Category: Uncategorized

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Retention of Professional Staff

High employee turnover of professional staff is a major issue facing the mechanical contracting industry today. It can have a massive impact on a contractor’s productivity and bottom line. MCAA’s Retention of Professional Staff outlines specific strategies that contractors can implement to increase their ability to retain employees as well as metrics that can be used to measure the effectiveness of these initiatives. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin covers:

  • The impact of employee retention
  • Direct costs of replacing an employee
  • Indirect costs from an employee’s departure
  • Retention strategies
  • Case studies
  • Soft and hard metrics for employee retention
DOWNLOAD

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.

Get the Construction Finance Fundamentals Your Accountant Wants You to Know from NEI Instructor Kathryn Crosby

MCAA’s National Education Initiative (NEI) Seminars bring our best programs to your local association or your company thanks to instructors like Kathryn Crosby, owner and founder of C2 Consulting, Inc. Kathryn’s newest course gives project managers an inside look at how their projects impact company finances. Her other courses share the good operational practices and solid procedures field and office leaders need to deliver less problem prone projects, reduce duplication of effort, and allow companies to measure tangible results.

Kathryn has more than 30 years of industry experience, including time as the Vice President and CFO for a mechanical contractor. A past member of the MCAA Board of Directors, Kathryn now focuses on education and training. She serves on the faculty of MCAA’s  Institute for Project Management (IPM), the Construction Education Institute, and the UA’s Instructor Training Program.

Her Job & Company Operations (JCO) Seminars give field and office leadership teams the good operational practices and solid procedures they need to deliver less problem prone projects, reduce duplication of effort, and allow your company to measure tangible results.

Like our other NEI instructors, Kathryn brings her 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! 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.*

LEARN MORE ABOUT KATHRYN’S CLASSES
NEI WEBSITE

*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 Josam Company and SPX Cooling Tech, LLC 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:

Josam Company
Josam Company’s comprehensive line of drainage products offer labor saving features and benefits with the installer in mind. In addition to ease of installation, we also offer customized solutions for the most difficult applications.

Quality Engineered Drainage Products.

Learn More

SPX Cooling Tech, LLC
Tune in and tune up your evaporative cooling knowledge! If you haven’t made it to a live Marley® webinar yet, you’re in luck. Visit the #SPXMarley on-demand library for viewing at your convenience.

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

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Disaster Recovery: Getting Your Business Back in Operation After a Disaster

Every company should have plans to deal with emergencies and disasters. Well-executed plans can save lives, minimize the loss of assets, and even save the entire business. MCAA’s Disaster Recovery: Getting Your Business Back in Operation After a Disaster provides tips to help you develop and manage your company’s emergency response so that a disaster does not result in catastrophic losses for your business. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin covers:

  • The differences between emergency response, crisis management and disaster recovery plans and what each type of plan includes
  • Pandemic response planning
  • The disaster recovery process
  • Six areas important in recovering resources to maintain business strength in the face of disaster
  • Minimizing information loss and data recovery
  • Tools to continue operations
  • Alternative workspace
  • Documenting, rehearsing, and maintaining the plan
  • Funding the recovery effort
  • How to develop a quick plan
  • How to improve an existing plan
DOWNLOAD

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.

Find the Latest from Watts-Mueller and Wieland Chase, LLC 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:

Watts-Mueller
Innovative technologies, intelligent software, robust construction, and modern design are the four cornerstones of our profile cutting machines. Our thermal 3D pipe cutting machines are available in a wide range of sizes, from 1” to 12” two axis systems up to 160″ in diameter.

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Chase Brass Eco Brass

Wieland Chase, LLC
Make sure you know what’s in your parts. Wieland Chase produces patented C69300 ECO BRASS® and C87850 ECO BRONZE® High Performance, Lead-Free Brass. Both alloys are also arsenic-free, bismuth-free and recyclable.

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

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Credit Policy Criteria

A clear, written credit policy is a vital part of every well-run mechanical contracting business. MCAA’s Credit Policy Criteria explores the essential ingredients of a credit policy to assist contractors in developing or fine-tuning their own policies. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin covers:

  • The policy itself, including all rules and regulations to be followed by company personnel
  • The personnel to implement the policy
  • Outside sources of credit information
  • Legal and/or professional collections services to augment failures of in-house policy
DOWNLOAD

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.

Connect With the Latest Training from Viega and Ridge Tool Company 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:

Viega
Discover how Viega’s press technology can help drive profitability and efficiency. Book a Viega Works session today with our technical consultants who offer real world experience and industry knowledge.

Learn More

Ridge Tool Company
RIDGID is #1 in pressing for a reason. In this training we walk through the RP 350 and RP 342-XL. We talk about all the applications and uses to ensure you get the most out of these tools.

Learn More

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

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

Learn More

Find the Latest from Morris Group International and Lochinvar, LLC 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
Lose the unpleasant “sewer gas” smell with the Smith Quad Close® “Stink Stopper” Trap Seal. This fixture closes to minimize trap seal evaporation in floor drains and opens when drainage is needed.

Learn More

Lochinvar, LLC
Lochinvar, a leading manufacturer of high efficiency boilers, water heaters, pool heaters and sustainable options offers space and water heating solutions for virtually any application.

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

Registration is Now Open for MCAA’s 2023 Field Leaders Conferences

MCAA will be hosting four Field Leaders Conferences in 2023 to welcome as many field personnel as possible. Help your field personnel become leaders by sending them to Scottsdale, AZ (April 3-5), Chicago, IL (May 17-19), San Francisco, CA (August 2-4) or Des Moines, IA (October 11-13). We will offer the same education in all four locations, ensuring your team receives high-quality education at the date and location most convenient for your company. Register your team today!

Hearing from industry experts who have been in their shoes and networking with peers from around the country, conference attendees can expect to realize their importance and value as professionals and members of their company’s management team. Play the video above and see what previous attendees have to say following their Field Leaders Conference experience.

To learn the details of each conference and register attendees, follow the links below. We look forward to seeing your field leaders in 2023!

Scottsdale, AZ | April 3-5
Chicago, IL | May 17-19
San Francisco, CA | August 2-4
Des Moines, IA | October 11-13

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Bluetooth for Tool Management

Employees working in warehouses and tool rooms manage tens of thousands of tools used in the installation, maintenance, and repair of plumbing and mechanical systems. MCAA’s Bluetooth for Tool Management provides an overview of Bluetooth technology to assist those considering a move to a Bluetooth tool management solution. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin covers:

  • What Bluetooth is and what it does
  • Cost- and labor-saving opportunities available as a result of Bluetooth
  • The three major components of Bluetooth systems
  • How to implement Bluetooth
  • Challenges
  • Things to consider while reviewing tool management solutions
DOWNLOAD

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.

Semester Break Creates Employment Golden Opportunity on MCAA’s GreatFutures Job Board

College students across the country are finishing up finals and heading home for winter break. Following a few days of post-finals rest, their #1 priority will be to secure a summer internship or full-time position. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to put your company in the spotlight during the golden weeks between semesters! Post your entry level, full-time job or internship today and ring in the new year to successfully growing your workforce.

How it works:

  • Login with an MCAA username and password
  • Click on the job board within the Career Development page
  • Click Manage My Jobs and Add a Job to create your posting
  • Jobs remain active for 1 month to ensure postings stay fresh
  • When the job is set to expire, a reminder will be sent for you to either “mark as filled” or “duplicate” and repost for another month
  • Interested students can view postings and submit their contact information and resume
  • Your office will be notified via email when interested students submit their resume
  • From there, your office is encouraged to continue with your company’s application and interview process
VIEW JOB BOARD

MCAA’s Job Board Delivers Results

A student from Ball State University was recently hired by U.S. Engineering after using the new GreatFutures job board to find a summer internship. Congratulations to Reece Manning and U.S. Engineering! Read the article.

There’s Still Time to Apply for an Internship Grant!

If you already employed an intern in 2022, remember to submit an application for an Internship Grant. MCAA members may submit up to two applications per year for a $1,000 grant (to your company) and an accompanying $500 gift card (to the intern).

APPLY FOR AN INTERNSHIP GRANT

Connect With the Latest Training from SLOAN and Morris Group International 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:

SLOAN
During holiday breaks, many facilities turn to thermal disinfection to clear potential contamination from supply lines. Learn more about the process and best practices for conducting it with Sloan automatic sensor faucets in place.

Learn More

Morris Group International
Ligature-Resistant Products for Healthcare discusses how to design safe, secure, patient rooms and bathrooms in behavioral facilities and why ligature-resistant design is important.

Learn More

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

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

Learn More

Transform Your Safety & Health Program With More Than 700 MCAA Resources

Did you know that the MCAA currently has more than 50 worker and supervisor safety training videos? Each year MCAA’s Safety Excellence Initiative produces several new training videos, programs, guides, posters, toolbox talks and other resources. With more than 700 unique safety and health resources, the MCAA has what you need to transform your safety and health program. Our recently updated safety resource page helps members quickly identify the newly produced videos and resources to stay up to date with regulations and ahead of the curve with safety and health.

Have an idea for a new resource? Email MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management, Raffi Elchemmas, at raffi@mcaa.org 

VIEW RESOURCES

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Employee Stock Ownership Plans

Mechanical contractors may benefit from Employee Stock Ownership Plans, innovative planning devices allowing for tax-favored transfers of stock ownership in a closely held business. MCAA’s Employee Stock Ownership Plans reviews the benefits and disadvantages of these plans to assist in strategic planning. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin covers:

  • What an ESOP is
  • Planning opportunities
  • Disadvantages and concerns
DOWNLOAD

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.

Learn How to Deliver an Outstanding Customer Experience from NEI Instructor Frank Favaro

MCAA’s National Education Initiative (NEI) Seminars bring our best programs to your local association or your company thanks to instructors like Frank Favaro, President of ServeCentric Coaching in Cleveland, OH. Frank teaches sales employees where other companies drop the ball when it comes to customer interactions, relationships, and service and how to avoid those same mistakes.

Frank is the first certified CX (customer experience) Coach specializing in our industry. He is licensed and trained by the world’s customer service authority, The Dijulius Group and John Dijulius. Frank believes the best sales and marketing strategy is a great customer experience.

His coaching track record and his experience as one of the mechanical service industry’s top account executives make him a natural fit to teach the Customer Experience Seminars (CES).

Designed for sales employees, these seminars focus on customer interactions, relationships, and service. Those who attend will learn where other companies drop the ball, and how to avoid those same mistakes.

Like our other NEI instructors, Frank 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.*

LEARN MORE ABOUT FRANK’S CLASSES
NEI WEBSITE

*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 Hilti, Inc. and Manufacton by ViZZ 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:

Hilti, Inc.
Gone are the days of sitting under the anchor point and rotating the threaded rod into place. Kwik Cast Connect (KCC) anchors are ideal for contractors installing pre-assembled hanger assemblies, allowing users to push the threaded rod into the anchor for quick and easy installation.

Learn More

Manufacton by ViZZ Technologies
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

Winger’s Productivity and Capacity Soar With Watts-Mueller Machines

Winger Companies tackled two challenges—the growing scale of its fabrication projects and a tight labor market—with Watts-Mueller machines that allowed them to do more with fewer people. General Manager Mike Smith said, “We increased our finished fabrications while cutting the cost of both consumables and manhours.”

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

Enhance Your Company’s Training & Leadership and Meet Your Financial Objectives with Skills from NEI Instructor Leah Guttman

MCAA’s National Education Initiative (NEI) Seminars bring our best programs to your local association or your company thanks to instructors like Leah Gutmann, owner of First Forward Consulting, LLC. Leah teaches instructors to enhance their skills, managers to build leadership skills, and finance teams to meet company objectives.

Leah is certified to deliver training on a wide variety of leadership and financial topics. She has over 12 years of experience in the design, implementation and facilitation of educational programs, classes and seminars. Her 20-year career as a CFO and Finance Manager in the mechanical construction industry has given Leah the unique ability to offer training and consulting from a hands-on, in the trenches perspective.   

Her Instructor Training Series (ITS) Seminars train JATC instructors, association instructors, and organization subject matter experts to increase retention of material, connect with students, and transfer critical industry knowledge to the next generation. All classes are adapted to fit the needs of each instructor group and their application to the mechanical construction industry. 

In her Leadership Development Series (LDS) Seminars for Service and Construction, management level employees and team leaders focus on building strong communication skills and self-awareness, skills that will help them to be successful leaders. 

Finally, her Financial Development Series (FDS) Seminars for Service and Construction offer customized coursework to address foundational, intermediate, or advanced topics for your identified group and will include direct application and practice to relevant projects, service work, and company financials. 

Like our other NEI instructors, Leah brings her 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.*

Learn More About Leah’s Classes

Instructor Training Series (ITS) Seminars

Leadership Development Series (LDS) Seminars for Service and Construction

Financial Development Series (FDS) Seminars for Service and Construction

NEI WEBSITE

*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.

Connect With the Latest Training from CNA and Morris Group International 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:

CNA
CNA’s Subcontractor Prequalification – Gather necessary information for current and future construction jobs.

Learn More

Morris Group International
Safe Water Delivery in Healthcare Facilities highlights the consequences of improper water delivery in healthcare facilities & discusses a systems approach & monitoring systems for infection control.

Learn More

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

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

Learn More

Biggest Safety Conference in MCAA History Will Provide Even More Opportunities to Learn from Peers

MCAA is on track to have the highest number of safety professionals in one place in over 20 years at MCAA’s 2023 Safety Conference, providing even more opportunities to learn from other professionals. The event will include 50+ hours of education and training, keynote speeches on safety leadership and a celebration of safety. We will once again be joined by our partners in safety, the United Association. Join us January 17-19, 2023, in San Diego, CA. Register today!

LEARN MORE & REGISTER