Category: JRGF

Marelich Mechanical Company, Inc. employs summer interns and new-hire project engineers from Northern California MCA student chapter programs. Chad Johnston, VP of Operations said, “Even with the circumstances we were still able to bring aboard seven summer intern and new-hire project engineers. We provide them a job opportunity, and most importantly give them experience in the plumbing and mechanical sector of the construction industry.”

Chad Johnston shares an overview of Marelich Mechanical’s onboarding process for interns and full-time hires:

New hires get the chance to spend a day in the main office meeting different department staff: Human Resources, IT, Safety, Purchasing, Estimating, Detailing, Design and Operations.  The following days are typically spent riding around with the plumbing, piping, and sheet metal superintendents walking through various projects and fabrication shops to experience all aspects of Marelich operations beyond their specific project assignment.

This summer, due to the impacts of COVID-19, the onboarding process was drastically modified. All new hires were brought into a mostly vacant office, meeting only a few essential individuals allowed in the office, with face masks used and social distancing maintained. No welcome aboard handshakes, no superintendent ride-along, no touring of multiple jobsites, and no group Marelich camping and rafting trip that have been done in past years.  

Chad says, “Yes, things are different this year. For any new hire to any company right now, the empty offices, teams working remotely, and the mandated social distancing makes our organizations feel different than they did just a few months ago. Fortunately, we were able to continue our process of giving students of our Nor Cal MCA Student Chapters schools the opportunity for a career and experience in the industry.”

Below are just a few of the tasks interns and new-hires will be performing this summer:

• Reading and understanding project plans and specifications
• Writing, submitting, tracking, and resolving RFI’s 
• Shop drawing submittals and tracking
• Processing equipment and material submittals and structural anchorage packages       
• Managing equipment and material procurement and their releases to meet the project schedule
• Attending, documenting, and follow up for on-site meetings
• Developing labor loaded schedules; Tracking installed quantities and labor tracking 
• Estimating, tracking and managing change orders 
• Coordinating design changes with subcontractors & vendors 
• QA/QC process follow-up

Chico State Interns

Marelich currently has three MCAA Student Chapter members of California State University, Chico interning this summer including, mechanical engineering major, Jimmie Whitton and construction management majors, Erich Anderson and Wyatt Hattich.

Wyatt Hattich is the retuning MCAA Student Chapter Vice President at Chico State. This summer, Wyatt is working on the HVAC in a luxury 19-story apartment building, Trinity Phase IV, in San Francisco. The largest Whole Foods in San Francisco is being built in the basement below the lobby of the apartments. Below the Whole Foods are five-floors of parking that will connect to the Trinity Phase III building next door.

Wyatt reflects on his experience so far as an intern, “What I really like about Marelich is that they all have made me feel very welcome in their company. They are all so open to help me succeed and learn new things about the mechanical industry. I am very grateful that Marelich allowed me to intern this summer and have given me such a positive experience.”

Full-time Chico State Hire

Ryan Smith graduated Chico State May 2020 with a Construction Management degree and just started full-time as a Project Manager with Marelich.

He is helping to manage the pipe fitters and sheet metal unions, focusing on HVAC work. During his experiences so far, Ryan has learned, “what truly make a great project manager is how you fix your mistakes when they arise.”

His current project is a San Francisco high end hotel and residential condo project. There are over 500 units between the hotel and condos, each has a fan coil unit which is connected to a VRF, and over five miles of refrigerant line.

“Since it is San Francisco we get to use cool tools like zoom lock which is like pro press. I process the submittals, RFI’s, IOM’s, and fix problems on the daily basis. San Francisco is a high stress environment but has some of the smartest individuals I have ever worked with. I thank MCAA for giving me such a great opportunity and for connecting me with such a great employer, Marelich Mechanical. Thank you for all you have done and for pointing me in the right direction.”

Start Your Search for Top Talent Today

Find student chapter members like Wyatt and Ryan by visiting MCAAGreatFutures.org, where members have access to student profiles and resumes. The profiles are searchable by university, desired location, and even a specific skill set, like BIM or AutoCAD. A keyword filter allows users to zero in on students who fit the bill.

William E. Walter Inc. Mechanical Contractors (William E. Walter) presented Alex Vernon-Venzuela Peter with an MCAA Internship Grant at the start of his internship. The grant, which is funded by the John R. Gentille Foundation, will help subsidize his expenses while he gains valuable work experience this summer.

Alex is a junior at Ferris State University, where he studies HVAC/R Engineering Technology and Energy Management.

William E. Walter chose to honor their commitment to Alex’s 4-month, 40 hours a week internship in spite of COVID-19. “Even in these challenging times it is important that we continue to support the growth and knowledge of future employees entering into the industry,” said Bruce Wenzlick, the company’s Director of Construction Services.

This is Alex’s first year as an intern with William E. Walter. His duties are focused on estimating and project management. He is assisting with things like quoting new jobs and submittals, change orders, schedules and material tracking.

About the MCAA Internship Grants

Having MCAA interns working at member companies is a win-win for the mechanical contracting industry. Employers get top talent and build a pipeline of future employees. Students gain experience, create connections, develop skills and further their interest in mechanical contracting. In paying the student instead of the employer, MCAA’s goal is to increase the overall number of interns and drive the overall number of talented employees accepting full-time positions with MCAA members after graduation.

How the Grant Application Process Works

The MCAA member company will first ensure a prospective intern is in good standing at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or technical school. While MCAA encourages its members to give priority to students from the MCAA Student Chapter Program, this is not a requirement to receive a grant.

Each MCAA member company can submit up to two internship grant applications per year. Once an application is reviewed and accepted, MCAA will send a $500 gift card to the member company so it can present the Gift Card to the student at the start of their internship.

MCAA will follow-up with each company and intern to ensure the process and overall internship was successful.

Start Your Search for Top Talent Today

MCAAGreatFutures.org gives members access to student profiles and resumes. The profiles are searchable by university, desired location, and even a specific skill set, like BIM or AutoCAD. A keyword filter allows users to zero in on students who fit the bill.

Not finding a match? Try reaching out to our 60 MCAA Student Chapters. The chapter advisors are a great resource to help find the right person. And, MCAA members have exclusive access to post job openings on our job board.

Help build our industry’s GreatFuture – apply for a grant!

*Photo taken Summer of 2019

SIEMENS is moving forward with their 2020 Summer Intern Program. The 64 interns are working in 24 Siemens Smart Infrastructure (SI) branch offices from Alaska to Florida, as well as at SIEMENS Headquarters in Buffalo Grove, Illinois and their Enlighted business. 

The areas of focus for the interns include Mechanical Engineering, Construction and Project Management, and Marketing and Sales.  

The program is designed to give the interns a quality hands-on experience. Through exposure to all facets of the business, interns gain an understanding of everything Smart Infrastructure does. The internship experience may also help them decide what type of career they would like to pursue if they are hired upon graduation. 

Adapting to COVID-19 Restrictions

COVID-19 restrictions forced Siemens to push back the start of its internship program, which began last week. In addition, some interns began their experience remotely due to state restrictions. To make that remote time productive, Siemens shipped company laptops to the interns’ residences along with other items necessary for them to use company systems. 

Program Manager Kristin Junia said, “Ultimately it was important for us to stand by our commitment to the interns we made offers to prior to the pandemic, so we’re working to make the summer successful in every way possible.”

In an effort to make the interns feel a part of something bigger than their local branch or team, SIEMENS has developed a program of virtual lunch and learns and town hall style meetings where they can hear from and ask questions of company executives.  

Students have been assigned web-based training through the company’s corporate training platforms, and are working with their field managers on projects and tasks until they are able to come in to the office. 

Kylie Nedelka, an MCAA Student Chapter member from the University of Missouri-Columbia, is one of the returning interns. You can read her story HERE.

Titan Mechanical presented Colton Battin with an MCAA Internship Grant at the start of his summer internship. The grant, which is funded by the John R. Gentille Foundation, will help subsidize his expenses while he gains valuable work experience this summer.

Colton is a senior at Bowling Green State University, where he is studying Construction Management. He will be graduating in December 2020. Colton is a member of the new student chapter at Bowling Green State University, sponsored by the MCA of Northwestern, Ohio, Inc.

This is Colton’s second year interning with Titan Mechanical. He has been successful in the office setting since the impacts of COVID-19, simultaneously social distancing while effectively fulfilling responsibilities as an intern. His work involves estimating, assisting project managers. Some of his duties will be reaching out to sub-contractors, vendors and assisting in implementing Titan Mechanical Inc.’s new estimating software. 

John E. Gray, President of Titan Mechanical, had this to say, “Colton will be an asset to any organization moving forward, he really has a thirst for knowledge and wants to be apart of the industry moving forward.” 

About the MCAA Internship Grants

Having MCAA interns working at member companies is a win-win for the mechanical contracting industry. Employers get top talent and build a pipeline of future employees. Students gain experience, create connections, develop skills and further their interest in mechanical contracting. In paying the student instead of the employer, MCAA’s goal is to increase the overall number of interns and drive the overall number of talented employees accepting full-time positions after graduation.

How the Grant Application Process Works

The MCAA member company will first ensure a prospective intern is in good standing at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or technical school. While MCAA encourages its members to give priority to students from the MCAA Student Chapter Program, this is not a requirement to receive a grant.

Each MCAA member company can submit up to two internship grant applications per year. Once an application is reviewed and accepted, MCAA will send a $500 gift card to the member company so it can present the Gift Card to the student at the start of their internship.

MCAA will follow-up with each company and intern to ensure the process and overall internship was successful.

Start Your Search for Top Talent Today

MCAAGreatFutures.org gives members access to student profiles and resumes. The profiles are searchable by university, desired location, and even a specific skill set, like BIM or AutoCAD. A keyword filter allows users to zero in on students who fit the bill.

Not finding a match? Try reaching out to our 60 MCAA Student Chapters. The chapter advisors are a great resource to help find the right person. And, MCAA members have exclusive access to post job openings on our job board.

Help build our industry’s GreatFuture – apply for a grant!

In light of COVID-19-related restrictions and in the best interests of our members and the students, MCAA has made the decision to cancel the in-person GreatFutures Forum scheduled for October 1-3 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The MCAA Career Development Committee is currently working on the GreatFutures Virtual Education Program that will be scheduled throughout the fall. All students, faculty advisors and MCAA members will be welcome to participate. The annual MCAA Student Chapter Competition project, will not be impacted by this cancellation. The MCAA Student Chapter Competition will be released virtually to the student chapters during the Virtual Education Program.

The MCAA Career Development Committee’s ultimate goal is to continue to create programming and education that will help cultivate the next generation of mechanical contracting industry leaders.

With that in mind, we are trying to gain a better understanding of our contractors’ hiring needs for the next year. Please take a few minutes to let us know your plans.

Start Your Search for Top Talent Today

While an in-person job fair is not currently feasible, members can visit MCAAGreatFutures.org for access to student profiles and resumes. The profiles are searchable by university, desired location, and even a specific skill set, like BIM or AutoCAD. A keyword filter allows users to zero in on students who fit the bill.

Not finding a match? Try reaching out to our 60 MCAA Student Chapters. The chapter advisors are a great resource to help find the right person. And, MCAA members have exclusive access to post job openings on our job board.

Please contact Megan Walsh if you have questions about the GreatFutures program and any of our student activities.