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MCAA’s National Education Initiative (NEI) Seminars bring our best programs to your local association or your company thanks to instructors like C. Richard Barnes and Casey Elford, experienced mediators and trainers. Richard and Casey help emerging and high potential leaders build the skills they need to succeed in mechanical contracting.

Richard is the founder and president of C. Richard Barnes & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm which provides leadership training and development, dispute resolution services, dispute resolution systems design, facilitation, coaching and negotiation skills training to a cross-section of industry, labor, private, public, and service organizations, both nationally and internationally.

Casey is a California attorney, mediator, and corporate skills trainer who specializes in conflict resolution practices. She is also an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University School of Law where she teaches courses in Mediation and Employment Disputes.

Richard and Casey teach those who attend the Leadership Access Institute (LAI) to:

• Communicate better
• Solve problems
• Negotiate
• Understand diversity in the workplace
• Handle conflicts
• Understand better business etiquette

Richard and Casey’s backgrounds make them ideally suited to address these topics.

Like our other NEI instructors, Richard and Casey bring a unique blend of industry and teaching experience to virtual courses, a relatively new NEI offering. Providing top notch, accessible education for everyone in your organization is what the MCAA’s NEI is all about! Visit the NEI website for more information about these seminars and a full list of the NEI courses available to MCAA members.

Book your courses via the NEI website, then apply for a 20% rebate on the instructor fees, up to $5,000 per class.*

*This benefit is available only to MCAA members and local affiliates in good standing who book courses via the NEI website. Learn more about the rebate program here. Have questions or need personal assistance? Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall or call him at 301-990-2215.

The future of MCAA is fundamentally linked to the quality of the individuals who serve on its Board of Directors. MCAA members who would like to be considered for one of three vacancies are encouraged to learn more and complete the application. Applications should be returned no later than January 13, 2023. Candidates and their spokespersons will be scheduled for interviews at the 2023 MCAA Annual Convention. Those who are selected will begin their terms in March 2023.

As we make the final arrangements for the MCAA 2022 Fabrication Conference, we want to take a moment and announce the volunteer event details and pre-conference session schedule as a new option this year.

MCAA is working with McKinstry’s preferred community organization, Food Lifeline, to organize a community service event at their Hunger Solutions Center on November 2^nd from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. The volunteer effort will be unboxing and packing food for the local communities experiencing hunger. Busing will be provided by MCAA to the Hunger Solutions Center, departing the hotel at 12:15 PM and returning at 3:30 PM.

Participants will be given a commemorative sweatshirt and have the opportunity to work with McKinstry leaders, Nate Smith (Business Unit Manager, Manufacturing) and Mike Cleek (Director of Shop and Field Operations).
Participation requires advanced registration, so please complete the registration form below. Guests may participate as well but require separate registration.

Optional Pre-Conference Session Schedule

Participation in the optional pre-conference sessions on November 2^nd takes no advance registration, but attendees must check in onsite and receive their badges prior to attending. 

ST. HELENS ROOM

1:00 PM – 1:30 PM
MSUITE Cloud Spooling: How to Bring Your Models to the Cloud and Spool with Ease

Come learn about the latest and greatest with MSUITE Cloud Spooling. Michael Schinn, Product Manager at MSUITE will cover how your fab and field teams can leverage data rich BIM models to create and view Spool drawings in the cloud without needing Revit power.

1:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Technology Implementation Tips and Tricks for the BIM and Fab Shop

Implementing a new technology can seem daunting, especially on a busy shop floor. Gleaning off years of experience implementing MSUITE customers, Erin Blomme, Sr. Product Manager, will be onsite to discuss industry best practices when implementing a new technology with your BIM and fab shops.

2:15 PM – 2:45 PM
The Power of Analytics and KPI’s for the Fab Shop

With so many moving parts in a fabrication shop, it can be hard to manage the flow of data to know which parts of your fab shop are most efficient. Andries van Heerden, Product Manager at MSUITE, will walk through the various analytics and KPIs you can track in your fab shop, and how they will have a dramatic impact on your profitability.

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Scaling Up Initial Fabrication Operations  

Whether you work for a small company or a large one, the industry is pushing for more fabrication. With many teams connected to the fab shop, how do you grow the number of hours/dollars? How do you get foreman/site buy-in? And what does this look like financially? Learn how to bring all your operations departments together to run a successful fab shop that can grow with your business.

OLYMPIC ROOM

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Leveraging Technology: The Right Data, for the Right Person, at the Right Time

Learn about the importance of making data accessible to ensure your teams, subject matter experts, and management stakeholders have the information they need to manage and execute projects efficiently and effectively. Data that is lightweight and easily available, along with rich models and augmented reality, will greatly improve your project execution.

2:15 PM – 2:45 PM
Field Orderz – Field Centered Prefabrication

Field Orderz is a digital field-centered prefabrication tool that is simple, intuitive and fast. The tedious nature of tickets has made the idea of field-lead prefabrication impractical, but now with Field Orderz, you can order, sketch, track and report from one platform. It provides a fully digital solution to the time-consuming task of sending orders and sketches to the shop. Eliminating the common obstacles of bad handwriting, incorrect parts, and labels. This tool calculates material lengths and automates the sketching and reporting process.

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Future of Pipe Welding and Automation

Novarc Technologies is the leader in development of cobots and AI systems for the welding industry. We developed the first Spool Welding Robot (SWR™) and have helped our customers combat their existing welder shortage issues, but we haven’t stopped there. Join us for a conversation to see how Novarc Technologies is continuously pushing the boundary to help the industry advance and get a sneak peak at our Artificial Intelligence product called NovEye™.

Nearly 70 volunteers from the Madison Area Mechanical and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (MSC) and United Association (UA) Steamfitters Local 601 serviced the homes of 59 veterans during the 34th Annual Heat’s On event on Saturday, October 8, 2022. The annual event ensures the safety of those who served our country.

During the event, service technicians discovered a furnace in need of replacement and a few that will require follow-up visits. MSC member 1901 Inc. is coordinating with the veteran homeowner to schedule the furnace replacement. Hooper Corporation will be replacing a water heater and following up on several other part repairs. All labor and supplies are complimentary to the homeowners. Temperature Systems Inc. is providing the furnace replacement and First Supply will provide the water heater.

“I really appreciate stuff like this; people doing stuff for the military,” explained U.S. Air Force Veteran Stan Hook. “It’s nice to know you are appreciated. There’s a lot of vets that probably can’t afford to have this done on a regular basis and this is just something that helps them out and makes sure they have heat throughout the winter. I want to thank those that participated; really appreciate their commitment to military people.”

The Heat’s On event has checked and serviced over 2,600 homes in Dane County since the event’s inception in 1987. The event originated when two elderly individuals froze to death when the temperatures dropped because their furnace was not working properly. The association and local union initially created the program to help the poor and elderly stay warm throughout the winter. In 2015, Heat’s On began checking furnaces for veterans.

Contractors participating in this year’s event were: 1901, Inc., Air Temperature Services, Bassett Mechanical, Butters-Fetting, Hooper Corporation, Ideal Mechanical, and JM Brennan. The Waldinger Corporation, TOTAL Mechanical, Trane, and Zone Mechanical provided trucks for the technicians to use to service the furnaces. First Supply, Gustave A. Larson, Johnstone Supply, and Temperature Systems Inc. donated the materials used to repair any broken furnaces.

“We were overwhelmed with the support we received from our volunteers this year and are proud to see how the program can grow in the future,” said MSC Executive Director Julie Walsh. “This continues to be my favorite day of the year! The gratitude and appreciation we receive from the veterans is priceless!”

The service technicians volunteered their Saturday morning to service the veterans’ furnaces. Many of the technicians have participated in Heat’s On year-after-year.

“I don’t know a better way, with the skills that we learned through the union, and trades to serve the veterans that gave us the freedom that we have now,” said Army veteran and 1901 Inc. steamfitter Mike Johnson.

The event lets service technicians hear stories from our veterans, giving them a new appreciation for all that the homeowners have done for our country. “It’s not about cleaning the furnace on a day like today,” explained The Waldinger Corporation’s Dan Swanson, who is also currently serving in the Army National Guard. “It’s about the interactions with the veterans.” Sixteen of the service technicians who volunteered for Heat’s On are veterans themselves.

The annual Heat’s On event gives the veteran homeowners comfort and the peace of mind for the coming winter. In some cases, the event is lifesaving.

Joint ventures share project control, management, profits, and losses. MCAA’s Joint Ventures provides guidance to help contractors determine when a joint venture may be beneficial. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin covers:

• Who may create a joint venture
• Why a joint venture is desirable
• When joint ventures should be created
• How to create a joint venture
• Other considerations, such as insurance, bonding, and staffing
• Other forms of combined efforts that should be evaluated during the planning stages
• Reasons to attempt or not attempt a joint venture

For a full list of available Management Methods Bulletins, visit the Management Methods Bulletins page.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall.