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Student Chapter Competition Tackles Football Stadium Renovation

MCAA’s Student Chapter Competition project has been released to all participants. Students will be given the chance to prepare for the Student Competition Discussion Session at the GreatFutures Forum scheduled for Saturday, September 29. During the session, the project’s background, scope and submittal details will be discussed. The Career Development committee hopes the project’s early release will give students the opportunity to ask more detailed questions at the forum and help them better navigate and manage this challenging project.

MCAA Student Chapters have been tasked with a proposal to be the prime contractor on the mechanical portion of the addition and renovation project of Indiana University’s Memorial Football Stadium. This year’s project details were generously provided by Harrell-Fish of Bloomington, Indiana.

Scope of the Project

The project includes the completion of all plumbing, piping and HVAC work. As the acting mechanical subcontractor, Students Chapters are tasked with the purchasing of all equipment, materials and providing all necessary labor and equipment to complete the entire mechanical scope of work.

The project includes full BIM coordination to locate and correct any clashes with all other crafts prior to fabrication or installation of any piping or ductwork. The mechanical contractor will be responsible for all cost related to any modification required for rerouting or relocation of any pipe or duct if they fail to participate in the model clash detection exercise.

Challenges will include design and installation of the utility piping for the food services area. It will be the team’s responsibility to design the distribution piping and the branch lines for each piece of equipment for the entire food service area. The drawings included with the bid documents include a layout detailing the required location of each piece of equipment.

Submittal Process

This year MCAA has teamed up with Procore.org to enhance the bid submittal process and give students a taste of the real world construction industry. All participating students will be given free access to Procore’s Project Management software will retain access after the completion of the student competition.

Procore.org specifically works with universities to educate the future construction workforce and support the advancement of the trades and skilled labor.

All proposals are due for submittal through Procore by Friday, November 30, 2018.

Final Four at MCAA19 Convention

Proposals will be evaluated and scored by members of MCAA’s Career Development Committee. These members will select the top four scoring teams to present their proposals at the MCAA 2019 convention in Phoenix, AZ on March 4, 2019. The winning team will receive $10,000, the second place team will receive $5,000 and the other two finalists will each received $2,500

Have Questions?

For more information, please contact Harlee Gallo.

Construction Technologists Don’t Just Hack, They Find Artful Use

Written by: Jonathan Marsh, CTO/Division Manager Virtual Design and Construction, William T. Spaeder Company

In my role as a Construction Technologist, I am often accused of hacking. As a result I have a great desire to better communicate what it means to “hack”, since there is a negative connotation tied to cybersecurity or even attacking with blunt force. Not that I don’t hack things—I do—but there is something outside of hacking that I consider artful use. If we’re talking about the Construction Technologist (Con Tech) we need to talk about the idea of hacking, but I think we need to separate what we are being forced to hack or modify and what we simply enhance, develop, or see potential in. The things we are enhancing or developing are really more about artful use.

Artful use is seeing the greater range of usefulness in an existing tool. For example, when watching someone use a paintbrush, artful use is understanding that that brush can be used to paint the wall or paint the Sistine Chapel. To paint the Sistine Chapel, you’ll likely have to hack the brush. Modifying it to your purpose by breaking it down, build it into other brushes with varying bristle lengths, and identify artists capable of seeing what to paint. I think that a big part of what it is to be a Con Tech is looking at someone painting a wall and seeing that potential artful use.

I see hacking as being a little different, and it may or may not include artful use. Hacking is making what you have work and it is definitely a big part of being an effective Con Tech. I think we are always looking for the missing tools in construction. By ‘missing tools’ I mean the specialized tools that are needed by the mechanical trades but do not exist or are not present on the jobsite. An easy way to find a missing tool is to look for something that’s not being used conventionally.

For example, if someone is using the screwdriver to pound a nail, the missing tool might look like a hammer, or nail gun, or adhesives. The point being that the screwdriver is a workaround, but not an artful use. We are not looking for a better potential use of a screwdriver. We are looking for an altogether missing tool.

These missing tools and artful uses are often easy to see on a job site or in the Fab shop. That’s why I think Con Techs should spend a considerable amount of time observing or possibly working with the craftsmen in the field looking for missing tools, materials, methods and potential artful use. Every time I step on a job site I look at what craftsmen do with their tools with an eye to unconventional uses. Some of the best ideas have grown out of watching people use their tools in some absurd way. That can communicate louder than words what is really needed.

Physically being on the jobsite is also important in finding the right people to work with. As we introduce new tools and technologies, we need to identify people that are likely to be able to use the tools and share our vision. Like the artist in the example above, the tool really is nothing without a hand to direct it and a vision to follow. When you’re on the jobsite look for those people that are using their tools in innovative ways, the people that are good at adaptation. They are surprisingly easy to find on most jobsites but are not always the foreman. Finding those people is vital because ultimately, they will become your developers and advocates. They also are the people that are going to tell you when it’s a fail. Pick people that can see what you are shooting for and that you respect enough to believe when they tell you it’s not working.

I really hope as the Con Tech takes on a more conventional role in the industry we can better define and communicate to the teams we work with what we are doing, and how they can take part. In that vein, what are areas where you see the biggest disconnect when communicating what you do to the rest of your teams? And are there simple terms or ideas that would help us clean up some of the muddy thinking about what we do?

Bipartisan Multiemployer Pension Reform Bill Introduced in House

The long-awaited multiemployer pension reform legislation championed by MCAA, the UA and virtually the entire organized construction community has been introduced in the House by Representative Dr. Phil Roe (R-TN). The legislation, H.R. 4997, the Giving Retirement Options to Workers Act of 2018 (GROW Act) is now pending in the House Education and Workforce Committee, and has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee as well.

Dr. Roe was formerly the Chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee Pension Subcommittee, and was instrumental in pension reform issues over the past many years.

The Composite Plan measure has had a tortuous history over the past several years. It was originally one of the three parts of the NCCMP/MCAA/industry consensus measure called Solutions Not Bailouts, a legislative proposal that was enacted in December 2014 as the Kline-Miller Multiemployer Pension Reform Act (MPRA). The Composite Plan part of the proposal was held back from the law in 2014 because of committee jurisdictional conflicts, with a Congressional leadership commitment (at that time) for relatively quick enactment in 2015. But, circumstances changed in a variety of ways, and MCAA has been working doggedly since then to redeem that promise of action on the basic Composite Plan reform.

The Composite Plan is an option for trustees to consider (not a mandate) to convert their traditional defined benefit plan to the new Composite Plan model. If the trustees choose to convert, the old plan – the Legacy Plan – is frozen, and further benefits accruals under that plan are stopped. New benefits under the Composite plan are accrued going forward upon the conversion, with required minimum contributions being paid back to the legacy plan to remedy any underfunding as called for the 2006 Pension Protection Act’s Red, Yellow and Green one funding rules.

The new Composite Plan must be overfunded at 120% at a minimum, and annual and 15-year funding projections and adjustments to meet the overfunding standards are called for to forestall deep funding problems before they develop. The substantially reduced risk of underfunding is further ameliorated by a set of graduated benefits adjustment options in cases of projected shortfalls (increased contributions, cuts in future accruals, adjustments of ancillary benefits, and then core benefits suspensions only as a last resort) much along the lines of the Pension Protection Act and the MPRA law to forestall the development of serious funding shortfalls as are possible under the traditional plan funding model.

This new, equitable risk sharing model is designed to further ensure plan sustainability by stemming the loss of contributing employers from the traditional plans, and allowing for organizing of new employers into the new risk sharing model plan. This new plan model is predicted to be much more attractive to plan participants as it provides the best features of a traditional defined benefit plan – lifetime benefits, shared longevity risk, professional asset management and safeguards against early withdrawals. For contributing employers, the risk of overall plan underfunding and consequent individual employer withdrawal liability is substantially removed over time – stanching the retreat of employers from traditional plans and allowing new employer entrants without risk of uncontrollable contingent funding liability.

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp (PBGC) insurance premiums are still payable on legacy plan benefits; whereas new benefit accruals under the Composite Plan are not PBGC insured. However, the annual projections and mandatory overfunding safeguards more than substitute for that premium security , and are a better guaranty against ultimate plan insolvency than was provided under the traditional model, where the possibility of falling into critical and declining funding status with a diminished PBGC payment are becoming ever more prevalent possibilities.

MCAA is working to line up co-sponsors for the GROW Act on both sides of the aisle, and is striving to gain enactment in the waning days of the 115^th Congress – a heavy lift for sure – but our ardent goal. MCAA continues to lobby Administration officials at the Labor, Treasury and Commerce Departments and White House policy councils to gain their support for enactment of Composite Plan legislation, hopefully this year.

MCAA has long taken the position that Composite Plan reforms are an essential and separate reform apart from various proposals to provide additional resources to shore up critical and declining plans in other industries that themselves immediately threaten the long-term solvency of the PBGC. MCAA also is working with select MCAA affiliates to reach out to specific lawmakers on key committees to press for passage of reform this year.

Go to: www.saveourfutures.com for further details on the GROW Act and a link to Congressional outreach.

MCERF Funds Development of Innovative New BIM Software

The Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF), the non-profit foundation of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), today announced a collaboration with a software developer, BuildingSP, that will result in a freely available building analysis add-in for the Autodesk Revit building information modeling (BIM) platform. The Revit add-in is called the MCERF Complexity Measurement Tool (CMT) and analyzes a building’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) spaces for congestion and complexity.

This project marks the first time that MCERF is partnering with a software developer to provide cutting edge tools for the industry. Mark Rogers, MCERF President and COO of West Chester Mechanical noted, “We wanted to take our ability to fund research to the next level and work with emerging software developers to provide not just theoretical ideas, but working solutions. This software will not only help contractors explain complexity to the design team, it will hopefully be used by them to develop smarter designs in the first place.”

A common concern that contractors face with BIM is the over-design of the space. Members of the design team will often assume that if all parts and pieces of an MEP system can fit in the plenum space, ceiling height can be maximized with no impact on installation schedule, labor or change orders. Contractors also face the challenge of having to demonstrate impacts that design changes have on their work.

For MCAA members, the CMT should allow for an analytical approach to the design and identify trouble spots and plan accordingly. To do this, the add-in first identifies all the spaces used for routing of MEP systems in a combined Revit model. This includes structural and electrical systems that are often unseen by MCAA designers. It then measures the volume of space that is to be filled with MEP systems and compares it to the available volume to create a congestion and complexity metric. Once the software analyzes the space, it creates a “heat map” that gives a color value to this metric, creating a visual report of congestion and complexity.

“It is very exciting to be working with the MCAA, MCERF, and their member companies on this project,” said Brett Young, CEO of BuildingSP, the firm creating this software for MCERF. “Congestion and complexity makes projects difficult to coordinate and get ready for construction. By providing visual summaries and putting real numbers to this congestion, we hope to raise awareness of the challenges and accomplishments of project teams.”

“The reality is that the buildings being constructed today are getting more and more complex. Until now, our industry has not been able to quantify this complexity,” said Dennis Langley, executive director of MCERF. “The MCERF CMT, which will be freely available for download and use, will change this by analyzing and quantifying the congestion of the spaces in a building used for routing our pipes, conduits, and ducts.”

The CMT was designed to serve as a multifaceted tool for contractors when working with BIM. At its base level, it will help visualize the real world complications that mechanical contractors continuously face when working within a design team. At the same time, the CMT can facilitate project management, scheduling, estimating, fabrication and negotiation of change orders.

The MCERF CMT is in beta stages of testing and will be compatible for Autodesk Revit 2016 and subsequent versions. It is expected to be released to the public in November, 2017 in conjunction with the MCAA Technology Conference in Austin, TX.

For inclusion in the beta program, contact Sean McGuire at smcguire@mcaa.org. For technical details on the MCERF CMT, contact Brett Young at brett@buildingsp.com.

Greg Fuller Becomes President as MCAA 2017 Concludes

MCAA President Tom Stone welcomed attendees to the Closing General Session, saying, “I hope everyone has enjoyed their week in San Diego, and especially last night with the phenomenal Colorado band One Republic!” After thanking the Daikin Group for sponsoring the beverages at that event and Mueller Industries for sponsoring the morning’s breakfast, he led a round of applause in appreciation of all of the manufacturer and supplier sponsors.

“We know that our Convention experience is what it is because of the support and generosity of ALL of our manufacturer and supplier sponsors.”

—Tom Stone, MCAA President

UA General President McManus Addresses MCAA 2017

Mark McManus

UA General President Mark McManus was on hand to provide a review of the UA’s initiatives to increase membership, expand training opportunities and respond to changing market conditions.

“I know that everyone in this room – everyone – has immense respect for the United Association, its members, and the job they do every day – for our projects and ultimately, for our owners. They are truly the heartbeat of this country.”

—Tom Stone, MCAA President

Outgoing Board Members Recognized for their Service

President Stone recognized outgoing MCAA Board of Directors members for their service, saying, “I have had the privilege of working alongside these gentlemen on your behalf, and I know how much each has contributed to strengthening this industry. We appreciate their contributing their time and their talents, and they will certainly be missed.”

Donald V. Brown

Donald V. Brown, Jr. of D.V. Brown and Associates, Tonawanda, New York

Joe Labruzzo III of the Way Engineering Company in Houston, Texas (he was not able to be present)

Charles M. Usher

Charles M. Usher of Ideal Heating Company in Brookfield, Illinois

Stephen R. Dawson II

Stephen R. Dawson II of Harrell-Fish, Incorporated in Bloomington, Indiana

Changing of the Guard

Tom Stone passes the MCAA Presidential gavel to Greg L. Fuller.

President Stone offered a final word of thanks to all those who contribute to MCAA’s success before passing the gavel to MCAA’s 2017 President, Greg L. Fuller. In his first address to the association as its president, Fuller said:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is an honor to be chosen to lead MCAA. I am looking forward to working with all of you to further our industry. This industry and the people that make it up mean everything to me. You have my word on that…

I received my journeyman plumber status back in 1985, began my career as a superintendent and joined North Mechanical in 1991 as a project manager. In 1997 I was lucky enough to be able to purchase the company.

Seeking ways to ensure my company’s success, I got involved in the MCA of Indiana and the group’s Indianapolis Chapter. I’ve served on the Boards of both organizations, as well as their Labor/Management and Finance committees. And, I’m currently Chairman of the UA Local 440 Health and Welfare Trust.

My introduction to MCA of America came in the form of attending the national association’s many educational programs. I now chair MCAA’s Project Managers Education Committee and am an instructor at our immensely popular Institute for Project Management.

I joined MCAA’s Board of Directors in 2010 and joined the Executive Committee four years later.

And I am here today to tell you that I can trace my company’s success—directly and indirectly—to my involvement in MCAA.

If you already participate, that’s great, and I urge you to consider upping your game.

And if you’ve been on the sidelines, wondering how to get involved, please just ask. We will find a way to use your talents. The industry will benefit from what you can do, and you and your company will benefit from your involvement as well. You have my word…

This year I pledge to “get out of the office” and to visit as many local associations as possible. They are what this association is about. Promoting participation in our local associations will be one of my primary goals this year.

Also, we are all fortunate in that the relationship between the MCAA and the UA is at an all-time high.

We developed a great partnership during General President Hite’s tenure and we will build on that with General President McManus and his terrific leadership team.

Mark, thank you for your comments earlier. I found them very inspirational.

We all understand that our biggest challenge as union contractors is to maintain, and yes, regain market share.

Last year—2016—saw a growth in the union representation rate in construction for the first time in many years. I believe this growth did not just reflect a market rebound; it also reflected a growing demand for a skilled and technologically proficient workforce—one that is being trained in our union apprenticeship programs.

And no trade is training its members more professionally and extensively than the United Association. And for our part, MCAA will continue to make sure our members are fully prepared for the technological and managerial challenges of tomorrow.

That’s what it will take to secure a bright future for the members of both of our fine organizations. That’s what it will take, and that’s what we will do. Again, you have my word…

So, I promise you that I will work hard to build on and continue the fine work of those who came before me. Please join me.

It is an incredible honor to stand before you as the president of MCAA.

Thank you very much.”

Tokens of Appreciation for a Job Well Done and One to Come

MCAA President Greg L. Fuller presents Immediate Past President Tom Stone with a token of appreciation for his service.

President Fuller presented Immediate Past President Stone with an MCAA Award for his leadership, saying, “Every time you look at this I hope you’ll remember how much we all appreciated the contributions you made to MCAA as our 2016 President.”

MCAA Immediate Past President Tom Stone looks on as fiancee Sharon Glynn presents a gift to new First Lady Lynne Fuller while MCAA 2017 President Greg L. Fuller looks on.

Immediate Past First Lady Sharon Glynn presented a gift to Lynne Fuller, saying, “Being First Lady is a lot of fun, and one of the best parts is travelling to meet with many of our local associations. So, as a token of our appreciation here is a travel bag and a monogrammed shawl for you to enjoy as you travel.”

Association Leaders Recognized

The national officers who serve as MCAA’s Executive Committee and the new members of MCAA’s Board of Directors were introduced.

Your National Officers

MCAA 2017 Executive Committee

Introducing the members of MCAA’s Executive Committee who will lead your association this year: Vice President and Assistant Treasurer Brian Helm, President-Elect Michael A. Brandt, President Greg L. Fuller, Senior Vice President and Treasurer Robert J. Durr Jr. and Immediate Past President Tom Stone.

Your New Board Members

MCAA 2017 New Board Members

The newest members of MCAA’s Board of Directors are: Larry L. Gunthorpe of Gunthorpe Plumbing & Heating Company in East Lansing, Michigan; Rick Gopffarth of Dynamic Systems, Inc. of Dallas, Texas; Stephen W. Harvey of Soefker Services in Memphis, Tennessee and Scott Wallenstein of Neptune Plumbing & Heating Co. in Cleveland, Ohio.

Astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly Shared their Story

Astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly

Astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly spoke about their experiences in space and in life. This was the first time the duo has spoken to MCAA. Mark Kelly last spoke at MCAA’s Awards of Excellence Breakfast in 2013 in San Antonio.

MCAA 2017 Wrapped Up by Looking Ahead to MCAA 2018

MCAA President Greg L. Fuller

In conclusion, President Fuller remarked, “Our time here in San Diego is over, but I’m confident that each of us will be leaving here with great ideas to take home to our companies and some new contacts, too. I hope each of you choose to stay involved in MCAA this year or become even more involved. I think we can agree that after reflection, we’ve realized that MCAA is an even more important element in our success than we thought! That said, I hope to see you at next year’s convention!”

See you in San Antonio March 25 – 29, 2018!

MCAA 2018 San Antonio March 25-29, 2018

UA EVP Rick Terven Testifies at House Hearing on Composite Pension Plans

United Association Executive Vice President Rick Terven testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee on September 22nd on Chairman John Kline’s proposals to modernize multiemployer pensions.

In his testimony, Terven stressed that “If composite plans are not made available, we believe that many existing defined benefit plans will eventually be replaced with defined contribution plans. The opportunity for creative solutions to our retirement income challenges is within our grasp. We strongly encourage Congress to take advantage of it and expand available offerings to enable labor and management to find solutions which best meet their specific needs.”

Read Terven’s testimony.

The Committee press release answering questions on the Chairman’s proposal can be found here. The discussion draft, which was released two weeks ago, contains new multiemployer composite plan designs that were part of the Solutions Not Bailouts proposals held back when the Kline-Miller pension reform law was enacted in 2014. The composite plans were developed by the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plan’s Retirement Income Security Review Commission, which included MCAA and the United Association.

Chairman Kline has invited interested parties to provide input into the draft’s features. He has also requested comments and proposals on how to shore up funding for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) multiemployer plan insurance fund, which is headed for insolvency within 10 years without major changes to its program and insurance premium funding.

In releasing the discussion draft Chairman Kline stated:

“For years, the committee has worked on a bipartisan basis to improve multiemployer pensions and safeguard the retirement security of workers and retirees. We have already made significant progress, and the draft proposal released today represents the next step in this important effort.

This proposal will provide more retirement choices for workers, more flexibility for employers, and greater protection for taxpayers. It reflects the input of business and labor leaders, as well as retiree advocates who have long recognized the need to strengthen the retirement security. I encourage other concerned individuals to share their views and ideas.

There is still a lot of work to be done, including tackling the fiscal challenges facing the PBGC. Improving the multiemployer pension system is an urgent priority for employers and labor leaders that will benefit America’s workers and taxpayers. I hope my colleagues in the House and Senate will make it an urgent priority as well.”

The composite plans are new plan design options that plan sponsors can choose to adopt or not in plan amendments. The discussion draft envisions adoption of a composite plan by amendment to a traditional multiemployer defined benefit plan that suspends future accruals into the former (legacy) plan (Red Zone plans cannot convert). All future accruals then flow into the new composite plan.

In the new composite plan, annual one-year and 15-year funding projections must maintain 120% funding. Shortfalls must be addressed by added contributions, future accrual cuts, and other benefit adjustments to meet the 120% funding safeguard. The legacy plan also must be funded under current funding rules, and there are minimum funding requirement contributions for all employers that enter the composite plan. And, because the benefits in the composite plan are not insured by PBGC, no PBGC premiums are paid on those participants. Legacy plan participants still pay the PBGC premiums at whatever new higher level may be imposed.

The UA and MCAA also submitted a joint statement of support to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Chairman Kline’s call for urgent Congressional action is fully warranted, as the composite plan models have been thoroughly vetted in Congress over the past several years. Action this year will stem the need for consideration by the next Congress, which would take a year or more, and thereby diminish the remedial benefits of the composite plan model for the entire system. MCAA, the UA and the NCCMP coalition continue to press lawmakers to honor Mr. Kline’s perseverance on this most important issue and to heed his call for timely and effective action this year, even though time is short.