2022 was an historic year for the Advanced Leadership Institute (ALI) – in addition to an updated curriculum, the ALI now has a new home at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business. Check out the video for an ‘insider perspective’ on our classroom environment, and to hear from our first-ever UNC graduates about their ALI experience!
A few seats remain in this year’s program and we are still accepting applications from qualified executives. The ALI offers top-tier practical education in strategic implementation, managing change initiatives, developing your people, and a whole lot more. Check out the ALI course page for full details, including dates, costs, admission requirements, and how to apply.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a standard requirement in many project specifications. MCAA’s BIM – What Is It and Is It Right for My Company? explains what BIM is and offers tips to help companies reap the greatest benefit from this technology. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.
Pittsburg State University garnered the Student Chapter Competition win and $10,000 during MCAA23. Individual students and educators were recognized with a variety of scholarships and awards. The University of Nebraska was selected as the 2022-2023 Student Chapter of the Year. MCAA presented a charter to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, our newest student chapter, sponsored by the MCA of Eastern Missouri.
Congratulations to the following students, faculty members and student chapters!
JRGF Sholarships
Thomas J. Wanner Scholarship
Daniel Kellen of Iowa State University received a $5,000 scholarship check in honor of the retired MCA/MSCA of Cleveland Executive Director, Thomas J. Wanner. This scholarship is in its second year and is sponsored by MCA/MSCA of Cleveland.
ATP Inspiring Future Leaders Scholarship
Amaya Caggino of the University of Maryland, College Park is the recipient of a brand-new $2,500 scholarship provided by ATP Learning Solutions. The scholarship was established to recognize, support and inspire students in the mechanical industry.
Josam Endowed Scholarship
Alison Ritvo of Kent State University received a $2,500 scholarship underwritten by the Josam Company. This annual scholarship is awarded to the recipient during their sophomore, junior and senior years, provided all qualifications continue to be met. 2022-2023 marks Alison’s first year of the scholarship.
Alan P. O’Shea Memorial Scholarship
Brodee Paul and Marissa Kelly, both of the University of Nebraska each received a $2,500 scholarship check in memory of Alan P. O’Shea. The scholarship is sponsored by MCA of New Jersey.
Reilly Family Memorial Scholarship
Brock Schulz of the University of Nebraska received a scholarship check for $5,000 to honor Wayne, Emmett and Patrick Reilly. The John W. Danforth Company is the sponsor of the scholarship.
William A. Bianco, Jr. Memorial Scholarship
Veronica Brems of Purdue University received a $5,000 scholarship check in memory of a former President of the foundation and MCAA Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recipient, William A. “Bill” Bianco, Jr. The scholarship is sponsored by Kinetics.
Robert J. Durr, Sr. – UA/NCPWB Partnering Scholarship
Cole Perkins of Iowa State University received a $2,500 scholarship check in honor of Robert J. Durr, Sr., former chairman of the National Certified Pipe Wilding Bureau Board of Trustees. Robert’s effort and dedication in creating a partnership between the United Association and the NCPWB resulted in the formation of the Joint Welder Testing Program. This new scholarship is sponsored by the NCPWB.
Viega – Joe Pikus Scholarship
Morebodi Sebadieta of California State University, Chico was the recipient of a new scholarship for $5,000. Viega has graciously sponsored student chapter activities at the MCAA Convention for many years. A major driving force behind this support has been Joe Pikus. Upon the news that Joe would soon be retiring, Viega decided to commemorate his passion for student learning by sponsoring a scholarship in his honor.
Ferguson – Women in the Mechanical Industry Scholarship
Morgan Fischer of Kent State University and Alayna Trautman of Alfred State College each received a $5,000 scholarship, sponsored by Ferguson, to recognize high-achieving female students working towards a degree relative to the mechanical industry. The two students will also be invited to attend the WiMI Conference in Nashville this June.
DEWALT Patriot Scholarship
The DEWALT Patriot Scholarship, now in its second year, was created to recognize two veterans of the United States military who have valiantly served their country and have chosen to enter a career related to mechanical contracting. Thank you to DEWALT Industrial Tool Company for honoring our military and to our scholarship recipients for their service. Daniel Colon-Crespo of Ferris State University (Specialist in the Michigan National Guard) and Jake Balgemann of Iowa State University (United States Marine Corps Sergeant) each received a $5,000 scholarship.
Foster McCarl, Jr. Memorial Scholarship
Macy Deck of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville received a $5,000 scholarship check in memory of the founder of our foundation, Foster McCarl, Jr. McCarl’s Inc. is the scholarship sponsor.
Trimble Future Estimator Scholarship
Joani Lico of Fairleigh Dickinson University received a $5,000 scholarship check for a new scholarship that was developed to recognize a student who is not only interested in mechanical contracting, but specifically someone with an interest in being a mechanical estimator upon graduation. Trimble is the sponsor of the scholarship and has donated complimentary use of the Trimble Estimation MEP software for our student chapter competition teams for the past few years.
New Student Chapter Chartered
MCAA welcomed its newest student chapter by granting a charter to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The new chapter is sponsored by the MCA of Eastern Missouri and their faculty advisor is Stephen Duda.
JRGF Awards
Educator of the Year
Marie Patterson of California State University, Chico was recognized as the 2022-2023 Educator of the Year. She was selected for this honor based on her mentoring, mechanical industry knowledge, chapter activity participation, and involvement in the creation of student-focused networking opportunities with local mechanical contractors through their local MCAA affiliate chapter. In addition to a trophy, she received a check for $5,000.
Student Chapter of the Year
The University of Nebraska was selected as the 2022-2023 Student Chapter of the Year. The Career Development Committee chose the winner based on a rubric that evaluates industry specific educational opportunities, fundraising and community service efforts, recruitment tactics, and most importantly, mechanical contracting interest for the ways the chapter assists in connecting students with MCAA members within their local chapter or nationally. They received a check for $3,000.
MCAA Student Chapter Competition
Pittsburg State University won the top prize of $10,000 and a trophy for their outstanding work on this year’s Student Chapter Competition project, which involved a proposal for the construction of the mechanical and plumbing systems at the new district energy facility on the National Western Center Campus in Denver, CO.
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo was the runner-up, placing second and received a trophy and check for $5,000.
Fairleigh Dickinson University and McMaster University rounded out the final four. Each of these Honorable Mention finalists received trophies and $2,500.
Six additional teams that just missed the final four were recognized with Merit Trophies and checks for $1,000. They are, in alphabetical order:
Ball State University
Kent State University
Purdue University
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Washington
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Most Valuable Presenter
The Career Development Committee recognized a student who did the best job presenting their proposal, whether or not their team won. The audience members voted via a polling link between school presentations and ultimately Braden Deck of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo was awarded a trophy, a $500 gift card, a complimentary seat in MCAA’s Preparatory Institute for Project Management, and the title of 2022-2023 Most Valuable Presenter.
MCAA congratulates all of the award winners and thanks them for their interest in being part of our industry’s future.
Did you take MCAA’s ASSE 12020: Environment of Care, Infection Control and Construction Risk Assessment Professional Qualification Standard certification class in April 2020? If so, your certification is set to expire, and MCAA has prepared a free 2-hour recertification course through ASSE International. The goal of the ASSE 12020 personnel certification is to provide end users with contractors and technicians who can work as valuable members of construction risk assessment teams. You can assist in protecting building occupants from pathogens and other potential construction hazards while at the same time preventing outbreaks. Following the course, attendees will need to pass a recertification exam. The cost of the exam is $110. ASSE will provide additional details during the webinar. Join MCAA and ASSE on Thursday, April 13 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Eastern to take the first step toward your recertification.
MCAA23 concluded a week of many moments and final thoughts from MCAA President Robert Bolton. UA General President Mark McManus joined us to talk about the strength of the UA/MCAA partnership. MCAA’s two fundraisers concluded and President Bolton awarded the prizes before recognizing MCAA’s retiring Board members and turning over the presidential gavel to new MCAA President Robert Beck. President Beck thanked Bolton for his commitment and passion over the last year and announced MCAA’s funding of the Robert H. and Alda Bolton Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $20,000. The new Executive Committee and new Board members were introduced to the membership.
UA General President Mark McManusChris Catania and MCAA President BoltonMichael Gallagher and MCAA President BoltonPat Lynch and MCAA President BoltonArmand Kilijian and MCAA President BoltonImmediate Past President Robert Bolton and President Robert Beck
Fundraisers Concluded
MCAA’s Political Action Committee raffled off a signed Matchbox 20 guitar to John Geiling after raising $21,900. The John R. Gentille Foundation raised $29,020 that will go strictly towards projects and research conducted by leading experts and consultants and addresses our industry’s largest challenges.
Retiring Board Members Recognized
President Bolton thanked the members of the MCAA Board of Directors whose terms expired at MCAA23 saying, “Each of these Board members has contributed tremendously to strengthening this industry, and we want to recognize their service and thank them this morning.” They are:
Chris Catania from LAARS, a Bradford White Company
Michael Gallagher from The John F. Gallagher Company
Pat Lynch from CCI Mechanical, Inc.
Armand Kilijian from O’Brien Mechanical, Inc. II
President Bolton Offers Closing Thoughts
Before passing the gavel, President Bolton thanked everyone who made the trip to make their moment saying, “your attendance and engagement is what made the convention such an incredible experience for everyone.”
He noted that member participation makes MCAA what it is and thanked those who have volunteered, taught our programs, developed our resources, spoken at our events or on our webinars, and serve on national committees, task forces, our Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee for all they have done and will do for MCAA.
He went on to thank our partners at the UA for their leadership and partnership, our manufacturer and supplier members for their involvement, and our local associations for their work throughout the year, and for their hospitality when he travelled to meet with many of them. He also thanked his home association, the New England MCA and Stephen Affanato and his staff for the support they gave him during his year as MCAA’s president, and the national staff.
“This journey has been made possible with support of ALL the employees at Arden Building Companies who have kept the wheels turning back home and the business thriving over the last year. I could not have done it without you.”
– Robert Bolton, MCAA President
Changing of the Guard
President Bolton turned over the MCAA presidential gavel to his successor, MCAA President Robert Beck. Robert said, “I’m beyond thrilled to be joining you here today as the incoming president of MCAA… even though it is a bittersweet moment because it means we also say goodbye to Bob.”
He presented Bolton with a token of gratitude for his year as president and let him know that MCAA donated $20,000 to officially establish the Robert H. and Alda Bolton Memorial Scholarship, which will be awarded as a $5,000 scholarship for the next four years.
Association Leaders Recognized
President Robert Beck recognized the national officers who serve as MCAA’s Executive Committee and the new members of MCAA’s Board of Directors.
New Executive Committee
Joining President Beck on the Executive Committee are:
President-Elect Rick Gopffarth from Dynamic Systems
Senior Vice President and Treasurer Brian Hughes from Hughes Environmental Engineering
Vice President and Assistant Treasurer Curtis Harbour from Brandt, a Southland Industries Company
Immediate Past President Robert M. Bolton from Arden Building Companies
New Board of Directors Members
The newest contractor members of MCAA’s Board of Directors, elected to three-year terms, are:
Anne Finerfrock from The Bowers Group
Rod Foley from North Mechanical Contracting, Inc.
James Lowder from All Temperature Service Air Conditioning, Inc.
President Beck’s Remarks
President Beck shared his thoughts on the year ahead, noting that he intends to increase efforts to encourage our industry leaders, to find more avenues to connect our member companies with our vast resources and to work together to find ways to stay ahead of the curve by reinventing how we provide value and conduct business in an industry that no longer looks like it did yesterday – and that will undoubtedly look very different tomorrow.
Following his remarks, President Beck introduced guest speaker Matt Iseman, American Ninja Warrior Host, who covered everything from battling cancer, to overcoming obstacles, to the paramount importance of following your dreams.
Save the Date
We’re looking forward to making more moments in Orlando for the MCAA24 Annual Convention. Mark your calendars and join us March 17-21, 2024.
Newly elected MCAA President Robert Beck shared his professional journey and his plans for the year ahead in a recent Contractor magazine article, saying “Our organization is strong and we will stay the course. My job as President of MCAA will be simple… be a great ambassador of this amazing organization, bring people together and stay out of the way!” Beck became MCAA’s president at the close of MCAA23 on March 30, 2023.
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:
Morris Group International Murdock® Maintenance Advantage® features make maintaining your A171 and A172 water coolers easier than ever! Head to the link to learn how you can easily install our NEW EZ Door™ Filter to your unit!
Josam Company Josam Company is well known in the commercial plumbing industry for offering innovative engineered products to the marketplace. Our full line of drainage products offers labor-saving features and benefits with the installer in mind. With superior quality products that are easy to install and customizable to meet the demands of any drainage application.
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!
The National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau (NCPWB) has released a new Technical Bulletin that explains how the NCPWB Welding Procedure Specifications (WPSs) differ from the American Welding Society (AWS) Standard Welding Procedures in both application and adoption.
Breaking ground on the Rex and Alice A. Martin Softball Training Center at the University of Illinois in April 2021, A&R Mechanical Contractors, Inc., faced the unique challenges of building during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent supply chain issues. They successfully completed the project on schedule thanks to NIBCO, which manufactures more than 90 percent of its products in the United States. “I would have to say NIBCO was very instrumental in helping A&R Mechanical get this project finished in a timely fashion,” said Chris Asklund, A&R Mechanical project manager. NIBCO is a major sponsor of MCAA23.
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.
To celebrate MCAA’s 20 Years of Safety Excellence, MCAA is offering monthly safety kits to benefit our contractors around the country and the mechanical industry workers they support. Each kit will include videos, webinars, trainings, and additional resources on each monthly topic.
April 2023: Worker Health
Worker health is at the heart of all that safety professionals do. This month the MCAA is packaging six worker safety videos and their accompanying materials with eleven worker safety resources and bringing you an infection control recertification webinar with the ASSE, the American Society of Sanitary Engineering. Members can refresh training on subjects such as Asbestos Awareness, Bloodborne Pathogens, Hexavalent Chromium, Silica, Radio Frequency Radiation Safety,Respiratory Protection as well as download guides, bulletins, and programs on each topic.
ASSE 12020 Infection Control Recertification Webinar
MCAA launched our Women in the Mechanical Industry (WiMI) initiative in 2018 and it has continued to grow year after year. The WiMI initiative was created to enable women in the mechanical industry to further enrich their careers through networking, educational, mentoring and career development opportunities. Over the years WiMI has brought education opportunities across all of MCAA’s events, including MCAA’s Convention, MSCA’s Education Conference, MCAA’s Safety & Health Conference and the MEP Innovation Conference. WiMI’s largest opportunity for education and networking for women in the industry is at our annual WiMI Conference.
This year’s WiMI Conference will be held June 12-14 in Nashville, TN and is a great opportunity for all women to DISCOVER their potential. The conference will feature exceptional speakers, interactive educational sessions, industry related roundtables and opportunities to build lasting relationships with fellow women in the mechanical industry. A full menu of educational offerings will help attendees discover all the opportunities this industry has to offer. From industry newcomers to executives, and everyone in between, this is the event to attend for all women in the mechanical contracting industry.
The new United Association (UA) National Pharmacy Benefit Program is reducing pharmacy costs for UA members and their families across the United States.
The program offers two PBM (pharmacy benefit management) options to ensure best in class pricing:
Express Scripts – a traditional PBM model
Highmark’s Union Blue – a pass-through business model
Both programs include Milliman’s independent third party monitoring. In addition, the UA has partnered with Milliman to perform a comprehensive assessment to evaluate your current PBM program.
MSCA Board of Managers Chair Rich Happel is among the contractors who spoke with ACHR News about the opportunities and challenges they expect to see in 2023. Among his predictions, “I believe that high-efficiency HVACR equipment and retrofits will continue to lead sales for 2023, as well as equipment using HFO refrigerants beginning to gain traction (based on code adoption). The movement toward electrification will also likely begin to take hold and drive equipment selections towards those available electric options instead of gas.”
In the best of circumstances, state and local tax audits of construction contractors eventually turn adversarial and are not to be treated lightly. MCAA’s Preparing for a Sales Tax Audit will help you understand the process and the rules so that you can resolve any issues with practicality and technical proficiency. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.
The bulletin covers:
The areas that are typically troubling for construction contractor sales tax audits
The sales tax audit process
Pre-audit planning
Field audit planning
Post audit planning
It includes practical observations to help make your audit go as smoothly as possible.
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:
FastEST, Inc. Included with every purchase or lease, FastEST Estimating Software provides online training with one of our experienced team members. Our customer service team is available 24/7 for training and any support you may need! For those who are wanting a more in-depth and hands on training experience, we are hopeful that by mid-year we will start our regional training classes back up. In the meantime please visit our website and the help section of our program for tutorial videos.
XOi Technologies XOi’s holistic communication tool changes the way field service companies do business by leveraging photos, videos, and smart technology to bring efficiency, transparency, and expertise to every job. In this microlearning series, you will see examples of how to automate tech checklists, learn the benefits of internal job documentation, and find some helpful preventative maintenance videos to reference.
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 Support for the entire project process with tools, products & solutions that save time & money. That’s what we do. Download the free ASC Tools plug-in for Revit to design with ASC products today!
Baltimore Aircoil Company, Inc. The ENDURADRIVE™ Fan System Retrofit Kit is a direct drive motor system that provides 100% reliability on transmission components and a 90% reduction in maintenance costs, all while providing an increase in energy savings by 10%.
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!
For a new, state-of-the-art medical school campus, Maxair Mechanical saved valuable time by installing “miles of piping” using Victaulic products rather than welding and relying on Victaulic’s 3D models of the mechanical space to anticipate potential pitfalls and avoid costly delays. Streamlining processes at every opportunity, Maxair completed the project on time, despite labor and supply chain challenges. Victaulic is a major sponsor of MCAA23.
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.
Emergencies, disasters, accidents and injuries can occur at any time, usually without warning. MCAA’s Emergency Procedures will help you develop an emergency action plan to enable you and your employees to act quickly and decisively in the event of an emergency. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.
The bulletin provides tips for handling emergencies related to:
Fire
Flood
Tornado
Hurricane
Medical
Hazardous materials spill or release
It includes evacuation tips, highlights the questions everyone at a company should be able to answer, and includes a template for gathering emergency phone numbers.
More than 10,000 serious construction-related eye injuries happen each year, yet these injuries are preventable with proper eye protection. Help workers to understand why eye protection is critical. To celebrate 20 years of safety excellence, MCAA is releasing five impactful videos in 2023 to help improve safety & health across the entire industry.
Did you take MCAA’s ASSE 12020: Environment of Care, Infection Control and Construction Risk Assessment Professional Qualification Standard certification class in April 2020? If so, your certification is set to expire, and MCAA has prepared a free 2-hour recertification course through ASSE International. The goal of the ASSE 12020 personnel certification is to provide end users with contractors and technicians who can work as valuable members of construction risk assessment teams. You can assist in protecting building occupants from pathogens and other potential construction hazards while at the same time preventing outbreaks. Following the course, attendees will need to pass a recertification exam. The cost of the exam is $110. ASSE will provide additional details during the webinar. Join MCAA and ASSE on Thursday, April 13 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Eastern to take the first step toward your recertification.
