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icon Mechanical Earns Top MCAA/CNA Safety Award

icon Mechanical was recently recognized as the MCAA/CNA Safety Excellence Awards winner for 2020 in Size Category 4, 450,001 – 1 Million Work Hours. icon Mechanical’s successful COVID-19 safety initiative set the company apart.

icon Mechanical went well above and beyond CDC recommendations to contractors to keep their workers safe. The company installed Global Plasma Solutions (GPS) systems in all company buildings. These systems use needlepoint bipolar ionization technology to help purify and sanitize the air.

The company rewarded employees for identifying potential gaps in the company’s COVID-19 precautions and for helping to identify solutions to remedy these gaps. Each worker was provided with foam-lined safety glasses that do not fog up when worn with face coverings for protection from the virus.

The MCAA/CNA Safety Excellence Awards Program began in the 1990s when MCAA partnered with CNA Insurance. It is a fiercely competitive program in which only the best of the best compete for the awards.

Participants are required to describe their safety programs in detail, including how they achieved safety excellence and why they believe they deserve the award. The Safety Awards Selection Taskforce, which is led by CNA, carefully evaluates each submission looking for safety leadership, an advanced safety culture, effective leading indicators of safety performance, and innovative safety initiatives that helped the company achieve an exceptionally high degree of safety excellence. MCAA and CNA congratulate icon Mechanical for earning such a high degree of safety excellence in 2020.

CDC Alters Guidelines on Facility Cleaning & Disinfection for COVID-19

The CDC has revised its guidelines regarding cleaning and disinfecting surfaces to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The virus that causes COVID-19 can land on surfaces, and it’s possible for people to become infected if they touch those surfaces and then touch their nose, mouth, or eyes. However, it has been determined that the risk of infection from touching a surface is low. The CDC now believes that the most reliable way to prevent infection is to regularly wash hands and use hand sanitizers. When there have been no confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 in a given space, cleaning only once a day is usually enough to sufficiently remove the virus from surfaces in the space.

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Join MCAA and Participate in COVID-19 Vaccine Awareness Week in Construction, April 19-23, 2021

MCAA and much of the construction industry will be participating in COVID-19 Vaccine Awareness Week in Construction during the week of April 19-23, 2021. MCAA encourages you to join us and participate! The purpose of the safety week is to support the CDC’s campaign to raise awareness about the safety, effectiveness, and benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. The CDC is providing an Essential Workers COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit to help affected employers educate their workers about COVID-19 vaccines. The toolkit includes:

  • A customizable letter you can send to your employees with information about vaccine awareness educational offerings;
  • Content for company newsletters and social media sources;
  • A PowerPoint presentation on COVID-19 vaccines; and
  • Key messages for all affected workers.

MCAA encourages you take advantage of these materials. Setting aside a few minutes during the safety week to bring your workers up to speed on the vaccines could be very beneficial to your company. A few options to consider for delivering the information to your workers include:

  • A COVID-19 vaccine awareness safety meeting;
  • A short duration vaccine awareness safety talk each day throughout the week;
  • A COVID-19 vaccine awareness safety Lunch & Learn; and/or
  • Worker access to the Wednesday, April 21, 2021 vaccine awareness webinar, which will be presented by the CDC and NIOSH from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET by way of NIOSH Zoom. REGISTER

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Find the Latest from ASC Engineered Solutions and Nu Flow Technologies 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:

ASC Engineered Solutions
Recently updated with more products, our BIM & CAD catalog is now available online! It contains several file formats including Revit & AutoCAD, customizable parts and allows for seamless workflow integration for building projects. End-users can quickly produce an accurate and complete bill of materials.

Learn More

Nu Flow Technologies
Becoming a NuFlow Certified Contractor is more than buying our equipment. We prepare our contractors with everything they need to develop new expertise, product offerings, and revenue streams. Grow your business with NuFlow!

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

Be Prepared for OSHA’s COVID-19 Special Emphasis Program (SEP) Enforcement!

The new administration is putting a lot of pressure on OSHA to perform COVID-19 related inspections and enforce the agency’s guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. OSHA’s new Special Emphasis Program (SEP) on COVID-19 gives the agency the impetus it needs to do just that. Employers should prepare for the possibility of unprogrammed and programmed COVID-19 inspections.

Unprogrammed Inspections:

To start, make sure you know your rights as an employer, so that you will not unnecessarily provide OSHA with information that could result in a citation. Unprogrammed inspections typically result from the mandatory reporting of a fatality, an employee complaint, or a referral from another government agency. When an inspection is unprogrammed you can limit the scope of the compliance officer’s inspection to the reason for the unprogrammed inspection. For example, if an employee complains to OSHA that the portable toilets are not being regularly sanitized, and that complaint results in an unprogrammed inspection, you can limit OSHA to inspecting only those toilets and prevent the compliance officer from seeing other areas of the jobsite. However, compliance officers can issue citations for safety violations they identify while on the way to inspect the subjects of unprogrammed inspection, so choose the path and mode of transportation to that subject area wisely.  

  • Compliance officers are required to hold pre-inspection conferences. Make sure the conference occurs. There have been cases where compliance officers have omitted this required step in the process;
  • Make sure your company is represented at the conference by someone who knows what to ask and understands how to respond;   
  • The instant the conference begins your company representative should ask the compliance officer for the reason for the inspection;
  • If it is an unprogrammed inspection, limit the compliance officer to the area of the jobsite where the incident that resulted in the inspection occurred, i.e., where the fatality occurred, the specific area of the employee complaint, or the specific area stated in the referral; and  
  • Never leave a compliance officer alone to wander the jobsite. Even though it is an unprogrammed inspection, if a compliance officer sees a violation, he or she can still issue a citation that is unrelated to the reason for the unprogrammed inspection.

Programmed Inspections:

Programmed inspections are randomly selected by OSHA from Dodge Reports. Get  prepared ahead of time in case your company is working on a project that comes up for a programmed COVID-19 inspection. To get prepared, consider what the compliance officers are most likely to look for during the inspection process, and what standards that they are most likely to cite.

Based on OSHA’s most recent COVID-19 compliance directive its compliance officers will be looking specifically for the following items during COVID-19 inspections:

  • Evidence of retaliation against workers for actions related to the virus;
  • Use of face coverings or masks throughout the workplace;
  • Active encouragement of workers to stay home if they are sick;
  • Proper social distancing and accommodating workers with telework where possible;
  • Emphasis on proper respiratory etiquette;
  • Emphasis on proper hand hygiene;
  • Routine environmental cleaning; and
  • Planning for possible infectious disease outbreaks in the workplace.

Since OSHA does not currently have a COVID-19 standard, the agency uses existing standards to enforce worker COVID-19 protection. When performing COVID-19 inspections the agency is most likely to issues citations from provisions in the following standards and its general duty clause.

Mechanical Service and Fabrication Shops:

  • 29 CFR 1904 – Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses;
  • 29 CFR 1910.132 – General Requirements – Personal Protective Equipment;
  • 29 CFR 1910.134 – Respiratory Protection;
  • 29 CFR 1910.141 – Sanitation;
  • 29 CFR 1910.145 – Specification for Accident Prevention Signs and Tags;
  • 29 CFR 1910.1020 – Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records;
  • 29 CFR 1910.1030 – Bloodborne Pathogens; and
  • Section 5(a)(1) – General Duty Clause – From the OSH Act of 1970.

Mechanical Construction:

  • 29 CFR 1904 – Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses;
  • 29 CFR 1926.28 – General Requirements – Personal Protective Equipment;
  • 29 CFR 1926.33 – Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records;
  • 29 CFR 1926.51 – Sanitation;
  • 29 CFR 1926.103 – Respiratory Protection;
  • 29 CFR 1926.200 – Accident Prevention Signs and Tags; and
  • Section 5(a)(1) – General Duty Clause from the OSH Act of 1970.

If you have any questions or need any assistance protecting your workers from COVID-19 orpreparing your company for possible OSHA COVID-19 related enforcement, please contact Pete Chaney at pchaney@mcaa.org or 301-990-2214.

Renick Brothers Accelerates Project Delivery Using Trimble’s SysQue Software

Dominick Florentine, director of virtual design and construction at Renick Brothers, was skeptical that Trimble SysQue MEP software would improve productivity, but since trying it out, he admitted, “I’m working smarter because of the features and functionality of the software.” Trimble is a sponsor of MCAA’s 2021 Virtual Education Conference.

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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

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Industry-Specific COVID-19 Safety Resources

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s industry-specific COVID-19 safety resources, because nothing is more important than the health and safety of your workforce.

MCAA’s Safety Excellence Initiative offers these COVID-19 resources:

You Might Also Like MCAA’s Other Safety Resources

Learn more about safety and health in our industry and access safety-related resources in these locations:

If you have questions about any of these resources or MCAA’s Safety Excellence Initiative, contact Pete Chaney.

W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor Earns Top MCAA/CNA Safety Award

W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc. was recently recognized as the MCAA/CNA Safety Excellence Awards winner for 2020 in Size Category 5, More Than 1 Million Work Hours. W.W. Gay’s complex safety and health education processes set the company apart.

W.W. Gay built safety awareness and accountability by implementing targeted safety and health education processes and relating safety-related losses back to the company’s overall financial performance. By doing so, they generated buy-in from multiple rungs of the organization that were previously not included in the safety process.

The MCAA/CNA Safety Excellence Awards Program began in the 1990s when MCAA partnered with CNA Insurance. It is a fiercely competitive program in which only the best of the best compete for the awards.

Participants are required to describe their safety programs in detail, including how they achieved safety excellence and why they believe they deserve the award. The Safety Awards Selection Taskforce, which is led by CNA, carefully evaluates each submission looking for safety leadership, an advanced safety culture, effective leading indicators of safety performance, and innovative safety initiatives that helped the company achieve an exceptionally high degree of safety excellence.

MCAA and CNA congratulate W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor for earning such a high degree of safety excellence in 2020.

Connect With the Latest Training from Victaulic and Reliance Worldwide Corporation at MCAA.org

The Manufacturer/Supplier Training area of MCAA’s website connects our contractor members with training opportunities available from the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Participating companies highlight and link to new webinars and training opportunities across their product lines, services, solutions or web pages. Here are just a few of the recent additions:

Victaulic
From one-hour seminars to full-day events, Victaulic University Continuing Education courses provide training on key industry concepts, including piping movement design, grooving and installation fundamentals, and gasket technology, as well as Victaulic HVAC and fire protection solutions. Request an instructor-led course or enroll in an online course today!

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Reliance Worldwide Corporation
The HoldRite training portal enables you to learn about our complete range of solutions, including secondary pipe supports, acoustic noise & vibration, firestopping systems, DWV testing, equipment supports & water heater accessories.

Learn More

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

Be sure to visit the Manufacturer/Supplier Training area for all the latest offerings.

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Want to Know What to Expect from OSHA in the New Administration? Watch Our April 7th Webinar with Adele Abrams!

Prepare for OSHA’s coming regulatory and enforcement agendas by watching this 60-minute webinar for mechanical construction and service companies. Our presenter is nationally recognized safety and health expert and attorney Adele Abrams. She is a frequent presenter for MCAA with expertise in legal, occupational safety/health issues, employment law, and mine safety. Adele is also co-author of several books related to occupational safety and health, construction, employment law, and mining.

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Find the Latest from Omegaflex, Inc. and Manufacton 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:

Omegaflex Tracpipe ps2

Omegaflex, Inc.
TracPipe PSII double wall piping for Natural gas or LP powered backup generators for hospitals and communication centers.

Learn More

Manufacton
Manufacton is a SaaS (mobile/web) platform that helps construction firms plan, track and manage both prefabrication and regular material handling. The Manufacton platform helps optimize the end-to-end prefabrication process.

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

Introducing ASC Engineered Solutions™: Anvil and Smith-Cooper Are Embarking on a New Chapter

Anvil International, an MCAA member since 1987, merged with Smith-Cooper International in 2019. On March 29, 2021, the unified company relaunched as ASC Engineered Solutions. Under a single name and logo, ASC Engineered Solutions continues its focus on improving the customer experience every day and striving to deliver service excellence.

The evolved ASC Engineered Solutions brand reinforces a focus on what matters most to customers: quality. As a solutions provider, this quality is reflected in the company’s precision-engineered products, support and knowledge. The new brand communicates that the organization is a dependable strategic partner focused on its customers’ success. “Unifying the corporate brand enhances our presence in the market and reinforces that we are one company, drawing on the best of both legacy companies to create something greater than the sum of its parts,” said Jason Hild, chief executive officer of ASC Engineered Solutions. “It signals that we are committed to a way of doing business that extends beyond precision-engineered, category-leading products by leveraging technology, service and support to help our customers meet the challenges they face every day.”

The new logo, name and tagline brings together this message.

Logo

The crisp geometric shapes in the new company logo communicate precision and quality, while the interlocking lines represent the connection to customers—much like a handshake. The typeface is strong and structural while also being clean, easy to read and modern. The foundational black and grey references the company’s strength and commitment, while the vibrant blue captures the passion of its people.

Name

The ASC portion of the new name communicates unity and reinforces that the company is a single organization that combines the best of both legacy companies.

Additionally, “Engineered Solutions” expresses that the company is a problem solver. For ASC Engineered Solutions, a solution answers challenges and is how the company delivers value. This value includes leveraging technology to make doing business easier, ensuring product availability, offering the broadest range of products and services in the industry and being a dependable partner.

Tagline

Lastly, the company’s tagline “Building connections that last™” comes from the legacy Anvil business. It is a nod to that heritage and a guarantee that the newly united company will bring forward the elements its customers appreciate. The tagline captures the essence of the brand, referring to both its products as well as the strong and lasting relationships vital to the organization.

Together, these brand elements assure customers that ASC is a solutions provider, focused on delivering a quality experience, every time.

About ASC Engineered Solutions

ASC Engineered Solutions is defined by quality—in its products, services and support. With more than 1,400 employees, the company’s portfolio of precision-engineered piping support, valves and connections provides products to more than 4,000 customers across industries, such as mechanical, industrial, fire protection, oil and gas, and commercial and residential construction. Its portfolio of leading brands includes ABZ Valve®, AFCON®, Anvil®, Anvil EPS, Anvil Services, Basic-PSA, Beck®, Catawissa, Cooplet®, FlexHead®, FPPI®, Gruvlok®, J.B. Smith, Merit®, North Alabama Pipe, Quadrant®, SCI®, Sharpe®, SlideLOK®, SPF/ Anvil® and SprinkFLEX®. With headquarters in Commerce, CA, and Exeter, NH, ASC also has ISO 9001:2015 certified production facilities in PA, TN, IL, TX, AL, LA, KS, and RI. For more information, visit www.asc-es.com.

Hailey Brennan Remains Josam Endowed Scholarship Recipient

Congratulations to Hailey Brennan, the outstanding recipient of the annual Josam Endowed Scholarship. Josam Company has established an annual scholarship to a sophomore in a MCAA Student Chapter, pursuing a degree in construction management, mechanical engineering or a similar field. Provided that all qualifications are met each year, the yearly recipient will continue to receive the scholarship in their sophomore, junior and senior year.

Hailey is now a junior studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. Hailey joined her MCAA student chapter in the Fall of 2019, attended the 2019 GreatFutures Forum and then helped to lead her chapter to the final four of MCAA’s 2019-2020 Student Chapter Competition.

Hailey has had an interest in the industry since middle school and began taking engineering courses in high school. “It was my choice to pursue HVAC as well, which is what really drew me toward a career in the mechanical contracting industry.”

While in high school Hailey was active in SkillsUSA, a career and technical student organization. The organization helped Hailey grow confidence in HVAC courses, and led to her interning with a mechanical contractor her senior year in high school.

She has continued to pursue her industry interests while at the University of Maryland, and wants to continue to pursue a career in mechanical contracting throughout her educational and internship choices as an undergraduate.

Hailey has recently completed an internship working alongside project engineers and says she has given thought to completing an HVAC apprenticeship after graduation. “With my experience in mechanical engineering and business, completing an HVAC apprenticeship would put me on my way to becoming a business owner in the mechanical contracting industry.”

The John R. Gentille Foundation congratulates Hailey on continuing to uphold this prestigious scholarship and would like to thank Josam Company’s CEO, Scott Holloway Sr., for the commitment to supporting younger students to keep them invested in the mechanical contracting industry. 

Sarah Galan Receives Ferguson-Women in the Mechanical Industry Scholarship

Sarah Galan, a junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering at Wentworth Institute of Technology, has been awarded one of the two Ferguson-Women in the Mechanical Industry Scholarships. Ferguson underwrites these scholarships, which recognize high-achieving female students working towards a degree relative to the mechanical industry.

Sarah landed a winter internship with EMCOR Services Northeast, where she assisted the sales engineers in conducting work on their projects, including estimating, takeoffs, bids, purchase orders, graphics, and controls. Sarah’s experience with EMCOR confirmed her interest in the mechanical contracting industry. “I love how I feel challenged every day. I am constantly learning something, and wake up every day excited to go to work. Everyone at EMCOR treats me as a valuable employee and trusts me with a large variety of responsibilities,” she said.

Acknowledging this field is extremely male dominated, which may intimidate many, Sarah uses it as motivation. Sarah shared, “I take it is a challenge. It challenges me as an individual to prove to myself and to those around me that I know what I am capable of achieving and I can be a valuable asset. I think it is incredible to see more and more women entering into professions such as this one and I hope that I can take this opportunity to inspire more women to enter this field. The notion that this is a job only for men is such a fleeting idea in people’s minds and I hope more women realize this and see that there is a place for them in this industry.”  

Women in the Mechanical Industry and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Sarah on this prestigious scholarship and thank Ferguson for their commitment to encouraging young women to be engaged in the industry.

Kimberly Sikkema Receives Ferguson-Women in the Mechanical Industry Scholarship

Kimberly Sikkema, a junior at Ferris State University, has been awarded one of the two Ferguson-Women in the Mechanical Industry Scholarships. Ferguson underwrites these scholarships, which recognize high-achieving female students working towards a degree relative to the mechanical industry.

Kimberly, who is earning her degree in HVAC/R, is the President of her student chapter, and will continue as the President throughout 2021. She has found herself on the dean’s list every semester and has maintained an impressive 3.95 GPA. Upon graduation, Kimberly looks forward to pursuing her career that she has worked so hard for, stating, “I look forward to seeing the wide variety of opportunities that are out there in the world for myself, as a woman in the HVAC/R industry. I look forward to making connections and networking with people from all around the world in the mechanical industry. Most of all, I look forward to expanding my knowledge by facing new obstacles every day, receiving more hands-on learning out in the field, as well as learning more from experienced, skilled veterans.”

Women in the Mechanical Industry and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Kimberly on this prestigious scholarship and thank Ferguson for their commitment to encouraging young women to be engaged in the industry.

Parker Filius Receives Alan P. O’Shea Memorial Scholarship

Congratulations to Parker Filius, one of the two recipients of the Alan P. O’Shea Memorial Scholarship. The Mechanical Contractors Association of New Jersey established the scholarships to honor the memory of Alan P. O’Shea, its former Executive Director, and memorialize his many contributions to the mechanical contracting industry.

Parker, a Junior studying Construction Management Technology at Purdue University, has served in the position of Secretary in his student chapter for the past year and will continue to serve in his student chapter throughout the Spring and Fall of 2021. In addition to his involvement with his chapter, Parker has maintained academic excellence, stayed committed to athletic obligations, and completed several internships.

Through his internship experiences, Parker stated, “the mechanical contracting industry is more complicated than many other areas of construction. I am passionate about learning and look forward to a career filled with learning opportunities. My time with MCA has taught me that there is so much to learn that is specific to the mechanical industry.”

This summer, Parker will be interning with MCAA member company, BMWC in Indiana and hopes to continue to absorb everything he can.

MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Parker on this distinguished scholarship! We thank the MCA of Omaha, Inc. for its commitment to supporting younger students keeping them invested in the mechanical contracting industry.

Jakob Cimino Receives Alan P. O’Shea Memorial Scholarship

Congratulations to Jakob Cimino, one of the two recipients of the Alan P. O’Shea Memorial Scholarship. The Mechanical Contractors Association of New Jersey established the scholarships to honor the memory of Alan P. O’Shea, its former Executive Director, and memorialize his many contributions to the mechanical contracting industry.

Jakob, a freshman studying Construction Management, is a recent addition to the student chapter at the University of Nebraska. In the midst of the pandemic, he switched majors, universities, and came out of the gate looking for a group to help him get a foot in the door for his future career.

Luckily, the chapter was still able to hold their annual Internship Day and Jakob was the first to sign up to participate. Internship day is a special event where all of the MCA-Omaha companies offering summer internships gather around the board table and have the students come in one by one for a short interview. Not only is Jakob set to intern with MCAA member company, Control Services, this summer, but he actually already started as of December 1, 2020!

After quickly realizing he enjoyed being a part of his student chapter, Jakob explained, “I decided that I wanted to surround myself in that environment and start my career path. Once I did that, I never looked back and it has done nothing but benefit myself and help me learn to become a better person. It has helped me get into a place that I never thought that I would be in at this point in my life and now I already have my foot in the door of the mechanical industry because of it.”

MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Jakob on this distinguished scholarship and thank the MCA of Omaha, Inc. for its commitment to supporting younger students keeping them invested in the mechanical contracting industry.

Masen Dinklage Receives Reilly Family Memorial Scholarship

Congratulations to Masen Dinklage, this year’s recipient of the annual Reilly Family Memorial Scholarship. John W. Danforth Company, an MCAA member company, established the scholarship to commemorate the memory of its leadership, the Reilly Family. Kevin “Duke” Reilly served as Danforth’s Chairman/CEO. Wayne, Patrick and Emmett Reilly contributed a combined 128 years of commitment and loyalty to their company and the industry. This national scholarship symbolizes the Reillys’ many contributions to the mechanical contracting industry.

Masen, a senior studying Mechanical Engineering at The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has found himself on the College of Engineering dean’s list for the past four years. In addition to his academic achievements, Masen has held three separate student chair positions within his student chapter in which he has organized and coordinated student volunteer work for chapter fundraisers. Masen served as the Golf Chair in 2019, Wine Tasting Chair in 2020, and is currently the Beer Tasting Chair for 2021.

Masen has interned at MCAA member company, The Waldinger Corporation, for the past three years and has absolutely loved his experience. When asked what has drawn him towards a career in the mechanical contracting industry, Masen shared, “I want to be confronted with consistent challenges during my career and it is very evident to me that the mechanical contracting industry will provide new challenges every day. Additionally, I have had the pleasure of meeting many quality people within the mechanical industry. I have a strong desire to continue working with these people and build new relationships throughout my career.”

Masen, MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate you on receiving this prestigious scholarship and look forward to seeing the impact you make within our industry!

Thank you John W. Danforth Company and CEO, Robert Beck, for your commitment to keeping future industry leaders invested in the mechanical contracting industry.

Meet Luke Bennett, MCAA’s 2020 William A. Bianco Jr. Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Congratulations to Luke Bennett, MCAA’s 2020 recipient of the William A. Bianco, Jr. Memorial Scholarship. MCAA member, Kinetics, established the annual scholarship to honor Mr. Bianco and his many contributions to the industry’s continuing advancement.

Luke, a sophomore majoring in Construction Management, joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln chapter in the Fall of 2019 and eagerly signed up to attend MCAA’s GreatFutures Forum only a few weeks later.

While attending the conference, Luke struck up a conversation with one of MCA-Omaha’s local members and a former student chapter member himself, Adam Crnkovich, and came home from the conference with an internship at the Ray Martin Company. Luke has continued to intern with Adam at the Ray Martin Company and through this experience has found mechanical contracting to indeed be his desired career path.

Luke may have secured his internship early on, but that did not stop him from stepping up as an officer his first year in the student chapter. For Summer 2020, Luke was the Lincoln campus Recruitment Chair. This is usually one of the chapter’s more challenging positions, and was even more so in 2020 due to not being able to gather in person. In spite of COVID-19 restrictions, Luke was successful in recruiting four additional students to their chapter.

MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Luke on this prestigious scholarship and would like to thank Kinetics for their commitment to supporting younger students to keep them invested in the mechanical contracting industry.