Archives: News Items

Connect With the Latest Training from LAARS, a Bradford White Company and Lochinvar, LLC at MCAA.org

The Manufacturer/Supplier Training area of MCAA’s website connects our contractor members with training opportunities available from the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Participating companies highlight and link to new webinars and training opportunities across their product lines, services, solutions or web pages. Here are just a few of the recent additions:

LAARS, a Bradford White Company
Laars Academy is our commitment to ensure our industry professionals have the training and knowledge needed to stay on top.  Watch a recorded training session on Laars MagnaTherm FT at www.laars.com.

Lochinvar, LLC
Lochinvar’s commitment to training and education hasn’t wavered in over 80 years. Learn with us on-line at LochinvarU.com, on-campus in Lebanon, Tennessee or at a sponsored event in your hometown.

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

Be sure to visit the Manufacturer/Supplier Training area for all the latest offerings.

Find the Latest from MILWAUKEE TOOL and Cerro Flow Products LLC in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show

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

Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:

MILWAUKEE TOOL
The M12 FUEL™ ProPEX® Expander unlocks a breakthrough in productivity for plumbing installers, delivering the fastest 3/8”-1” expansions. Featuring an auto-rotating head, the expander provides you with uniform expansions for the most consistent installations. In combination with the ProPEX® Expander Heads with RAPID SEAL™, installers will experience up to 65% faster sealing of connections as temperatures decrease, reducing the time before pressure testing.

Cerro Flow Products LLC
Cerro Flow Products LLC is pleased to announce CerroPress® – the next generation in copper press fittings. Purposely engineered for ease of assembly and backed by a dedicated customer service team.

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Speaking of Smart Solutions

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to learn how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!

New Tool to Track and Report Vaccine and Testing for OSHA’s ETS on COVID-19

There have been many requests from MCAA members for a simple and easy way to track & report the Emergency Testing Standard (ETS) from OSHA for both the vaccine requirements and weekly testing. 

TYFOOM, a member of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council (M/SC), created an automated, simple, and easy process to reach all employees on a regular basis with an ETS survey (examples attached).

For more information, please contact Tyfoom at customercare@tyfoom.com or call 801.717.1231 and mention that you are an MCAA member to obtain a 10% member discount.

As a reminder, unless ruled on by the Supreme Court, the most current OSHA compliance deadlines are:

  • January 10, 2022: All requirements except testing
  • February 9, 2022: Testing

If you have any questions, please contact MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management, Raffi Elchemmas, at raffi@mcaa.org

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Website

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s website, home of the latest information and resources from your association, at your convenience.

Use the site to:

The Search feature at the top right of the site can help you quickly find what you’re looking for.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact help@mcaa.org.

Find the Latest from Josam Company and Watts-Mueller in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show

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

Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:

Josam Company
Josam Company’s comprehensive line of drainage products offer labor saving features and benefits with the installer in mind. In addition to ease of installation, we also offer customized solutions for the most difficult applications.

Quality Engineered Drainage Products.

Watts-Mueller
Innovative technologies, intelligent software, robust construction, and modern design are the four cornerstones of our profile cutting machines. Our thermal 3D pipe cutting machines are available in a wide range of sizes, from 1” to 12” two axis systems up to 160″ in diameter.

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Speaking of Smart Solutions

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to learn how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Resource Center

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the 670 business resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s Resource Center, which includes a variety of filters to help you find trusted information and tools, easier and faster.

Our resources are developed by contractors for contractors who understand your unique needs.

To Access the Resource Center

  1. Visit mcaa.org
  2. Use the form on our homepage to find the specific solution to your challenge and advance your business. Narrow down your results by your role, topic of interest, company size, resource type, keywords, or any combination of these
  3. Build your pipeline for success

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact help@mcaa.org with your questions, comments and suggestions.

Connect With the Latest Training from DEWALT Industrial Tool Company and Uponor at MCAA.org

The Manufacturer/Supplier Training area of MCAA’s website connects our contractor members with training opportunities available from the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Participating companies highlight and link to new webinars and training opportunities across their product lines, services, solutions or web pages. Here are just a few of the recent additions:

DEWALT Industrial Tool Company
The DEWALT PERFORM & PROTECT™ line of tools and accessories is YOUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE™ on the job. They are designed to provide a high level of one or more of the following: dust containment, control, or low vibration, without sacrificing performance. These quick and easy product guides from DEWALT® will help get you started using your tools.

Uponor
Uponor is your one-stop shop for polymer piping. From concept to completion, our partnership delivers top-notch services and the highest quality products to take productivity to the next level.

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

Be sure to visit the Manufacturer/Supplier Training area for all the latest offerings.

MCAA Offers Materials to Prepare You for OSHA’s ETS on COVID-19

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) will begin enforcement of its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on vaccine mandates in early 2022 barring an emergency stay from the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). MCAA’s Safety Bulletin on the ETS, the MCAA Model COVID-19 Mandatory-Vaccination Policy, and NEW MCAA Model COVID-19 Vaccination, Testing and Face Covering Policy outline what needs to be done to be compliant with the ETS.

It is important for all MCAA members to begin making every possible attempt to comply with the standard, and carefully document every part of every attempt made to comply.

MCAA offers three items, available via the buttons below, that may be useful to you:

  • MCAA’s Updated Bulletin on OSHA’s COVID-19 ETS – The only changes to the bulletin are the new enforcement dates. This bulletin is a simple reference document for you.
  • The original MCAA Model COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy – This policy is for companies that require vaccines, but do not allow weekly testing and face covering use as an alternative.
  • The MCAA Model COVID-19 Vaccination, Testing and Face Covering Policy – This policy is for companies that require vaccines, or weekly testing and face covering use as an alternative to vaccines. It can also be easily tailored for use as your Mandatory Vaccination Policy for the companies that require vaccines, but do not allow weekly testing and face covering use as an alternative.

OSHA Compliance Deadlines

January 10, 2022: all requirements except testing

February 9, 2022: testing

OSHA “will not issue citations for noncompliance with the standard’s testing requirements before February 9, so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard.”

OSHA released the following statement:

“To account for any uncertainty created by the stay, OSHA is exercising enforcement discretion with respect to the compliance dates of the ETS. To provide employers with sufficient time to come into compliance, OSHA will not issue citations for noncompliance with any requirements of the ETS before January 10 and will not issue citations for noncompliance with the standard’s testing requirements before February 9, so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard. OSHA will work closely with the regulated community to provide compliance assistance.”

Watch for Updates As They Occur

MCAA will be closely monitoring SCOTUS and OSHA developments related to this issue and will communicate updates as they occur. In the meantime, questions may be addressed to MCAA’s Raffi Elchemmas.

VDC Webinar Mini-Series: Explore ITM Content Solutions for Autodesk Software

Utilizing Autodesk’s BIM software for fabrication like CADmep, CAMduct and ESTmep, can provide your company with significant productivity improvements, accuracy and coordination gains. To operate with fabrication level precision, it takes precise ITM content that doesn’t come with the software out of the box. Contractors need to create their own catalog of ITM components or work with third-party providers to purchase ITM-managed databases.

In this third and final installment of MCAA’s VDC Webinar Mini-Series, U.S. Engineering’s Director of Virtual Construction, Ryan Frazier, talks about how the company has approached both options and chose to use Trimble Managed Content. U.S. Engineering’s case study examines factors in their decision like cost, manpower, productivity and software integration. Ryan is joined by Seth Greenlund, Product Manager at Trimble, responsible for Trimble Managed Content.

Meet the Webinar Speakers:

Ryan Frazier – Ryan Frazier is the Director of Virtual Construction for U.S. Engineering and has been in the BIM industry for 17 years. Ryan has held various roles from detailing to management and has primarily focused on the MEP trades. In his current role, he oversees all things related to VC at U.S. Engineering, helping guide their team from a strategic and progressive perspective. Ryan is always looking to leverage BIM capabilities from design and coordination to fabrication and installation. 

Email – ryan.frazier@usengineering.com 

Seth Greenlund – Seth has been in the MEP industry since 2002. He started as a detailer using Autodesk Building Systems and in 2005 moved to Fabrication CADmep, ESTmep and CAMduct. During his time with various contractors, Seth did everything from digging trenches for underground plumbing, estimating, detailing, database management and project management. He moved over to the software side of MEP in 2012 and has worked as a trainer, support manager, content group manager. 

Email – seth_greenlund@trimble.com

This webinar was recorded on January 10, 2022.

Find the Latest from SPX Cooling Technologies, Inc. and iBusiness Technologies in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show

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

Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:

SPX Cooling Technologies, Inc.
Tune in and tune up your evaporative cooling knowledge! If you haven’t made it to a live Marley® webinar yet, you’re in luck. Visit the #SPXMarley on-demand library for viewing at your convenience.

iBusiness Technologies MobiliForms

iBusiness Technologies
Reduce costs and get paid faster with MobiliForms. Your identical, familiar forms now on iPad with signature and image capture. MCAA & MSCA members love MobiliForms because it pays for itself!

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Speaking of Smart Solutions

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to learn how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!

ETS BREAKING NEWS – 6th Circuit Dissolved the Stay of the OSHA ETS, Emergency Stay Application Filed, New Compliance Deadlines

A three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals dissolved the stay of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on vaccine mandates and testing on December 17, 2021. An emergency stay application has since been filed with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and OSHA has announced new compliance deadlines for implementation and enforcement of the ETS.

6th Circuit Dissolved Stay on OSHA ETS

The court order does not mention deadline extensions, it simply grants “the Government’s motion and DISSOLVE[S] the stay issued by the Fifth Circuit.”  MCAA has filed a request with OSHA to extend enforcement deadlines so all employers can have time to develop the appropriate plans.

OSHA Announces New Compliance Deadlines

January 10, 2022: all requirements except testing

February 9, 2022: testing

OSHA “will not issue citations for noncompliance with the standard’s testing requirements before February 9, so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard.”

OSHA released the following statement: 

“To account for any uncertainty created by the stay, OSHA is exercising enforcement discretion with respect to the compliance dates of the ETS. To provide employers with sufficient time to come into compliance, OSHA will not issue citations for noncompliance with any requirements of the ETS before January 10 and will not issue citations for noncompliance with the standard’s testing requirements before February 9, so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard. OSHA will work closely with the regulated community to provide compliance assistance.”

Impact on MCAA Members

Unless SCOTUS acts, MCAA members with over 100 workers must require them to be vaccinated or tested weekly by the new compliance deadlines.

MCAA Offers Compliance Resources

MCAA’s Safety Bulletin on the ETS and the MCAA Model COVID-19 Mandatory-Vaccination Policy outline what needs to be done to be compliant with the ETS.

Watch for Updates As They Occur

MCAA will be closely monitoring SCOTUS and OSHA developments related to this issue and will communicate updates as they occur. In the meantime, questions may be addressed to MCAA’s Raffi Elchemmas.

Sales Leaders Will Learn How to Drive Growth and Enhance Profitability at MSCA’s Sales Leadership Symposium

The new year will bring a new opportunity to take advantage of MSCA’s Sales Leadership Symposium. Taught by industry experts, the symposium will teach sales leaders how to drive revenue growth and enhance profitability through a structured sales approach. Attendees will take home innovative ideas, crucial skills, and an invaluable Sales Leadership Tool Kit with over 90 pages of resources. HVACR and plumbing industry sales leaders won’t want to miss it! Register now and join us January 13 – 14, 2022, in Phoenix, AZ.

The Tool Kit Covers Topics Including:

  • Hiring
  • Onboarding
  • Business Development
  • Scorecards
  • Coaching
  • Customer Care
  • Navigating the MSCA Library of Resources

Resource Highlight: MCAA/CNA MICROLEARNING SAFETY VIDEO SERIES: Proper Material Staging

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on the MCAA/CNA MICROLEARNING SAFETY VIDEO SERIES: Proper Material Staging. This video will teach your pipefitters, plumbers, sprinklerfitters, welders, service technicians and fabrication shop workers how to protect themselves from the musculoskeletal injuries that occur when materials are improperly staged.

Your workers will learn about:

  • How staging materials at waist height can help reduce the amount of bending needed to complete their work, reducing the risk of incurring back pain or back injuries
  • The types of commercially available staging areas
  • What to do when a commercially available staging area isn’t present

Together with our partners in safety, CNA, MCAA developed the video, which is part of the MCAA/CNA Microlearning Safety Video Series, a series of easy-to-watch safety videos that are under 3-minutes long.

Watch for highlights of the other videos in this series in the coming weeks. They are also available in our Resource Center any time.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Raffi Elchemmas.

OMB and SFW Issue Updated COVID-19 Workplace Safety Guidance for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors

The Safer Federal Workforce (SFW) Task Force issued updated Frequently Asked Questions based on Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance on non-enforcement of vaccination on Federal contracts and subcontracts. The guidance, which applies to those that had been governed by the vaccination mandates in EO 14042, comes after recent court decisions stayed the effectiveness of those rules pending further legal challenges.

Below is the updated guidance from the OMB and the SWF:

Regarding Applicable Court Orders and Injunctions: The Office of Management and Budget has issued guidance on implementing requirements of Executive Order 14042 while ensuring compliance with applicable court orders and injunctions, including those that are preliminary and may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation.

  • For existing contracts or contract-like instruments (hereinafter “contracts”) that contain a clause implementing requirements of Executive Order 14042: The Government will take no action to enforce the clause implementing requirements of Executive Order 14042, absent further written notice from the agency, where the place of performance identified in the contract is in a U.S. state or outlying area subject to a court order prohibiting the application of requirements pursuant to the Executive Order (hereinafter, “Excluded State or Outlying Area”). In all other circumstances, the Government will enforce the clause, except for contractor employees who perform substantial work on or in connection with a covered contract in an Excluded State or Outlying Area, or in a covered contractor workplace located in an Excluded State or Outlying Area.
  • Currently Excluded States and Outlying Areas: All of the United States and its outlying areas, including:
    1. The fifty States;
    2. The District of Columbia;
    3. The commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands;
    4. The territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands; and
    5. The minor outlying islands of Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Atoll.
  • NOTE: Federal agency COVID-19 workplace safety protocols for Federal buildings and Federally controlled facilities still apply in all locations. Contractor employees working onsite in those buildings and facilities must still follow Federal agency workplace safety protocols when working onsite.

2022 MSCA Sales Leadership Symposium – New class announced!

MSCA is holding an in person Sales Leadership Symposium on January 13-14, 2022!  Taught by in-the-field industry experts, the Sales Leadership Symposium will teach sales leaders how to drive revenue growth and enhance profitability through a structured sales approach. Attendees will take home innovative ideas, crucial skills and the invaluable SALES LEADERSHIP TOOL KIT, which includes over 90 pages of resources to be an effective sales leader in the HVACR/Plumbing industry

The Toolkit Covers Topics Including:

  • HIRING
  • ONBOARDING
  • BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
  • SCORECARDS
  • COACHING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • NAVIGATING THE MSCA LIBRARY OF RESOURCES

Legislative & Regulatory Update

Legislative and regulatory developments are picking up pace in Washington, DC, in advance of the Congressional recess. Key issues of interest to MCAA members include vaccination requirements, clean energy, electric vehicle tax credits, and revised Davis-Bacon regulations.

Vaccination Requirements On Hold

The Biden Administration’s vaccination mandates for employees in firms with more than 100 employees, and Federal contractors and subcontractors are now all on hold in the wake of invalidating court decisions and OSHA regulatory action.

MCAA has filed comments with OSHA, seeking a measured re-implementation of the OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on COVID-19 if a supervening court decision in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals would reinstate the rule by lifting the stay on enforcement before a full decision on the merits of the legal arguments. So, until further court action, the vaccination requirements remain in public policy “purgatory,” awaiting further judicial action.

The Senate passed a resolution of disapproval of the vaccination mandates in the OSHA ETS by a vote of 52 to 48 this week (Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Jon Tester (D-MT) broke party lines and voted for the resolution). Similar passage in the House is judged very unlikely. It is even less likely that the President would sign such a resolution, if passed, condemning his own action.

New Clean Energy Executive Order Announced

President Biden released a Clean Energy Executive Order on December 8, 2021, containing a broad scope of administrative actions that “…. demonstrates how the United States will leverage its scale and procurement power to lead by example in tackling the climate crisis. The Executive Order will reduce emissions across federal operations, invest in American clean energy industries and manufacturing, and create clean, healthy, and resilient communities. The President is building on his whole-of-government effort to tackle the climate crisis in a way that creates well-paying jobs, grows industries, and makes the country more economically competitive.”

Among the many elements of the initiative, several below impact the construction industry:

Transition federal infrastructure to zero-emission vehicles and energy efficient buildings powered by carbon-pollution-free electricity. … The federal government will work with utilities, developers, technology firms, financiers and other to purchase electricity produced from resources that generate no carbon emissions, including solar and wind, for all its operations by 2030. … With the scope and scale of this electricity demand, the federal government expects it will catalyze the development of at least 10 gigawatts of new American clean electricity production by 2030, spurring the creation of new union jobs and moving the country closer to achieving a carbon pollution-free electricity sector by 2035.”

“Modernize the federal building portfolio to reach net-zero emissions by 2045, including a 50 percent reduction in building emissions by 2031. The federal government will work across existing real property and during new building construction and major renovations to increases water and energy efficiency, reduce waste, electrify systems, and promote sustainable locations for federal facilities to strengthen the vitality and livability of the communities in which federal facilities are located. Additionally, the Biden-Harris Administration will implement the first-ever Federal Building Performance Standard and will use performance contracting to improve buildings with no up-front costs.” 

“Make federal agencies more adaptive and resilient to the impacts of climate change, and increase the sustainability of federal supply chains, achieving net-zero emissions from federal procurement by 2050. The companies that supply the federal government are critical partners in achieving our climate goals and growing the economy and American jobs. Cutting emissions from the federal government’s procurement also means buying materials with a lower carbon footprint. The federal government will launch a “buy clean” initiative for low-carbon materials and prioritize the purchase of sustainable products, such as products without added perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Through these actions, the federal government will provide a large and stable signal to the market for sustainable and low-carbon goods made in America, advancing America’s industrial capacity to supply the goods and materials for the future while growing good jobs for American workers.

Electric Vehicle Tax Credits Under Review

The Senate parliamentarian is considering whether the Administration’s proposal to add $4,500 to the $7,500 tax credit for the purchase of electric vehicles that are assembled by domestic US union labor is appropriate for inclusion in the Build Back Better reconciliation proposal pending in Congress.

Revised Davis-Bacon Regulations Inching Forward

The long-awaited proposal to revamp the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division regulations implementing the Davis-Bacon Act took the final step in the regulatory process. On December 3, 2021, DOL sent the regulatory proposal to the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for a final look-through.

MCAA commented on those regulatory proposals earlier this year, seeking changes in peak week reporting and asking for a review of the 50% threshold for prevailing wage determinations. These changes are of consequence now as the infrastructure legislation will bring a broad expansion of Davis-Bacon projects across all markets covered by the measure.

MCAA will continue to monitor legislative and regulatory actions and provide updates as appropriate. In the meantime, questions about these activities can be directed to John McNerney.

MCAA/MILWAUKEE TOOL 2021 Safety Professional of the Year Award Nominations Deadline Extended

At the request of members and local affiliate executives, the deadline for MCAA/MILWAUKEE TOOL Safety Professional of the Year award nominations has been extended until Friday, December 17, 2021. The award is presented annually to a mechanical industry safety and health professional who has led his or her company to achieving an exceptionally high degree of safety excellence.

The award winner for 2021 will be announced during MCAA’s 2022 Safety Directors’ Conference. This year the winner will also be invited to the MCAA22 convention in San Diego, CA in March to receive the award on stage during the Awards of Excellence Breakfast. Airfare, lodging and registration will all be complimentary.

To nominate someone from your company, or from another company, to become the 2021 MCAA/MILWAUKEE TOOL Safety Professional of the Year, please complete the nomination form and e-mail it to MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management, Raffi Elchemmas, at raffi@mcaa.org by close of business on Friday, December 17, 2021.

BJ Baker III Steps Down As Baker Group CEO, Gary Bridgewater & Doug Kumm Promoted

MCAA Member Baker Group announced that BJ Baker III stepped down as Chief Executive Officer on December 6, 2021. BJ’s innovations during more than 45 years with the company, including 38 years as CEO, have shaped Baker Group into an industry leading specialty contractor. He will continue as the Chair of the Baker Group Board of Directors and remain an active member of the leadership team. Gary Bridgewater will become Baker Group’s new CEO and Doug Kumm will fill the role of President.

BJ grew up in the mechanical design and construction business, the son of founder Bernard “Bernie” Baker, Jr., and has served in a variety of roles since 1977. BJ has fond memories of Bernie’s tireless work in building Baker Mechanical, Inc. into what is now Baker Group.

Since assuming leadership of Baker Group, BJ has overseen tremendous growth. In the last decade alone, the company has grown from 279 employees, to over 900 employees. In a move that highlights his appreciation for the Baker Group workforce, he sold the company to its employees in 2019. BJ says the move was designed to ensure a strong future for everyone at Baker Group.

“My father built this company on a foundation of working hard and working smart, with client-centered core values that our employees emulate every day,” BJ says. “I am grateful to have learned so much from him, to have followed in his footsteps, and to have built this company to serve our community for generations to come.”

BJ learned the core value of caring for people at an early age in watching his father work. His approach to leadership is service-oriented, and he has relished his role as a philanthropist in the Des Moines area. BJ has provided significant gifts to organizations including the Boys and Girls Club, Baker House, Taylor House, Blank Children’s Hospital, ChildServe and more.

Gary Bridgewater will become Baker Group’s new CEO. Gary has worked closely with BJ for more than three decades and his selection is the culmination of a thorough succession planning process. Gary Bridgewater has served as Baker Group President for the last 16 years and is exceptionally qualified to lead the organization in accordance with its core values. Doug Kumm, who has more than 32 years of experience at Baker Group, will fill the role of President.

As the Chair of the Board of Directors, BJ will remain active at Baker Group, continuing to contribute to the vision and strategy of the organization. “Baker Group is poised for success through this transition,” BJ says. “I’m confident and proud of this experienced leadership team, and I’m grateful to our employees who have worked so hard and helped us achieve so much. I’m also thankful for our clients, vendor partners, colleagues and the Board of Directors for their continued support.”

Baker Group is a commercial and industrial specialty contractor based in Ankeny, Iowa. With more than 900 employees, Baker Group is the Midwest’s premier full-service specialty contractor providing mechanical, industrial, sheet metal, electrical, building automation, process automation, security systems, fire alarm systems, parking/revenue controls and 24/7/365 service. For more information, call 855.262.4000 or visit www.thebakergroup.com.

Find the Latest from SLOAN and Appion Inc. in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show

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

Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:

SLOAN
Sloan Connected Products
Controls and Data are at Your Fingertips with Wireless Bluetooth Technology

Appion Inc.
A longtime leader in refrigerant recovery, the Appion G5Twin is more reliable than ever, and has received several significant internal design changes, plus an all new fan, resulting in huge performance increases (verified by UL to AHRI 740). Once again the fastest, lightest, most reliable recovery machine on the market.

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Speaking of Smart Solutions

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to learn how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!