Organization: MCAA

Invest in Your Field Leaders & Your Company’s Future

MCAA’s Field Leaders Conference gives field leaders at all levels the skills, understanding, and inspiration to positively impact your company’s bottom line. This is an investment that will pay off throughout their careers. Can you afford not to send them? The conference will offer the same education in Indianapolis, IN (October 12-14, 2022) and Kansas City, MO (November 2-4, 2022). Register your field leaders today!

“I cannot recommend this course enough and, if you want to take your team, and your company to the next level, make sure you take advantage of this course. We have sent a significant number of people to previous sessions and will continue to do so as long as they are offered.

Don’t miss out. Get your people signed up today!”

Keith Atteberry, President/CEO
Marelich Mechanical, Co., Inc., Hayward, CA

Field leaders will learn to:

  • View themselves as professionals
  • Understand how their performance impacts the bottom line
  • Establish tangible goals
  • Appreciate the importance of customer relationships and their role as the face of the company

They will return to your company with:

  • Real-life tips and tools for success on the job site
  • Ways to control crucial job site conversations
  • An action item list they can put to work right away
  • A fresh perspective on the latest tools and construction resources
  • A network of other jobsite leaders to advise and support them
  • The inspiration to take this knowledge and apply it to better themselves at work, and in life

Don’t let your field leaders or your company miss out! Choose your preferred dates to register your field leaders today!

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Unit Pricing

Unit prices are difficult to establish and even more difficult to utilize to establish a fair and equitable price for changes to contract work. MCAA’s Unit Pricing highlights the pitfalls of this pricing method and provides guidelines to help you avoid them. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin covers:

  • The inequities of unit pricing
  • Guidelines for the preparation of a base unit price schedule
  • The importance of contract stipulations
  • What to consider when establishing correction factors

Find the bulletins referenced in the Foreward in MCAA’s Change Orders, Productivity, Overtime—A Primer for the Construction Industry.

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.

Apply Today for the 2022-2023 JRGF Scholarships & Grants

The 2022-2023 John R. Gentille Foundation (JRGF) scholarship and grant applications are now available and are due on December 15th. Over $65,000 will be awarded to MCAA student chapter members during the Awards of Excellence Breakfast at MCAA23.  

JRGF and our generous donors are proud to present the following scholarships:

  • Alan P. O’Shea Memorial Scholarship
    • MCA of New Jersey
    • $2,500 each, two awarded
  • Foster McCarl, Jr. Memorial Scholarship
    • McCarl Family
    • $5,000
  • Reilly Family Memorial Scholarship
    • John W. Danforth Company
    • $5,000
  • William A. Bianco, Jr. Memorial Scholarship
    • Kinetics
    • $5,000
  • Thomas J. Wanner Scholarship
    • MCA/MSCA of Cleveland
    • $5,000
  • Viega Scholarship
    • Viega
    • $5,000
  • Josam Endowed Scholarship
    • Josam Company
    • $2,500 for three years
    • Sophomores and juniors
  • Trimble Estimating Scholarship
    • Trimble
    • $5,000
    • Demonstrates an interest in a career as an estimator
  • Ferguson Women in the Mechanical Industry Scholarship
    • Ferguson
    • $5,000, two awarded
    • Females
  • DeWALT Patriot Scholarship
    • DeWALT
    • $5,000, two awarded
    • Military veterans or those who are currently serving

Applications for Student Chapter of the Year and Educator of the Year are also now available and due on December 15th.

Chapter of the Year applications are to be completed by the student chapter President or another student leader within the chapter. Applications from faculty advisors or industry advisors will not be accepted. Only one application per chapter.

Educator of the Year applications are to be completed by the student chapter President or another student leader within the chapter or an industry advisor for the chapter. Peer-to-peer faculty advisor nominations will be not accepted.

Please contact Michele Hoffman at 402-305-8969 with any questions.

Connect With the Latest Training from Victaulic and A.O. Smith 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!

A.O. Smith
We offer top notch training, available 24/7. You can learn about our Residential, Commercial, and even Tankless. Training includes items like How it Works, Installation, Application, & Service tips.

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

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

Learn How to Improve Profitability from NEI Instructor Tom Williams

MCAA’s National Education Initiative (NEI) Seminars bring our best programs to your local association or your company thanks to instructors like Tom Williams, a retired mechanical contractor who shows contractors how to prosper while adding value to the complete construction process.

Before his retirement, Tom was the president of construction at McKenney’s, Inc. a multi-disciplined construction and engineering firm with offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina. During that time, McKenney’s annual revenues grew from $3 million dollars to $145 million dollars, posting profitable years every year after 1977.

Tom’s passion for teaching industry professionals to improve both their hard and soft skills is well known throughout the industry. He taught at MCAA’s Institute for Project Management (IPM) for thirty years and led development of MCAA’s Planning for Profitability: Your Guide to Successful Preconstruction Planning and Successful Project Management Flowchart. (The latter was also the basis for the recently released Successful VDC Management Flowchart.)

His Project Profitability (PP) Seminars for Construction teach company principals, top executives, foremen and key project management staff how to improve jobsite and office productivity while enhancing the value delivered to customers. The seminars provide those who attend with a better understanding of the construction process, the keys to productivity, and what can be done to maximize jobsite profitability.

Like our other NEI instructors, Tom brings his unique blend of industry and teaching experience to virtual courses, a new NEI offering. Providing top notch, accessible education for everyone in your organization is what the MCAA’s NEI is all about! Even during the COVID-19 era. 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.

Inspire Your Field Leaders to Strive for Greatness at the 2022 Field Leaders Conference

MCAA’s Field Leaders Conference is where field leaders realize their importance and value as professionals and members of the management team. Have your field leaders join us in October or November to learn the skills they need to be business, and results, oriented managers focused on growing company profits and brand.

SESSION HIGHLIGHT

Inspire Your Field Leaders to Strive for Greatness
with Greg Fuller, MCAA Past President & President and Owner, North Mechanical Contracting and Services Company

Your foremen didn’t get where they are by coasting. They’re good at what they do, and they can get even better by cultivating the attributes of great foremen. Greg Fuller, whose career spans from apprentice to company president and MCAA President, will lead a discussion of the top 10 attributes of great foremen. He will inspire your field leaders with new ideas and energy, to look at their role differently through an important professional lens, so they come back highly motivated to strive for greatness.

Greg Fuller is the President and Owner of Indianapolis-based North Mechanical Contracting and Services Company. Greg began learning about the craft at age five when he’d meet his father on jobsites. His journey continued into his teen years when he stocked shelves in his father’s small plumbing service company while gaining new insights into the business. After completing his apprenticeship, he joined North Mechanical and moved up to Project Manager when the position opened with the departure of the owner’s son.

We have two conferences coming up in Indianapolis (October 12-14) and Kansas City (November 2-4). Register your field personnel today! This is a conference you can’t afford them to miss.

Nominations Are Open for MCAA’s Board of Directors

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.

Find the Latest from Morris Group International and AB&I Foundry 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:

Morris Group International
Smith Labor Saver® fixture supports for water closets, lavatories, and urinals help you complete jobs faster and more efficiently—saves 15-20 minutes on installation time per support!

AB&I Foundry
AB&I Foundry manufactures cast iron soil pipe & fittings for DWV Plumbing Systems. Visit the website to see how cast iron is made right here in America.

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s 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!

Educate Your Field Leaders on the Latest Productivity-Enhancing Tools & Resources

Technology and innovation are evolving rapidly, and it is critical that field leaders be educated to keep pace. MCAA’s Field Leaders Conference lets field leaders explore the latest offerings from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council. By asking questions, they gain a fresh understanding of how those offerings impact project performance. They return ready to share these insights to help maximize your company’s ROI. That’s just one example of how the industry-specific content gives field leaders the skills, understanding, and inspiration to positively impact their company’s bottom line. The conference will offer the same education in Indianapolis, IN (October 12-14, 2022) and Kansas City, MO (November 2-4, 2022). Register your field leaders today!

MCAA’s Field Leaders Conference benefits field leaders at all levels and your company.

Field leaders will learn to:

  • View themselves as professionals
  • Understand how their performance impacts the bottom line
  • Establish tangible goals
  • Appreciate the importance of customer relationships and their role as the face of the company

They will return to your company with:

  • Real-life tips and tools for success on the job site
  • Ways to control crucial job site conversations
  • An action item list they can put to work right away
  • A fresh perspective on the latest tools and construction resources
  • A network of other jobsite leaders to advise and support them
  • The inspiration to take this knowledge and apply it to better themselves at work, and in life

The conference will offer the same education in Indianapolis, IN (October 12-14, 2022) and Kansas City, MO (November 2-4, 2022). Don’t let your field leaders or your company miss out. Register today!

Great Lakes Plumbing and Heating Company Overcomes Challenges for New Sloan Showroom

Plumbing a new Sloan showroom comes with high expectations, so Great Lakes Plumbing and Heating Company placed a priority on early coordination and constant communication with Sloan and its construction company, Skender, throughout the project. That partnership paid off when the project faced some roadblocks, which Great Lakes Plumbing resolved using Sloan products.

LEARN MORE

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

Registration is Now Open for the 2023 MEP Innovation Conference

Event Dates: January 11 – January 13, 2023 | Austin, TX

Once again, MCAA has partnered with NECA and SMACNA to host the MEP 2023 Innovation Conference. Known as the best technology conference for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, service and sheet metal contractors, this year’s conference will provide educational sessions led by contractors from all three trade associations. This three-day event will include innovative presentations, collaborative roundtable discussions and hands-on exhibitor demonstrations highlighting the recent technologies that can improve MEP contractors’ productivity and profitability. The most cutting-edge contractors from the industry will be there to share their solutions, learn from thought leaders and position their companies for future success.

As part of the joint partnership, conference attendance is open to all members of MCAA, NECA and SMACNA and their union counterparts. Register now to network with peers from multiple trades across the country and learn about industry advancements for the future of the MEP trades, January 11-13 in Austin, Texas!

Event Contact
Have questions or need assistance? Contact us at eventregistration@mcaa.org or 301-869-5800

Thank you to our conference sponsors:

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Business Writing for Success

Effective written communication is focused, clear and aims to accomplish a purpose. MCAA’s Business Writing for Success provides guidelines to help you consider and deliver messages that achieve the desired result. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin covers:

  • The basics of good business writing
  • Choosing the right message format for the job
  • The importance of beginning with the positive
  • Building a logical argument
  • Special considerations regarding email and texting

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.

MCAA, NECA, SMACNA and TAUC Join Forces to Recognize September as National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month with #988 Chip

Construction is a hard and high-stress profession and has one of the highest rates of suicide in the nation. This month, MCAA has joined forces with NECA, SMACNA and TAUC to acknowledge those affected by suicide, help raise awareness about mental health and connect individuals with treatment services. Our four trade associations are uniting behind fixing this problem and shining a light on the importance of your mental health. Together we have released a chip with the new suicide and crisis prevention number; #988. 

Our goal is to provide our members OR someone they know, with a resource where they can get help. We want to spread the message of “It’s okay to not be okay.” It’s time for the construction industry to step up and change the culture of not speaking up when you have a problem. Not all injuries are visible. Not all trauma is evident. Your mental health matters.

To get a set of chips, please email your mailing address and your chip quantity request to Raffi Elchemmas.

MCAA members can order stickers here. To order chips, contact Lindsay Korpiniski at orderdesk@unionproud.com and reference the MCAA and UA 988 Chips. Both manufacturers employ union labor, and the chips and stickers carry the union label. Those with questions can contact Raffi Elchemmas (raffi@mcaa.org).

Webinar: Are You Prepared for the Upcoming R-22 Phaseout?

The R-22 phaseout is fast-approaching. Are you prepared? Are your customers? The key is to start planning now.

Watch MSCA’s R-22 phaseout webinar, hosted by BuildOps. This webinar was led by experienced service contractor and instructor Woody Woodall of Customer Focused Solutions. In this informative webinar Woodall addresses the upcoming phaseouts including R-22, 410A, as well as other refrigerants, and covers practical ways to prepare your company and your customers.

This webinar was recorded on Thursday, September 8, 2022.

Keep Your Field Leaders Ahead of the Curve at the 2022 Field Leaders Conference

MCAA’s Field Leaders Conference is where field leaders realize their importance and value as professionals and members of the management team. Have your field leaders join us in October or November to learn the skills they need to be business, and results, oriented managers focused on growing company profits and brand.

SESSION HIGHLIGHT

Keep Your Field Leaders Ahead of the Curve
with Chris Haslinger, Administrative Assistant to the General President, United Association

Our industry will change more in the next 5 years than it did in the last 50. Are your field leaders equipped to evolve along with it? Chris Haslinger served his apprenticeship with UA Local 50 and has held various roles throughout his career with the UA. With a career focused on education and training, Chris has seen the evolution of how jobs are performed first-hand. He has played a primary role in developing UA projects that embrace new technologies, including sustainable technology programs, energy audits and retrofits, CAD/BIM programs and technology in supervisory roles.

Christopher A. Haslinger was appointed to the position of Administrative Assistant to the General President on January 1, 2019. Chris handles various assignments such as Local Union Officer Educational Programs, UA Organizing Contribution Collections and other tasks as designated by UA General President Mark McManus. Prior to this appointment, he had served as the UA’s Director of Education and Training. He served his apprenticeship as an HVACR technician with Local Union 50 in Toledo, Ohio. Chris has an Associate’s degree in Industrial Training, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Labor Education and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. He is also a graduate of the MCAA’s Advanced Leadership Institute (ALI).

We have two conferences coming up in Indianapolis (October 12-14) and Kansas City (November 2-4). Register your field personnel today! This is a conference you can’t afford them to miss.

Welcome New Manufacturer/Supplier Members!

Enhance your strategic supply chain with the five newest members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Allow them to introduce themselves:

ClickSafety is a supplier of online safety training. Our online learning management, compliance and documentation solutions help organizations execute their training objectives and build world-class safety cultures. Our parent company is Ascend Learning. Ascend Learning is the leading provider of technology-based educational, curriculum and assessment solutions for healthcare and other vocational industries, and specializes in delivering higher-performance results for students and professionals.

Liberty Pumps is a leading U.S. manufacturer of pumping products for ground water and wastewater removal in residential and commercial applications. We are a family and employee owned company, proudly producing over 90% of our products in the U.S.A. utilizing US and globally sourced components.

OpenSpace provides next-generation 360º construction photo documentation and mapping software. We are the fastest, simplest, and most advanced tool out there, and we can prove it.

Novarc Technologies is a Vancouver-based full-stack robotics company specializing in the design and commercialization of cobots and AI systems for robotic welding applications. Novarc’s Spool Welding Robot (SWR) is the world’s first-of-its-kind in pipe welding applications. As a proven pioneer in the field, Novarc has dedicated a team of engineers and scientists to solve challenging welding automation problems that improve customers’ bottom line.

ServiceTitan is the operating system that powers the trades. Trusted by over 12,000 of the most successful contractors in the industry, our platform’s comprehensive capabilities CRM, ERP, FSM, Fintech, Accounting Integrations, and more) enable complete control of your entire business from one place. By optimizing workflows, improving cash flow, and maximizing profits, we empower commercial contractors to modernize and elevate their businesses.

The members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council stand ready to help you enhance your productivity and profitability and retain your competitive edge. Meet them in person during many MCAA events and virtually through Smart Solutions, Manufacturer/Supplier Training, and the Virtual Trade Show.

Learn to Handle Contract Risks from NEI Instructor Charles F. Mitchell

MCAA’s National Education Initiative (NEI) Seminars bring our best programs to your local association or your company thanks to instructors like Chip Mitchell, a senior level executive with more than thirty years of combined business and legal experience in the construction industry. Chip helps contractors better understand the risks imposed on their company throughout a contract and how to handle those risks.

Chip is the founder and principal of Blue Fence Advisors, a consulting firm. He also serves as a private arbitrator and mediator, and he is a panel member with the American Arbitration Association.

He teaches those who attend the Legal and Risk Management (LRM) Seminars how to:

  • Identify risks
  • Shift risks and negotiate terms
  • Deal with government contracts
  • Handle labor and best practices to maintain an ethics and compliance program

Chip’s teaching and legal background make him ideally suited to address these topics. He teaches contract management for MCAA’s Institute for Project Management. He is also a frequent guest lecturer at American University’s law school, on topics ranging from construction contracts to white collar criminal investigations. He also speaks before industry and trade organizations, including the American Bar Association.

Like our other NEI instructors, Chip brings his 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.

Find the Latest from Xylem Inc. – Bell & Gossett and Galloup Company 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:

Xylem Inc. – Bell & Gossett
The next generation of variable speed ECM smart circulators is here. The ecocirc+ 20-18 replaces up to 70 pumps for heating, cooling and potable water applications and is the most reliable, efficient and easy-to-install smart circulator available today.

Galloup Company
Galloup is a premier industrial distributor of pipe, valves and fittings, dedicated to service and support. Serving Michigan, Indiana and Ohio with nine facilities, including two distribution centers.

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s 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!

Industry-Specific Education Offers Practical Take-Homes & Inspiration for Field Leaders

MCAA’s Field Leaders Conference has earned rave reviews for its industry-specific content that gives field leaders at all levels the skills, understanding, and inspiration to positively impact their company’s bottom line. Learn what past attendees have to say and see how the conference content will benefit your field leaders and your company. The conference will offer the same education in Indianapolis, IN (October 12-14, 2022) and Kansas City, MO (November 2-4, 2022). Register your field leaders today!

Here’s what past attendees had to say about the conference:

“This whole conference is great l wish I had this 20 years ago when I started running work.”

– Boston, 2021

“I just want to thank each and every speaker for telling their story. I know you guys have probably heard it before but your passion for wanting to make us all better foremen, better husbands and just better people in general is amazing and again, I thank you. I learned a lot today and I can’t wait to take it home and start using it.”

– Boston, 2021

“This was truly a well-presented conference. I attend and study a lot of leadership courses and this blew me away. Mark and Greg’s approach from a contractor’s perspective was, in my opinion, what every field worker (not just field leader) needs to hear to drive change in our industry. Thank you for just an EXCELLENT conference.”

– Rochester, 2022

“This was the best learning experience I have had since joining this trade. I would love to see more people in our company and local come to these events.”

– Boston, 2021

“I will recommend this to our own company leaders to send more people for this training. I plan to call them on my ride home and not wait at all.”

– Rochester, 2022

Field leaders will learn to:

  • View themselves as professionals
  • Understand how their performance impacts the bottom line
  • Establish tangible goals
  • Appreciate the importance of customer relationships and their role as the face of the company

They will return to your company with:

  • Real-life tips and tools for success on the job site
  • Ways to control crucial job site conversations
  • An action item list they can put to work right away
  • A fresh perspective on the latest tools and construction resources
  • A network of other jobsite leaders to advise and support them
  • The inspiration to take this knowledge and apply it to better themselves at work, and in life

Don’t delay – register your field leaders today!

GTP Services STRATUS Software Helps Waldinger and Danforth Help Each Other

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Waldinger Corporation had several projects delayed or cancelled, while the John W. Danforth Company needed additional detailing support. Using GTP Services’ STRATUS software, they successfully collaborated on a large project, to the benefit of both companies. STRATUS allowed the contractors to share resources and also digitize their paper-based workflow, eliminating mistakes and increasing productivity.

LEARN MORE

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