of 58. Larry will be missed by all in the MCAA family. Our thoughts and prayers are with Janet and the Gunthorpe family during this difficult time. You can read Larry’s obituary and share your condolences with the Gunthorpe family here.

Know Your MCERF Board Members – Professor Kristy Wolfe

In 2018, MCERF added a second university educator to its Board of Trustees, to ensure it leverages the network of university student chapters and faculty advisers MCAA continues to develop. Meet MCERF’s newest Trustee, Professor Kristy L. Wolfe from Bradley University.

“I am truly honored to serve on the MCERF Board of Trustees with such a distinguished group of individuals. I have witnessed the tremendous impact this organization has had on the student chapters and have personally benefited from the MEAC program. MCERF is critical to the development of young professionals seeking a career in the mechanical industry and I am excited to be a part of that!”

Professor Wolfe is from Edelstein, Illinois, and is a proud graduate of Bradley University. She started her construction career with the United Stales Army Corps of Engineers in Germany.

While with the Corps, she received a master’s degree from the University of Missouri, Rolla. She also spent a year teaching at the United States Army Engineer School.

She served in a variety of positions at Caterpillar, including operations supervisor, process engineer, and facilities engineer. She has been teaching at Bradley since 2008. She currently also serves as the Faculty Adviser for the MCAA Student Chapter at Bradley University.

For more information about MCERF, contact Dennis Langley.

Find the Latest from EVAPCO, Building Start and More in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show

MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show connects our contractor members with the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:
EVAPCO, Inc.
Only EVAPCO offers two patented water treatment systems that can be factory-mounted for the easiest, most dependable set-up ever: Smart Shield®, the safer solid chemistry system with controlled-release technology, and Pulse-Pure®, the pulsed-power way to treat your water with zero chemicals.

Learn More

Building Start
Building Start’s mobile, cloud-based software will streamline field data collection efforts for Mechanical Contractors for equipment startup, pre-commissioning checklists and service professionals.

Learn More

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Visit the Virtual Trade Show

Speaking of Smart Solutions

This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

Couts Cures Concrete with Uponor Thermal Cooling

For a record-setting continuous concrete pour, Couts Heating and Cooling, Inc. installed more than 20 miles of Uponor radiant tubing to create a thermal cooling system that would ensure the integrity of the concrete as it cured. Applying this new technique, Couts not only smoothed the way for this rapid, massive project, it also benefitted from the ease of installation. The PEX tubing’s “extreme flexibility made it fast and easy to install around the rebar in the base of the structure,” said Mike Martin, Couts piping department manager.

LEARN MORE

Looking for More Smart Solutions?

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

MCA of Kansas City Continues Long History of MCERF Support

On a recent beautiful summer day, the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF) received via an electronic contribution made on its website a very generous $7,500 contribution from the MCA of Kansas City. Under normal circumstances, stating the amount and the donor’s identity would make up the lead to a wonderful story such as this. But this story is not about “normal circumstances.”

In doing the calculation to see what the MCAKC’s total contribution to MCERF is to date, two really impressive stats popped out. First, their total contributions to the Foundation are $312,500, putting them into the top 3 of all local affiliates that support MCERF. But just as impressive…maybe even more so…the MCA of KC’s first contribution to the Foundation came in 1992!

In noting the consistency and steadfastness of the affiliate’s support, MCERF President Mark Rogers said, “…that (MCA of Kansas City) is a very dear and special relationship to Foundation. This support is not only very impressive…it is very important to the work of the Foundation. We thank them for the level and the intensity of their support.”

For more information about the mission of MCERF, contact Dennis Langley.

Shinn Mechanical Couples Milwaukee Tool and Victaulic to Go Extra Mile on Seattle Tunnel Project

Under pressure to make up for lost time on a huge tunneling project, Shinn Mechanical Inc. used cordless Milwaukee tools to install Victaulic grooved couplings on an innovative piping design, shaving months off the original schedule. “Pairing Victaulic couplings with Milwaukee tools allowed us to finish a job scheduled to take eight months in only 10 weeks,” said Mike Shinn, company founder.

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Looking for More Smart Solutions?

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS