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Since 2010 MSCA has partnered with Convoy of Hope during the annual MSCA educational conference to support a local organization in the community where the conference is being held, with needed supplies and hands-on assistance. Due to the generosity of our members and local associations, we have been able to provide over $675,000 in products and services to organizations such as food banks, homeless shelters, rescue missions and women’s shelters.

In 2023, MSCA and Convoy of Hope will partner with Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, a Marco Island-based charity working towards wiping our hunger.

Your support and donation can help us raise $50,000 to deliver a tractor trailer full of needed supplies to people in need and support a worthy volunteer organization that helps elevate their community to find a way out of poverty.

$50,000 is a lofty goal, but one that we can reach when we work together.  

If you, your company, or your local MCA would like to donate, you can find out more information by reading our flyer. Donations of any size are welcome and appreciated! 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Carly Carmosino – carly@mca-emo.com

May 17, 2023, St. Louis, Mo. – More than two dozen people from underserved populations have entered the pipe trades in the last three years through a unique partnership between Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562, the Mechanical Contractors Association of Eastern Missouri (MCA EMO), and the Plumbing Industry Council (PIC). Now, the CHAMPIONS Initiative is preparing to launch a fourth cohort of women and minorities who will devote their summer to kick-starting an exciting new career through intensive training, formal mentorship, and job placement as a pre-apprentice with union mechanical and plumbing contractors.

CHAMPIONS – short for Creating Hometown Advantages through Minority Participation in Our Neighborhoods – launched in 2020 as an effort to diversify the skilled labor force in St. Louis. Recognizing the need for greater inclusivity in construction, labor and management came together and created a concrete road map to increasing diversity in jobs historically unavailable to women and minorities. Though the process for entrance is highly competitive, candidates are not required to have previous work experience in the trades, but simply a strong desire to make it a lifelong career, which is just one of several unique attributes of the initiative.

“It is a huge part of making our city more equitable for women and people of color,” said Megan Evergreen, a member of the first CHAMPIONS cohort, who is now a Local 562 apprentice working at Murphy Company.

“The program is an innovative response to the desperate need for new blood in light of an aging workforce,” said Steve Faust of icon Mechanical, who helped develop the program.

“Having new apprentices all the time is so important, and it’s so important that they get in here now so we have that transfer of information from the senior workforce to the newer generation coming into the field,” Faust said in a new video spotlighting the CHAMPIONS Initiative.

The six-week training period at the core of the CHAMPIONS Initiative uses a dual approach. Participants spend the bulk of their time in full-time technical training in the plumbing, pipefitting and mechanical trades. They also participate in weekly classes focused on personal and professional development such as financial literacy, communications, and teamwork, all aimed at helping them build a long-term career. In addition, each CHAMPIONS participant receives mentorship from a career tradesperson.

The program aims to address common barriers to moving into a new career by providing compensation through living stipends and transportation assistance to all participants during the initial six-weeks of intensive training. Upon successful completion of the six-week kickoff, participants officially graduate to pre-apprentice status and are hired on by participating mechanical and plumbing contractors of MCA EMO and/or PIC. They continue to receive mentorship and attend peer group meetings while earning an hourly wage and qualifying for Local 562 benefits such as retirement savings and health care. Following a year in the program, successful pre-apprentices are invited to officially begin their journey as a skilled pipefitter or plumber with a formal invitation into the Local 562 Apprenticeship Program.

Kurt Voss, MCA board member and vice president of engineering at Integrated Facility Services, said the program is a great way to introduce fresh perspectives on the trades.

“It helps us as the contractors to bring in new personnel and sometimes those that might think a little bit differently than those that have always been in the industry,” Voss said.

This week, current and past participants, mentors, and management will meet for dinner and a discussion on how to continuously improve and update program design and delivery.  Labor and management are also working on a toolkit that other industry partners and unions can use to build their own programs, with estimated release later this summer.

Cohort 4 will launch in mid-June at the state-of-the-art LU562 Training Center, with successful participants set for pre-apprenticeship placement with participating contractors in early August. Its graduates will join about 30 CHAMPIONS participants who have entered the apprenticeship pipeline since the first cohort in 2020.

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MISSION

The Mechanical Contractors Association of Eastern Missouri, the Plumbing Industry Council, and the Plumbers and Pipefitters LU 562 came together to launch the Champions Initiative in order to strengthen the St. Louis construction workforce through direct investment in the underrepresented local community.

The Initiative provides long-term mentorship and professional development support – inspiring interest, minimizing common barriers to success, and offering a clear pathway to an exceptional career in the pipe trades.

We all know the plumbing industry is aging, much like our water infrastructure. The average estimated age of a master plumber is 58 years old. However, there are many young professionals entering the industry to make a difference. Plumbing & Mechanical would like to highlight these Next Generation All-Stars in their Top 20 Under 40 Contest. They will be spotlighting the young professionals that are driving the industry into the future.

How do you nominate someone?

Please fill out the questionnaire to nominate a deserving individual. All winners will be profiled in upcoming editions of Plumbing & Mechanical, PM Engineer and Supply House Times. The deadline to submit nominations is June 30.

Who can be nominated?

Any professional working in any aspect of the plumbing industry, including plumbers and pipefitters, contracting business owners, professional engineers and plumbing designers, wholesalers, manufacturers and manufacturers reps.

Questions? Please contact Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke at krawcken@bnpmedia.com.

There are unsung heroes among us who use their time, gifts, and generosity to propel their communities forward. They do the things that are truly needed out of the kindness of their hearts and with a passion for making a difference. Whether it is helping the needy, aiding the elderly, volunteering for a charitable organization, or fostering children, they are truly heroes in every sense of the word.

MSCA’s Everyday Hero Award has become a favorite recognition award for employees, peers, employers, and the community. Who do you know who has stepped up and propelled their community into a better place?

Submit your nomination by completing the brief survey below. MSCA will recognize them onstage at the MSCA23 Conference Propel this October 22-25, 2023 in Marco Island, Florida, as well as make a very generous donation to the winner’s charity of choice. Help us honor these generous and caring individuals today by nominating them for the MSCA Everyday Hero Award. Every year we have wonderful nominees, so if you have nominated someone before and they haven’t won, you can always nominate them again.

Nominations due by July 14, 2023.

We are very pleased to announce that registration is now open for MCAA’s Collective Bargaining Conference and the UA/MCAA Labor Relations Conference this September! Through the registration process, you will have the ability to register for both conferences at once, or select an individual conference. After your conference registration is complete, you will be directed to make your own hotel reservations based on your particular travel arrangements.

Collective Bargaining Conference –

September 25-27, 2023
The Mirage, Las Vegas, NV

Suggested Attendees: Affiliate Directors, Bargaining Committee & Contractors welcome

Registration Rate: $495/member

This workshop is designed to highlight MCAA’s Collective Bargaining Guide. Attendees will learn negotiating techniques and constructive approaches that will improve workforce performance along with contractor and industry competitiveness. The workshop will help members and local association executives improve their understanding of the bargaining process to assist in preparing properly for negotiations and to make bargaining a constructive event for management and labor.

UA/MCAA Labor Relations Conference –

September 27 & 28, 2023
The Mirage, Las Vegas, NV

Suggested Attendees: Affiliated Association Executives and Leadership welcome

Registration Rate: Complimentary

The conference, jointly hosted by the United Association (UA) and MCAA, will feature networking opportunities, panel discussions focused on topics such as the current need for manpower, organizing, workforce develop, and other topics that involve our UA/MCAA partnership. This is a great opportunity for local labor/management teams to attend and develop strategies to help protect our industry.