For a record-setting continuous concrete pour, Couts Heating and Cooling, Inc. installed more than 20 miles of Uponor radiant tubing to create a thermal cooling system that would ensure the integrity of the concrete as it cured. Applying this new technique, Couts not only smoothed the way for this rapid, massive project, it also benefitted from the ease of installation. The PEX tubing’s “extreme flexibility made it fast and easy to install around the rebar in the base of the structure,” said Mike Martin, Couts piping department manager.

With the President’s decision to move forward with tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from Mexico, Canada and the EU, MCAA’s recent bulletin provides useful information on potential approaches MCAA members can consider in attempting to recover price increases. It also includes a sample price escalation clause for future contracts. This bulletin is an example of how we are striving to make MCAA’s Management Methods Manual a more timely resource for MCAA members. Other recent Bulletins cover topics such as “2017 Tax Reform: Consideration for Mechanical Contractors” and “The Next Generation of Data Security.” These newer Bulletins are not only available to our members as PDFs; they are also found in MCAA’s new WebBook Library on our website.

MCAA members can now access our Tool and Equipment Rental Guide via an enhanced web portal. There you can refine your search to find what you need quickly. A list of all rates is also included. Regardless of how you view them, search results can be downloaded as either a .pdf or .csv file.

The MCA of Kansas City recently contributed $7,500 to the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF). Impressive as that is…that is not the most important fact in this story. How long the MCAKC has been supporting MCERF is!

Under pressure to make up for lost time on a huge tunneling project, Shinn Mechanical Inc. used cordless Milwaukee tools to install Victaulic grooved couplings on an innovative piping design, shaving months off the original schedule. “Pairing Victaulic couplings with Milwaukee tools allowed us to finish a job scheduled to take eight months in only 10 weeks,” said Mike Shinn, company founder.

To comply with OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard, your company must establish a safety program to protect workers who may be exposed to chemical substances. MCAA’s Model Hazard Communication Program can be quickly tailored to create your program.

We are headed towards a crucial labor shortage in the building trades industry.  In fact, it is already apparent in many parts of the country—but there are things that can be done to combat it, and it starts with a shift in your mindset on how to tackle recruiting. 

Congratulations to everyone at MCAA member John W. Danforth Company for being named Plumbing & Mechanical’s 2018 Mechanical Contractor of the Year!

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

OSHA recently released a document showing the most frequently asked questions that it receives from employers affected by its crystalline silica standard. MCAA and other construction trade associations worked with OSHA to establish the questions and accompanying answers through the Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC).

MCAA President Michael Brandt, CEO of Smith & Oby, knew he had built company loyalty when Jeff Ranke returned from the Field Leaders Conference. “I’m so glad you sent me to this conference. I needed this. Very helpful. Great speakers. I took a lot from it. It was nice to know that I’m not alone.” Help your fitters, plumbers, service, sheet metal and electrical field leaders understand the value they bring to your company—and how much you appreciate them. They’ll thank you for it.

OSHA’s Confined Spaces in Construction standard requires that your company establish a safety program to protect workers who work in or near confined spaces. MCAA’s Model Permit-Required Confined Space Program for Construction can be quickly and easily tailored to create your program.