Archives: News Items

MSCA Everyday Hero Awarded at Recent MSCA Conference

This year’s recipient of the MSCA Everyday Hero Award was Ted Stutz, Director of Quality Control for Emcor Services/MESA Energy Systems in Irvine, CA. Jaimi Lomas, MSCA Chair, announced the winner during the recent MSCA Education conference, held October 21—24 in Huntington Beach, CA. Four years ago, the Everyday Hero award was created to recognize an employee from one of MSCA’s member companies who, in their own extraordinary way, quietly gives of their time and skills to benefit others. These compassionate people lend a hand to others solely out of the goodness of their hearts and seek no recognition or compensation.

In addition to managing the facilities of MESA’s 12 offices, Ted serves on the Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Orange County. Ted serves on numerous committees, raises money, volunteers his time and expertise. He is a committed advocate, making sure the Clubs are providing the very best for the youth in the community. Each Christmas, Ted supports and spearheads the Salvation Army’s Little Angels gift drive, collecting gifts for over 100 less fortunate families and children.

Although Ted does not have any of his own children on the teams, he coaches Pop Warner Football and Little League Baseball for local youth organizations. He has opened his home and his heart over the years to countless friends and family members in need. At one point in time the Stutz home housed seven family members in addition to Ted, his wife Rhonda and their 2 children. For the past ten years, his home has been the permanent home for his niece and nephew. He has graciously protected these children and is now their legal guardian.

As one of his nominators stated: “Until I met him, I had never met a hero or seen what they do first hand. He gives back quietly and without fanfare and is not looking for any kudos. He makes us all want to be a better person. We all have a long way to go to be like him.”

Explore the Latest from Autodesk, E+E Elektronik 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:

Autodesk, Inc.
Revit supports sheet metal fabrication workflows through utilization of sheet metal libraries defined in Autodesk’s Fabrication products (CADmep, CAMduct, and ESTmep). Using the Fabrication libraries enables detailed definition of materials, connectors, seams, fittings, and other data. After authoring the model in Revit, the Revit Extension for Fabrication may be utilized to share Revit authored model data with CAMduct.

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E+E Elektronik Corp.
E+E Elektronik offers a comprehensive range of HVAC transmitters for all relevant measurements in building automation and climate control. Various models, with analogue/digital outputs, ensure maximum flexibility on BAS projects.

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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

JEC Service Co. Saves $500,000 per Year with MobiliForms from iBusiness Technologies

iBusiness Technologies’ MobiliForms solution “saves the company in excess of $500,000 annually,” said JEC Service Co. Service Manager Sean Thurston, by increasing labor efficiencies in the field and office. Since the company adopted MobiliForms, field staff complete their startup checklists, project management records, work orders, and timesheets on Apple iPads® for instant transmission. Thurston estimated that JEC’s 20 field technicians save at least an hour a day using this approach, which quickly adds up to substantial savings for the business.

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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

MCAA and the UA Form Alliance

MCAA and the UA have partnered with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) in a new alliance focused on building our national security by contributing to America’s infrastructure development. The groups will collaborate on workforce development, educating influencers and decision makers, and education and training.

See What Happened at MSCA18

Couldn’t attend the conference? Here’s what you missed!

https://youtu.be/V8PY_bSe1W0

https://youtu.be/rxBBj90EJuM

https://youtu.be/Ljjc1NYa6E8

Mark your calendar and plan to join us for MSCA19. The conference takes place October 13 – October 16, 2019 in Colorado Springs, CO.

Sean McGuire Recognized as a Technology Adoption Leader

Congratulations to ⁦@MCAAGeek⁩ for being recognized by BuiltWorlds as one of the Top 50 Technology Adoption Leaders of 2018! MCAA is proud of Sean McGuire!

MSCA and Convoy of Hope Team Up and Do Some Good in CA

MSCA volunteers and the Convoy of Hope team up for the ninth year to give back in Orange County, CA, in conjunction with MSCA18. Over 50 volunteers performed a variety of projects including landscaping, painting, and construction that provided Share Our Selves, Costa Mesa with a face lift. In addition to 36 pallets of supplies were donated and unloaded. A special thank you to everyone who participated and donated to our project this year!

Find the Latest from Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.®, Greenheck 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:

Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.® a Member of Morris Group International
It’s that time of year when many areas experience heavy rain and snow. Help your clients avoid costly roof damage or collapse by sharing our roof drain maintenance tips.

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Greenheck
Greenheck is the worldwide leader in manufacturing and distributing air movement, conditioning and control equipment.

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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

Brandt Finds and Fixes Problems During Installation with Connect from KEY2ACT

Using KEY2ACT’s Connect technology to gather building data during a year-long retrofit project, Brandt found glitches in the products it was installing and was able to fix them before completing the work—without going over schedule. Brandt also uses Connect during commissioning to validate a building’s entire system at one time, which has proven invaluable.

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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

Field Leaders Conference – Last Chance Until October 2019!

You’re busy. While that’s good for your company’s bottom line, your foremen and superintendents may be struggling to better man crews and may be facing burnout themselves. The Field Leaders Conference will help them recharge, step back and gain perspective from their peers and industry leaders. Bonus: they will learn the skills they need to put them – and your company – on the road to greater success. Visit the event website to learn more and register your team today!

Know Your MCERF Board Members – Kevin Condon

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 providing resources to ensure MCAA’s success in meeting education and research challenges confronting its members.

As an MCERF Trustee, Kevin Condon is proud to be a steward of funds used by MCAA for the career development of professionals who are the future leaders of our industry. Working with local affiliates, faculty advisors, contractors, and manufacturer/suppliers gives Kevin a broad perspective on the needs of all aspects of the mechanical contracting industry. He believes MCERF’s financial support of MCAA’s education and research initiatives keeps our industry strong and competitive.

Kevin is current Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago mechanical contractors’ Industry Improvement Fund, past President of Chicago MCA, and current Chair of its membership committee. MCA Chicago averages seven new contractor members per year. As membership Chair, Kevin contacts prospective new members to discuss the benefits of membership. Kevin says, “The overriding reason contractors join our local affiliate is to take advantage of MCAA and MCERF initiatives and resources. This gives them unparalleled education programs, recruitment from student chapters, internship grants, and the WebLEM, just to name a few.”

As an MCERF trustee, Kevin is proud to be a steward of funds used by MCAA for the career development of professionals who are the future leaders of our industry. Working with local affiliates, faculty advisors, contractors, and manufacturer/suppliers gives Kevin a broad perspective on the needs of all aspects of the mechanical contracting industry. MCERF’s financial support of MCAA’s education and research initiatives keeps our industry strong and competitive.

He likes to say that “in his spare time” he is CEO of Great Lakes Plumbing & Heating Company located in Chicago. The company has been in business since 1946 and performs mechanical, HVAC, plumbing, and fire protection construction and service in high-rise office and residential buildings, hotels, healthcare, educational facilities, laboratories, data centers, and professional sports stadiums.

For more information about MCERF, contact Dennis Langley.

Explore the Latest from DEWALT Industrial Tool Company, Kahua 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:

DEWALT Industrial Tool Company
The DEWALT 20V MAX* Tool Connect™ Green Tough Rotary Laser (DW080LGS) and DEWALT 20V MAX* Tool Connect™ Red Tough Rotary Laser (DW080LRS) feature Bluetooth® connectivity, which allows them to connect to the Tool Connect™ app for approximate location tracking and tool customization features.

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Kahua
Connect field to office. Cloud-based file management enables all team members to view, edit and upload files from desktop or mobile devices. Intuitive mobile apps for submittals, daily reports, RFI’s and field observations promote real-time documentation and notifications.

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

Are Your Office Workers Getting the Same Level of Ergonomics Care as Your Jobsite Workers?

Over the past few years, a greater focus has been placed on employee health and wellness as it relates to the issue of sitting versus standing at a computer workstation. The number of sit/stand workstations is on the rise, causing employees to ask the question, “Is a sit/stand workstation right for me?” Working in the same location for hours can affect concentration and muscles, which can in turn affect work productivity. CNA offers this guidance on how to maximize comfort while working at a computer workstation and reduce pain and injuries.

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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

OSHA Clarifies Position on Employer Safety Incentive Programs & Post-Incident Drug Testing

OSHA recently released a memorandum to its regional administrators to clear up confusion about its 2016 recordkeeping rule changes concerning employer safety incentive programs and post-incident drug testing. The bottom line is that employers are still permitted to implement safety incentive programs and require post-incident drug testing, provided that the actions are taken to promote workplace safety and health and not to penalize employees for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses. The memorandum suggests that consistently enforcing legitimate work rules, whether or not an injury or illness is reported, would be one way for employers to show that their companies are promoting workplace safety and health. The memorandum also states that drug testing to evaluate the root causes of workplace incidents is permissible, but affected employers should drug test every employee whose conduct could have contributed to the incident.

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Time Is Running Out to Enhance Your Field Leaders’ Skills in 2018!

If you haven’t registered your team for the Field Leaders Conference, why wait? The conference will enhance your team’s skills and put them – and your company – on the road to greater success. Bring your team and join us November 7-9, 2018 in San Francisco, CA for this year’s final Field Leaders Conference. Your team members will leave infused with a new energy for the year ahead!

Take it from Rick Gopffarth, Vice President of Dynamic Systems, Inc. (DSI), who said, “Getting back to fundamentals and understanding that mechanical contracting is a ‘people’ business are the key takeaways” that he and the 10 DSI superintendents who attended the Houston Field Leaders Conference garnered.

His team also spoke highly of the program.

Eric White, DSI Piping Superintendent and a self-professed “kind of person who would rather have someone ‘get out of the way’ so I can do it myself,” found he needed to change his mindset and learn how to build a team, delegate and trust his crew to follow through. Inspired by Kevin Dougherty’s presentation, he has a new personal goal: getting his people to work with him, not for him.

First-time superintendent Luke Long found the session on the impact on profitability the most eye-opening. He learned that it’s his responsibility to dig into the job, review the specs and details and make certain everything is correct before turning the project over to his foremen. He appreciated the opportunity to attend the conference. He added that, building the skills of millennials like him, who want to work when they’re engaged in the project and involved in making decisions, is crucial to the future growth of the company.

Introducing the Milwaukee Tool Mechanical Industry Safety Professional of the Year Award

MCAA is pleased to announce the Milwaukee Tool Mechanical Industry Safety Professional of the Year award. The award will be presented annually to a mechanical industry safety and health professional who has led their company to achieving an exceptionally high degree of safety excellence.

To nominate someone from your company, or from another company to become the Milwaukee Tool Mechanical Industry Safety Professional of the Year, complete the Nomination Form and e-mail it to Pete Chaney by COB on November 26, 2018.

This year’s winner will be announced at MCAA’s 2019 Safety Directors’ Conference on January 24, 2019 in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The award will be presented at the Awards of Excellence Breakfast at MCAA’s 2019 Convention in Scottsdale, AZ on March 6, 2019. Nominees must be employees of MCAA/MSCA member firms.

Need to Create an Excavation Safety Program? This Model Program Makes it Easy!

Many construction owners, general contractors, and construction managers require affected companies to establish written excavation safety programs that minimize risk to their employees and ensure compliance with OSHA’s excavation safety standard. MCAA’s Model Excavation Safety Program can be quickly and easily tailored to create your program. It makes development and implementation of such a program as easy and cost-effective as possible.

In addition to this model program, MCAA offers excavation 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.

Explore the Latest from Zurn Industries, Anvil International 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:

Zurn Industries, LLC
Contractors have waited long enough for a floor drain that’s easy to install and built for the long haul. Zurn’s EZ1–available in cast iron and plastic–ships complete, and is adjustable and durable.

Learn More

Anvil International
Gruvlok® Hydronic Hook-Up Kits are Pre-engineered taking the guess work out of HVAC Connection Systems. Speedy Installation & Superior Efficiency resulting in a Labor Savings up to 80%! At Anvil we are Building Connections That Last.

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

OSHA Updates National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation Safety

OSHA recently updated its National Emphasis Program (NEP) to prevent trenching and excavation collapses. The program was updated due to a recent spike in fatalities from trenching/excavation collapses. The updated NEP will increase education and enforcement. And, each OSHA area office will develop its own trenching and excavation safety outreach program for affected employers in their areas.

MCAA has several trenching and excavation safety resources that are available to members for free as a benefit of membership. And, OSHA provides compliance assistance resources for affected employers. These resources include

MCAA:

Worker Safety Training Video

MCAA Pocket Guide

MCAA Training Documentation Sheet

20-Question Multiple Choice Test

Test Answer Key

Model Program

OSHA:

OSHA Compliance Assistance Resources

Arista Gives Back in a Big Way

MSCA member company Arista Air Conditioning Corp, of Long Island City, NY, partnered with Convoy of Hope to organize a charitable event to replace their annual fall company meeting. This event took place on October, where 122 participants came out and packed more that 4,200 hygiene kits that will go to communities and people in need worldwide. Volunteering a total of 244 hours of work, Arista’s employees put their skills and passion towards a great cause.

“I had been feeling that as a company we have such a strong, skilled, hard working group that it was a shame we couldn’t leverage that and give back in some meaningful way’” said President of Arista, Scott Berger.

While this was Arista’s first charitable event like this, they aren’t ready to stop just yet. Arista will be sending 12 employees on a weeklong field trip in Puerto Ricco this January to help rebuild homes that were ravaged during hurricane Maria in conjunction with Convoy of Hope.

“I think everyone at Arista felt good about the work we did and what we accomplished,” according to Scott.

MSCA and Convoy of Hope have a longstanding partnership and have worked together for the past nine years to “give back” in the community where the annual education conference is held. This year in Huntington Beach, CA MSCA will be lending at hand at a local community health center, Share Our Selves and delivering a tractor trailer full of needed supplies to this organization. This partnership has been very rewarding and our members, including Arista, love the opportunity give back in this meaningful way.