Congratulations to Bruno Portes, Recipient of the Robert T. Armistead Memorial Scholarship

May 19, 2025
Pictured: Brian Helm (JRGF President), Kane Armistead (Armistead Mechanical, Inc., VP of Operations), Gina Carnovale (Recipient), Bruno Portes (Recipient), Kevin Armistead (Armistead Mechanical, Inc., President & CEO), and Rick Gopffarth (MCAA President).

Congratulations to Bruno Portes, one of two recipients of the Robert T. Armistead Memorial Scholarship. This $5,000 scholarship was established in 2024 by Armistead Mechanical, Inc. and the family of Robert “Bob” Armistead to symbolize his leadership, dedication, and impact on the mechanical contracting industry. In honor of Bob’s service as MCAA President, the selected winners are required to have served in the role as their local student chapter president.

Bruno is a Mechanical Engineering student at Fairleigh Dickinson University and graduating in May.  He is an active member of his student chapter, served as President, Vice President, and Recruitment Chair, and interned at MCAA Member, Mid-Atlantic Mechanical.  Post-graduation, Bruno will be continuing on at Mid-Atlantic as a full-time Project Engineer.

“Mechanical construction, unlike many other industries, offers a variety of roles to apply yourself. There’s so many roles within mechanical that helps me as a young adult not be so worried about picking a career and being afraid of regretting it. As a future mechanical engineer graduate, I can use my skills to be a project manager, an estimator, part of scheduling, and even go into management in the future if I would like.

This sort of flexibility allows for me to grow into a career that I will be happy to be in. Moreover, many of the “engineer” things that I find cool like reading drawings, discussing solutions, and building things are all part of it. I could be part of bidding, drawing, and building something. That’s like the best of three worlds and I love that!

MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Bruno on this prestigious scholarship and thank Armistead Mechanical, Inc. and the family of Robert T. Armistead for their commitment to supporting students interested in pursuing a career in the mechanical contracting industry.

Related Articles
MCAA's Safety Statistics & Awards program rewards MCAA members' safety performance, because safety is your top priority. All applicants receive a valuable benchmarking report that will allow them to compare their own 2025 incidence rates with the aggregate rates of the other participating MCAA companies overall, those in the same size category, and with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics incidence rates. Those who qualify also receive a certificate of commendation. Apply today! Applications are due by close of business on March 20, 2026.…
As part of its ongoing commitment to protecting your livelihood and setting the stage for a bright future, MCAA has secured the services of Longbow Public Policy Group to advise our MCAA Government Affairs Committee (GAC). GAC Chair, Jim Gaffney will be passing along information relative to our industry on a regular basis.…
MCAA is saddened to share that Ed Kahalley, Executive Director of Mobile MCA, Inc., has suddenly passed away. MCAA extends its deepest condolences to Ed’s family, friends, and colleagues.…
MCAA is saddened by the loss of Allen "Al" Cyril Stone Jr., who died January 24, 2026 in his home at the age of 90. Our thoughts are with Maureen, Kathleen, David, Susan C., Stephen, Susan M., Tom, Sharon and the extended Stone family during this difficult time.…
Load More...