Congratulations to Brady Thompson, Recipient of the Reilly Family Memorial Scholarship

April 4, 2025
Pictured: Brian Helm (JRGF President), Michael Bement (John W. Danforth Company Senior Vice President, Pre-Construction), Brady Thompson (Recipient), Todd Follis (John W. Danforth Company Senior Vice President) and Rick Gopffarth (MCAA President).

Congratulations to Brady Thompson, the 2024-2025 recipient of the Reilly Family Memorial Scholarship, which honors the late owners (Wayne, Patrick, and Emmett Reilly) of the John W. Danforth Company, one of the preeminent and charter members of MCAA.

Brady is a Construction Management major at the University of Nebraska at Omaha with an anticipated graduation of May 2026. He has been an active member of his student chapter since 2022 and has served as both Treasurer and Vice President. This summer, he is interning with MCAA Member, Prairie Mechanical Corporation.

“The time I have spent with Prairie Mechanical over this past school year and summer has been life changing. Through Prairie, my knowledge of mechanical systems has grown exponentially. This growth has not only made me a better project manager, but also taught me how to become an estimator. I have started to run small projects and assist the estimating team with pre-construction bids. My experience at Prairie has exposed me to a variety or projects, both big and small, allowing me to understand the different types of mechanical systems.”

“My local chapter in Omaha is particularly active. Some of my most memorable experiences were attending the GreatFutures Forum in Boston and the MCAA Convention in Florida last year. These events deepened my passion for the mechanical construction industry. To remain actively involved with MCAA, I plan to mentor future students and collaborate with the leaders of Nebraska’s chapter to continue advancing the impact on student chapter members.”

MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Brady on this prestigious scholarship and thank the John W. Danforth Company for their commitment to supporting students interested in pursuing a career in the mechanical contracting industry.

Related Articles
After a January winter storm forced a last-minute reschedule, 39 dedicated industry professionals had waited two extra months to finally join us in Austin, TX. We hope that for this year’s AIPM students, last week was worth the wait! We are grateful for all the enthusiasm and energy they brought to the classroom – a critical component to making MCAA’s Advanced Institute for Project Management (AIPM) a memorable and impactful learning experience. So, to AIPM Class 22: thank you – and congratulations!…
The student chapter members at Virginia Tech proudly nominated Jonathan Bluey for the MCAA 2025-2026 Educator of the Year award based on his mentoring, mechanical industry knowledge, participation in chapter activities, and involvement in the creation of student-focused networking opportunities and collaboration with local MCA of Metropolitan Washington contractor members. In addition to a trophy, he received a $5,000 award during the MCAA26 Awards of Excellence Breakfast on Wednesday, March 18th in Phoenix, AZ.…
California State University, Chico was awarded the 2025-2026 MCAA Student Chapter of the Year award for their continued achievement and overall focus on offering career opportunities in mechanical contracting to their student membership. The award was presented at the MCAA26 Awards of Excellence Breakfast on March 18th in Phoenix, AZ.…
At the MCAA26 Awards of Excellence Breakfast on March 18th, Indiana State University was awarded the top prize of $10,000, sponsored by DEWALT, and a 1st Place trophy for their outstanding work on the 2025-2026 MCAA Student Chapter Competition.…