Congratulations to Griffin Souder, Recipient of the Donald V. Brown, Sr. Memorial Scholarship

August 13, 2025
Pictured: Brian Helm (JRGF President), George Sisson (D.V. Brown & Associates, Inc., Operations Manager), Griffin Souder (Recipient), Omar Abdallah (D.V. Brown & Associates, Inc., Chief Operating Officer), and Rick Gopffarth (MCAA President).

D.V. Brown and Associates, Inc., a charter member of MCAA, established this scholarship in 2024 to commemorate the memory of its founder, Donald V. Brown, Senior. Congratulations to the second recipient – Griffin Souder!

Griffin studied Construction Engineering at Pittsburg State University and graduated in May 2025. He was an active member of his student chapter for two years and served as Secretary. Last summer he interned with MCAA Member, P1 Construction, LLC and returned this summer as a full-time employee.

“During my internship, I enjoyed spending every week learning something about the mechanical industry, or learning the process of what a mechanical contractor does and their role in a project. I also enjoyed the people I was able to work with. They were great to ask questions about anything I did not know, and they were really easy to work with.

Following graduation, I signed on with P1 Construction as an Entry Estimator. I am blessed to have the opportunity to pursue the role I wanted. I learned so much from being part of my MCA Student Chapter at Pittsburg State University. I think the competition is a great learning tool to gain knowledge about the construction industry as a whole. There is a lot of information that you have to provide that both mechanical contractors and general contractors do in the real world. In the future, I’d also like to participate with the MCA KC Youth Professional Committee.”

MCAA and the John R. Gentille Foundation congratulate Griffin on this prestigious scholarship and thank D.V. Brown and Associates, Inc. for their commitment to supporting students interested in pursuing a career in the mechanical contracting industry.

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