At the MCAA25 Awards of Excellence Breakfast on March 5th, McMaster University was awarded the top prize of $10,000, sponsored by DEWALT Industrial Tool Company, and a trophy for their outstanding work on the 2024-2025 Student Chapter Competition.
ABOUT THE WINNER
Sponsoring Affiliated Association: MCA Hamilton Niagara
- Rachael Lolua – Association Manager
Faculty Advisor
- Stephen Veldhuis, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Additional Final Four Teams
California State University, Chico was the runner-up, placing second and received a trophy and check for $5,000.
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and Pittsburg State University rounded out the final four. Both of these Honorable Mention finalists received trophies and $2,500 checks.
Merit Award Recipients
Six teams (out of the 27 submissions) were recognized with Merit Trophies and checks for $1,000. They are, in alphabetical order:
- Fairleigh Dickinson University
- Indiana State University
- Kansas State University
- Kent State University
- University of Manitoba
- University of Wisconsin–Stout
Thank You to Those Who Made the Competition A Success
The project involved submitting a proposal as the prime mechanical contractor for the MCAA Medical Research Project in New York City. This included all piping, HVAC, controls and additional work required by the bid documents.
Special Contributors
Fresh Meadow Mechanical Corporation supplied the competition project, and Chris Milone and Michael F. Russo introduced the project and shared what really happened.
New this year, DEWALT Industrial Tool Company sponsored all prize money for the competition.
Procore let students use their project management software, offering real-world experience using their powerful tool.
Trimble donated use of Trimble Estimation MEP software and provided training sessions to get the students up to speed.
Ferguson provided pricing for pipe valves and fittings, letting students see what it’s really like to obtain and work with that data.
MCAA Career Development Committee Judges
- Justin Blackledge, The Waldinger Corporation Omaha
- Anne Finerfrock, W.E. Bowers
- Sarabeth Gandara, U.S. Engineering Construction, LLC
- Scott Hinton, Enerfab Power and Industrial, LLC
- Michael F. Russo, Fresh Meadow Mechanical Corporation
- Kurt Voss, Integrated Facility Services
- John Ziemann, Mollenberg-Betz, Inc.
Competition Emcee
A big thank you also goes to the Chair of the Career Development Committee, Andrew Palcan, Helm Group, for serving as the emcee for the competition in Austin!
Most Valuable Presenter
Parker Jenkins
Pittsburg State University
The Career Development Committee recognized the student who did the best job presenting their proposal, whether or not their team won. The audience members voted live between the presentations and ultimately Parker Jenkins from Pittsburg State University was awarded a trophy, a $500 gift card, a complimentary seat in MCAA’s Preparatory Institute for Project Management (PIPM), and the title of 2024-2025 Most Valuable Presenter.
Parker is majoring in Construction Management at Pittsburg State University. He plans to start at P1 Construction (an MCAA member) following graduation this spring.
Parker’s student chapter is sponsored by the MCA of Kansas City and advised by Shannon Nicklaus, our 2024-2025 Educator of the Year.
Trimble Future Estimator Scholarship
Kavan Limbasiya
Pittsburg State University
The Trimble Futures Estimator Scholarship was developed to recognize a student not only interested in mechanical contracting, but specifically to a student with an interest in being a mechanical estimator upon graduation. This $5,000 scholarship is available to a student who participated in the Final Four round of the MCAA Student Chapter Competition.
2024-2025 Student Chapter Competition Video
Looking Ahead to the 2025-2026 Competition
The MCAA Career Development Committee is hard at work planning for the 2025-2026 competition. The project will be announced this fall and a Q&A session is already on the schedule for the GreatFutures Forum in Salt Lake City, UT (October 9-11, 2025). Registration, which opens in July, is complimentary for MCAA contractor members, including the GreatFutures Job Fair on Friday morning. You won’t want to miss it!
Congratulations to McMaster University, all of our runners-up and merit trophy recipients, our MVP and the newest recipient of the Trimble Future Estimator Scholarship. And another huge round of thanks to all of those who made the competition a success. We can’t wait to see what you come up with for next year!
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