With only three weeks to fully replace the riser system at a high-profile residential building, New York-based Fresh Meadow Mechanical Corp. selected Victaulic to win the race against time. Ultimately, they remained ahead of schedule, completing the entire project in only 15 days. Despite spatial constraints at various stages of the project, Fresh Meadow navigated each challenge with reliable engineered solutions that will benefit the building’s tenants and management for years to come.

There’s a reason that MCAA’s Institute for Project Management (IPM) team love what they do: it’s the students. The members of classes 83 and 84 were no exception. Seventy-two participants from MCAA member companies consistently brought their A-game to every class: from Negotiation to Cost Control, from Scheduling to Change Order Negotiation. With enthusiasm and curiosity, they studied and practiced tried-and-true strategies taught by our seasoned contractor-instructors, asked great questions, and learned as much from each other as from our expert instructors. Congratulations to our newest IPM graduates!

Purdue University and Trimble are establishing a state-of-the-art Trimble Technology Lab at Purdue focused on teaching and research for construction management technology. Purdue is home to an MCAA student chapter hosted by the MCA of Indiana, Inc. Trimble is an MCAA member.

Pre-planning is critical to the success of every project regardless of size. MCAA’s Turnover Meetings: Estimating/Sales to Project Management identifies the traits of highly-effective turnover meetings to help contractors transform these meetings into productive and rewarding planning exercises. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

Mechanical contractor and fabricator Andy J. Egan Co. (Egan), an MCAA member, has a reputation for being an innovator within the industry. From its world-class fabrication shop to cutting-edge construction technology department, the company creates a culture that encourages employees to explore methods for delivering higher-quality projects on expedited schedules. Fabrication Shop Foreman Shane Shook developed a time-saving weld procedure in partnership with the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA), with a certification that will soon be available to all UA members and contractors.

MCAA has once again raised the bar with the 2023 Fabrication Conference. Drawing an audience of more than 330 attendees, this year’s conference put a spotlight on the important role that fabrication plays. While most attendees were familiar with the gains companies receive like productivity, scheduling flexibility, coordination and safety, additional considerations were shared on how to optimize fabrication in ways that impact the entire organization. These methods were highlighted across tours of four Seattle-based member companies.

Mechanical contractors face an uncertain insurance market. MCAA’s new Captive Insurance Management Methods Bulletin explores the use of captive, or privately held, insurance as a way to mitigate risk and provide greater cost control relative to a contractor’s insurance premiums. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The 2023-2024 John R. Gentille Foundation (JRGF) scholarship and grant applications are now available and are due by December 15th (4:00 PM CST). Over $75,000 in scholarships and grants will be awarded to MCAA student chapter members during the Awards of Excellence Breakfast at MCAA24 in Orlando. Don’t miss your chance to be among the recipients!

The Hearst Connecticut Top Workplaces have awarded MJ Daly, LLC, an MCAA member, a Top Workplaces 2023 award. The list is based solely on employee feedback from a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage, LLC. The confidential survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few. Congratulations to the MJ Daly team!

MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show connects our contractor members with the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

With PypeServer technology, Strategic Mechanical, Inc., has sped up its fabrication processes and opened up new avenues for prefabrication. Strategic Mechanical serves clients throughout California; its 70,000-square-foot shop in Fresno, CA, includes an HVAC sheet metal shop, pipe fabrication shop, industrial metals fabrication shop, and electrical prefabrication. In this Q&A, Miro Telesmanic, vice president of operations, describes how Strategic Mechanical put PypeServer to work.