Sarah Galan, a junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering at Wentworth Institute of Technology, has been awarded one of the two Ferguson-Women in the Mechanical Industry Scholarships. Ferguson underwrites these scholarships, which recognize high-achieving female students working towards a degree relative to the mechanical industry.
Sarah landed a winter internship with EMCOR Services Northeast, where she assisted the sales engineers in conducting work on their projects, including estimating, takeoffs, bids, purchase orders, graphics, and controls. Sarah’s experience with EMCOR confirmed her interest in the mechanical contracting industry. “I love how I feel challenged every day. I am constantly learning something, and wake up every day excited to go to work. Everyone at EMCOR treats me as a valuable employee and trusts me with a large variety of responsibilities,” she said.
Acknowledging this field is extremely male dominated, which may intimidate many, Sarah uses it as motivation. Sarah shared, “I take it is a challenge. It challenges me as an individual to prove to myself and to those around me that I know what I am capable of achieving and I can be a valuable asset. I think it is incredible to see more and more women entering into professions such as this one and I hope that I can take this opportunity to inspire more women to enter this field. The notion that this is a job only for men is such a fleeting idea in people’s minds and I hope more women realize this and see that there is a place for them in this industry.”
Kimberly Sikkema, a junior at Ferris State University, has been awarded one of the two Ferguson-Women in the Mechanical Industry Scholarships. Ferguson underwrites these scholarships, which recognize high-achieving female students working towards a degree relative to the mechanical industry.
Kimberly, who is earning her degree in HVAC/R, is the President of her student chapter, and will continue as the President throughout 2021. She has found herself on the dean’s list every semester and has maintained an impressive 3.95 GPA. Upon graduation, Kimberly looks forward to pursuing her career that she has worked so hard for, stating, “I look forward to seeing the wide variety of opportunities that are out there in the world for myself, as a woman in the HVAC/R industry. I look forward to making connections and networking with people from all around the world in the mechanical industry. Most of all, I look forward to expanding my knowledge by facing new obstacles every day, receiving more hands-on learning out in the field, as well as learning more from experienced, skilled veterans.”
Congratulations to Parker Filius, one of the two recipients of the Alan P. O’Shea Memorial Scholarship. The Mechanical Contractors Association of New Jersey established the scholarships to honor the memory of Alan P. O’Shea, its former Executive Director, and memorialize his many contributions to the mechanical contracting industry.
Parker, a Junior studying Construction Management Technology at Purdue University, has served in the position of Secretary in his student chapter for the past year and will continue to serve in his student chapter throughout the Spring and Fall of 2021. In addition to his involvement with his chapter, Parker has maintained academic excellence, stayed committed to athletic obligations, and completed several internships.
Through his internship experiences, Parker stated, “the mechanical contracting industry is more complicated than many other areas of construction. I am passionate about learning and look forward to a career filled with learning opportunities. My time with MCA has taught me that there is so much to learn that is specific to the mechanical industry.”
This summer, Parker will be interning with MCAA member company, BMWC in Indiana and hopes to continue to absorb everything he can.
MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Parker on this distinguished scholarship! We thank the MCA of Omaha, Inc. for its commitment to supporting younger students keeping them invested in the mechanical contracting industry.
Congratulations to Jakob Cimino, one of the two recipients of the Alan P. O’Shea Memorial Scholarship. The Mechanical Contractors Association of New Jersey established the scholarships to honor the memory of Alan P. O’Shea, its former Executive Director, and memorialize his many contributions to the mechanical contracting industry.
Jakob, a freshman studying Construction Management, is a recent addition to the student chapter at the University of Nebraska. In the midst of the pandemic, he switched majors, universities, and came out of the gate looking for a group to help him get a foot in the door for his future career.
Luckily, the chapter was still able to hold their annual Internship Day and Jakob was the first to sign up to participate. Internship day is a special event where all of the MCA-Omaha companies offering summer internships gather around the board table and have the students come in one by one for a short interview. Not only is Jakob set to intern with MCAA member company, Control Services, this summer, but he actually already started as of December 1, 2020!
After quickly realizing he enjoyed being a part of his student chapter, Jakob explained, “I decided that I wanted to surround myself in that environment and start my career path. Once I did that, I never looked back and it has done nothing but benefit myself and help me learn to become a better person. It has helped me get into a place that I never thought that I would be in at this point in my life and now I already have my foot in the door of the mechanical industry because of it.”
MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Jakob on this distinguished scholarship and thank the MCA of Omaha, Inc. for its commitment to supporting younger students keeping them invested in the mechanical contracting industry.
Congratulations to Masen Dinklage, this year’s recipient of the annual Reilly Family Memorial Scholarship. John W. Danforth Company, an MCAA member company, established the scholarship to commemorate the memory of its leadership, the Reilly Family. Kevin “Duke” Reilly served as Danforth’s Chairman/CEO. Wayne, Patrick and Emmett Reilly contributed a combined 128 years of commitment and loyalty to their company and the industry. This national scholarship symbolizes the Reillys’ many contributions to the mechanical contracting industry.
Masen, a senior studying Mechanical Engineering at The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has found himself on the College of Engineering dean’s list for the past four years. In addition to his academic achievements, Masen has held three separate student chair positions within his student chapter in which he has organized and coordinated student volunteer work for chapter fundraisers. Masen served as the Golf Chair in 2019, Wine Tasting Chair in 2020, and is currently the Beer Tasting Chair for 2021.
Masen has interned at MCAA member company, The Waldinger Corporation, for the past three years and has absolutely loved his experience. When asked what has drawn him towards a career in the mechanical contracting industry, Masen shared, “I want to be confronted with consistent challenges during my career and it is very evident to me that the mechanical contracting industry will provide new challenges every day. Additionally, I have had the pleasure of meeting many quality people within the mechanical industry. I have a strong desire to continue working with these people and build new relationships throughout my career.”
Masen, MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate you on receiving this prestigious scholarship and look forward to seeing the impact you make within our industry!
Thank you John W. Danforth Company and CEO, Robert Beck, for your commitment to keeping future industry leaders invested in the mechanical contracting industry.
Congratulations to Luke Bennett, MCAA’s 2020 recipient of the William A. Bianco, Jr. Memorial Scholarship. MCAA member, Kinetics, established the annual scholarship to honor Mr. Bianco and his many contributions to the industry’s continuing advancement.
Luke, a sophomore majoring in Construction Management, joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln chapter in the Fall of 2019 and eagerly signed up to attend MCAA’s GreatFutures Forum only a few weeks later.
While attending the conference, Luke struck up a conversation with one of MCA-Omaha’s local members and a former student chapter member himself, Adam Crnkovich, and came home from the conference with an internship at the Ray Martin Company. Luke has continued to intern with Adam at the Ray Martin Company and through this experience has found mechanical contracting to indeed be his desired career path.
Luke may have secured his internship early on, but that did not stop him from stepping up as an officer his first year in the student chapter. For Summer 2020, Luke was the Lincoln campus Recruitment Chair. This is usually one of the chapter’s more challenging positions, and was even more so in 2020 due to not being able to gather in person. In spite of COVID-19 restrictions, Luke was successful in recruiting four additional students to their chapter.
MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Luke on this prestigious scholarship and would like to thank Kinetics for their commitment to supporting younger students to keep them invested in the mechanical contracting industry.
Ahmed Seck, a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park, has been awarded the Foster McCarl, Jr. Memorial Scholarship for 2020. This national scholarship honors Foster McCarl, Jr.’s many contributions to advancing the mechanical contracting industry, including his efforts toward establishing what is now known as the John R. Gentille Foundation (JRGF). McCarl’s Inc. (Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania) is the scholarship sponsor.
Ahmed, a Mechanical Engineering major, has been honored with several academic accolades over the last few years, including making the dean’s list for academic excellence. When asked about his interest in a career in the mechanical contracting industry, Ahmed said, “What drew me towards a career in the mechanical contracting industry was after joining my MCAA UMD chapter last year and having the opportunity to work on a nationwide competition with my team. Working on this project heightened my understanding of the mechanical contracting industry by exposing me to some of the responsibilities that one has to assume in the real world as a contractor.” He continued on to share, “Although our proposals would not of course be considered in the real world, it really felt as though we were contractors. We had our own firm name, our own responsibilities, a headquarters, a deadline. It truly felt real and exhilarating. It gave me confidence that I could indeed do this in the real world.”
Ahmed and his fellow University of Maryland College Park student chapter team members went on to make it into the Final Four of MCAA’s 2019-2020 Student Chapter Competition. Those who worked alongside Ahmed said in preparation for the competition, Ahmed dedicated multiple hours a week to sharpening his presentation, interviewing, and professional networking skills.
During his time with the student chapter, Ahmed has worked closely with eight industry mentors to advance his understanding of mechanical systems and innovative technologies. Ahmed continuously communicates with the mentors to seek opportunities for professional advancement and feedback for constructive improvement.
The student chapter at Ball State University proudly nominated Dr. Sherif Attallah to be MCAA’s 2020 Educator of the Year because they believed he is more than qualified and deserving of this prestigious award, and MCAA’s Career Development Committee agreed. Here’s why.
Chapter Participation
Dr. Attallah played a crucial role in planning and participating in Ball State’s first annual Top Golf event. Dr. Attallah attends most of their chapter meetings, at which he always helps members with challenges they may be facing with their role in the competition. Dr. Attallah still holds several field trips for his various classes and the student chapter, often organizing and leading these numerous educational field trips himself.
Mentoring
Dr. Attallah’s connections within the industry help his students communicate with industry professionals who are willing to speak to their chapter. Whenever his students have a question about something that he does not know, Dr. Attallah puts them in contact with someone who does. When planning for their fundraiser, he was a significant contributor when trying to find participants; he used his network to reach out and get several participants involved. He did a phenomenal job with this being the chapter’s first annual Top Golf event, which they now plan to continue annually. In his teachings of the mechanical class at Ball State, Dr. Attallah has brought in several contractors that teach the class and sit with the team after talking to them about the mechanical industry.
Membership
Dr. Attallah is the professor for several introductory classes for the Ball State program. With this connection, he plays a crucial role in recruiting younger members for the chapter. Dr. Attallah also implements new and useful recruiting ideas, along with suggesting new members. Every year Dr. Attallah helps his student chapter come up with new activities for their chapter’s first call-out meeting for the school year. In the past, this event has been the deciding factor when recruiting new members to join their chapter and learn more about the mechanical contracting industry.
Student Internships
Dr. Attallah has helped several of the team members get in touch with industry professionals, which in turn leads to internships as well as full-time employment. The members have greatly benefited from his involvement with the mechanical internship program. With his teaching of the mechanical class, he gets to help students that are not in the chapter by letting them hear from the industry professionals that he brings in about internships and joining their chapter.
Employment
Last year two Ball State University student chapter members found full-time careers in the industry, one with North Mechanical and one with Bowen Engineering. He continues to lead his students towards the mechanical field every year.
Faculty Internships
Dr. Attallah has worked with HMH Contractors and, most recently, Kiewit during the summers. With HMH, he worked as an estimating engineer during the summer. In addition to helping HMH during a particularly busy time, he gained industry experience to bring back to the chapter and the mechanical class. During his time with Kiewit, he was a faculty scholar for their company and was a massive help over the summer.
Thank you for serving as an advisor, educator, and mentor to students, Dr. Attallah!
Adam Crnkovich is currently a Project Manager at the Ray Martin Company and a previous member of the University of Nebraska- Lincoln student chapter. As a student, Adam really enjoyed participating in MCAA’s Student Chapter Competition as it gave him incredible exposure to technical aspects that contractors work on, as well as played a huge role in his understanding of the industry as a whole.
Additionally, during his time in his student chapter, Adam actively attended MCAA GreatFutures Forums and MCAA Annual Conventions which he says not only helped him continue to learn about the industry and network, but ultimately helped him grow further into his field and as a person. Adam shared participating in these opportunities “gave me a lot more experience that not only understand if this is something I wanted to pursue, but also how I could be better in the industry and grow as a person and career in general.”
Adam loves that the mechanical contracting industry is not only about building things, but building people and relationships, something he has personally benefited from.
MCAA’s Career Development Committee proudly awarded The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Chapter as MCAA’s 2020 Student Chapter of the Year for their continuously outstanding achievement as an organization of students who are planning careers in the mechanical construction industry.
The University of Nebraska Student Chapter is sponsored by the MCA of Omaha. Vishnu Reddi, Assistant Professor of Practice with the Durham School, College of Engineering, is the chapter’s faculty advisor. Together, this chapter managed to get creative to not only survive but thrive during an incredibly challenging year.
Community Service
The student chapter volunteered to be judges at the NAWIC Block Kids event in January 2020.
MCA-Omaha participates in a variety of community service events each year. In January, their student chapter volunteered to be judges at the NAWIC Block Kids event. This event encourages kids from kindergarten to sixth grade to build new inventions out of Lego blocks related to the construction industry. In 2020 their group had twelve volunteer judges, their largest group yet! As volunteer judges, the students interacted with the kids and helped spark their imaginations and interest in construction.
Their student chapter participated in the annual Heat’s On Omaha and Heat’s On Lincoln event in the fall. Heat’s On consists of HVAC service members traveling with a student chapter member to the homes of elderly community members to inspect their furnaces before winter. There, the service members and the students inspect the filter, flame, sensors, flue gas, and check the batteries in all the smoke detectors. In 2020, four students participated in Heat’s On Omaha, which included one brand new member, and three students participated in Heat’s On Lincoln. Unfortunately, the students were not able to travel with the service members due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but were there to support the event by handing out sweatshirts, masks, and breakfasts.
A third community service event that was scheduled for 2020 was Domination Donation. This is a brand-new event created by the University of Nebraska student chapter that is a competition between local contractors to see who can raise the most money for a charitable cause. Due to COVID-19 this event was postponed. It will now kickoff this year.
The 2020 members of the MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy
Career Development
MCA-Omaha provides numerous career development opportunities for the MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy. The students are able to gain experience and explore the industry through networking events, mentorships, internships, and full-time employment opportunities. Many events and fundraisers are held throughout the year, all of which are led by committees of MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy students. These events include beer tasting, wine tasting, golf outing, community service, competition, and recruitment. The committees include academy students, a student chair, as well as multiple local MCA-Omaha contractors interested in helping with the event. Many of these contractors have been a part of the student academy in the past and can provide insight from past events.
The mentor program is at the core of every student’s career development opportunities within MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy. Each student within the academy is paired with a contractor from a local MCA-Omaha company. The students are paired with their mentors based on their specific interests about the industry. Mentors engage with the students through a variety of required activities throughout the year. One activity involves the mentor taking the student to their company’s office to show them what daily work looks like for them. Another activity is taking the student for a job walk at a current job site to see how construction projects operate. Other events include getting lunch or coffee together and attending an MCA-Omaha event together. This program is a great way for students to gain experience and knowledge about the industry from a local professional.
Students meet with their mentors.
Throughout their involvement with the MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy, each student is paired with a mentor from a local company, has the opportunity to intern with a local contractor, and has the chance to serve on a committee with MCA-Omaha contractors. These networking opportunities are extremely beneficial to academy members, and the goal is for each academy student to carry those personal relationships into their future careers.
Competition
The University of Nebraska student chapter has participated in the MCAA Student Chapter Competition since it was started. The student competition this year certainly looked a bit different, but these students used this as an opportunity to find new solutions given the circumstances. Their team arranged to have three meetings with local contractors to ask questions via Zoom, which they admit was a bit challenging since they couldn’t be as hands on with learning by looking through plans together in person. However, they were eventually able to have one socially distanced meeting in person, which was the most useful to their team.
Recruitment
The MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy works extremely hard to continue to find responsible and dedicated student leaders to join the academy. The unprecedented challenges this year yielded many creative solutions to continue to reach out to new students, however the chapter persevered.
Students handed out fliers and applications during a socially distanced recruitment fair in August.
Their first event in August was a socially distanced recruitment fair in Lincoln. During the recruitment fair the students handed out flyers and applications, as well as had an estimating game to play for a chance to win a prize. The chapter also converted their annual in person Q&A event to a virtual Q&A, offering four $25 gift cards for any new student who logged on. This was an opportunity for them to meet and have a current member answer any questions they had. Three new students joined and all received gift cards.
In addition to providing virtual opportunities and reaching out to students by word of mouth, the chapter utilized the University’s E-Blasts to share information about the academy with a Facebook link, as well as a slide on the Engineering College’s hallway TVs for students still able to attend in person classes. In total, four new students joined their chapter, which is a huge success due to having to utilize virtual recruitment strategies.
Fund Raising
MCA-Omaha is fortunate to have support from over 30 local mechanical contractors. Their chapter typically hosts multiple events each year which gives students the opportunity to network with these contractors and raise funds for their chapter. Despite all of the challenges in 2020, they were still able to raise a total $10,031 from their fundraising events.
Students at the golf outing raffle in October.
Two of their four traditional fundraising events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the golf outing raffle in October proceeded with a few modifications. Instead of announcing the raffle winners live, a large white board with numbers was used to display the prize winners, that way the participants could grab-and-go with their boxed lunches. Their Golf Outing chair recorded a video message and sent out an MCA Omaha E-Blast announcing three mystery winners who each received $500 cash. Overall, they raised $1,192 at their 2020 golf outing.
Their wine tasting in November took place in a virtual setting and was a huge success. They were even honored to be joined by MCAA President Brian Helm. Typically, this event involves the student members serving various wines and cheeses to contractors who purchase a table at the event. The wine committee worked together to move this event virtually, by delivering 5 bottles of wine to each household for them to sample and enjoy. The deliveries were a great way for students to visit MCA Omaha companies and see their offices. For this event they raised $8,839, their most profitable wine tasting to date!
Field Trips
As a part of being involved with the MCA-Omaha Leadership Academy, each student must take a job site visit with their mentor, as well as visit their office. With 20 members in 2020, that is 20+ field trips through their mentor program alone! Unfortunately, all the other scheduled group trips this year were cancelled.
Internships with Mechanical Contractors
In 2020, out of the 20 current students and 4 new members, the chapter had 15 (63%) of students have internships with MCAA companies with 91% of the group having some sort of internship. Each year, students have the opportunity to participate in Internship Day in the fall. Internship Day is where students can interview with multiple MCAA contractors looking for interns the next summer and are placed where they would be the best fit. One benefit of 2020 is that the students found themselves with a lot more free time on their hands with virtual learning and many were able to work part-time during the fall of 2020 and especially during the long winter break from Thanksgiving to mid-January. Of their four new members, three have been accepted for an internship during the school year and for summer 2021.
Employment
The chapter had one student graduate in December 2020. He is currently employed with Helm Group, an MCAA member, meaning they had all (100%) of their graduates employed with mechanical contractors last year!
Congratulations to The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Chapter on this well-deserved recognition!
