Archives: News Items

MCAA CEO Tim Brink joined Frank Favaro for The People Business podcast on September 27, 2023. Listen as Tim shares his journey, from his grandfather’s plumbing business to the mentors who guided him, the importance of caring for people, and the value of authentic relationships.

The MCAA Board of Directors has ratified Michael F. Russo, Chief Operating Officer of Fresh Meadow Mechanical Corporation in Fresh Meadows, NY, and as the newest member of MCAA’s Executive Committee as called for by the MCAA Bylaws. Mike has served MCAA as a member of the MCAA Board of Directors since 2018 and a member of the Career Development Committee since 2017. He will take office as MCAA’s Vice President/Assistant Treasurer at the Annual Business Meeting at MCAA24. Congratulations, Mike!

Ann Mattheis, who was a big part of the MCAA Staff family for many years, has passed away. Ann wore a number of hats during her time at MCAA, including as the staff liaison for the Career Development and the Management Methods committees. She enjoyed volunteer work and time with friends and her dogs during her retirement. As we get more information regarding services, it will be passed along. She will be missed.

MCAA is accepting recommendations for individuals to serve on national committees in the coming year. If you are interested in serving, review the committee descriptions below, then contact your local association executive to express your interest. Their recommendations are due to MCAA no later than November 3, so don’t delay!

Committee Descriptions

• Advanced Leadership Institute Committee
• Audit Committee
• Budget Committee
• Career Development Committee
• Converge Advisory Committee
• Education Committee
• Fabrication Committee
• Government Affairs & Political Action Committees
• Industry Funds Committee
• Industrial Relations Council for the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry (IRC)
• International Pipe Trades Joint Training Committee, Inc. (IPJTC Board or UA Bookstore Committee)
• Management Methods Committee
• MSCA/UA Joint Labor Committee
• MSCA Board of Managers
• MSCA Education Committee
• NCPWB Board of Trustees
• NCPWB Technical Conference Committee
• PCA Board
• Project Management Education Committee
• Safety & Health Committee
• Innovative Technologies Committee
• WebLEM Committee
• Women in the Mechanical Industry Committee

If you have questions about, or need clarification of committee activities or functions, please call Jan Grillo or Tim Brink at the national office at (301) 869-5800.

MCAA member NEFCO, a leading specialty supply partner to the professional construction trades, has completed the acquisition of Edge Construction Supply (Edge). Edge is headquartered in Spokane, WA, and has eight additional locations in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana. This is NEFCO’s ninth acquisition since 2017 and brings the total number of NEFCO locations to 35. 

“Edge Construction Supply is excited to take this next step to join the NEFCO team,” said Eric Grabowski, President of Edge Construction Supply. “Edge was started by my wife’s grandfather and has deep roots as a family business. NEFCO is also a family business with similar core values focused around taking exceptional care of both employees and customers. Through this partnership, we will be able to expand both our footprint and product offering. NEFCO’s expertise in SHARP products, engineered pipe supports, and supply chain will benefit our current contractor customers throughout the Northwest. We know great things are ahead with NEFCO, and we could not be more thrilled to join forces with this thriving organization.” 

Edge began in Spokane, WA in 1949 as Safway Supply offering scaffolding products. Jesse Thomas was the founder, and his son, Rick Thomas, became CEO in 1985 and significantly grew the company in both locations and products offered. Eric Grabowski, Rick’s son-in-law, took over the reins of the business in 2008 and continued its’ expansion. Edge has been serving and helping build the Pacific Northwest for almost 75 years and looks forward to the possibilities for the future with this merger. 

NEFCO is committed to ensuring a seamless transition for Edge and its employees. Current customers of Edge can expect uninterrupted service and support during this transition. 

“Edge is an incredible family business that has built a reputation for being a highly reliable, service-focused distributor with high integrity and strong values. We are honored to welcome the amazing Edge employees to the NEFCO family where we share many of the same values,” said NEFCO CEO, Matthew Gelles. “The partnership with Edge brings NEFCO into the Pacific Northwest, furthering our expansion across the west coast as we work to achieve our vision to partner with contractors across every jobsite in America.” 

For more information, email Inquiries@nefcocorp.com or visit www.GoNefco.com. 

About NEFCO – NEFCO is a family owned and operated construction supply company providing a broad range of products and services to a large variety of professional contractors. With 35 locations throughout the United States, NEFCO provides localized, contractor-centric services including extensive industry expertise, large local inventories, fast dependable jobsite delivery, turnkey engineering services, and specialty fabrication and assembly of construction materials. 

About Edge Construction Supply – Founded in 1949, Edge Construction Supply has been serving the commercial construction and industrial markets throughout the Pacific Northwest, with its headquarters in Spokane, Washington and eight additional locations in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana. 

MCAA’s National Education Initiative (NEI) Seminars bring our best programs to your local association or your company thanks to instructors like Troy Aichele, a 30-year veteran of the mechanical construction industry. Troy’s courses share project management essentials that will enhance project managers’ skill sets, enabling them to deliver less risky, more profitable projects. His three newest offerings focus on building positive leadership skills to engage and inspire teams.

Troy’s 30 years of industry experience gave him a broad range of project experience in both remodel and new construction environments. A past member of the MCAA Board of Directors and the John R. Gentille Foundation (JRGF) Board of Trustees, he served as Chair of MCAA’s Career Development Committee. His three-time win of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Western Washington’s (MCAWW) Educator of the Year Award is testament to his abilities as an educator.

Troy’s Project Manager Training (PMT) Seminars give project managers, assistant project managers, and others a grounding in the skills they need to mitigate project risks, protect estimate assumptions, optimize efficiencies, control cost, and maximize the project’s chances of success. His three newest offerings focus on building positive leadership skills to engage and inspire teams.

Like our other NEI instructors, Troy brings his unique blend of industry and teaching experience to virtual courses, a relatively new NEI offering. Providing top notch, accessible education for everyone in your organization is what the MCAA’s NEI is all about! Visit the NEI website for more information about these seminars and a full list of the NEI courses available to MCAA members.

Book your courses via the NEI website, then apply for a 20% rebate on the instructor fees, up to $5,000 per class.*

*This benefit is available only to MCAA members and local affiliates in good standing who book courses via the NEI website. Learn more about the rebate program here. Have questions or need personal assistance? Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall or call him at 301-990-2215.

Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and sheet metal (MEP/SM) contractors are normally at the forefront of Building Information Modeling (BIM) activities on a construction project. Substantial BIM cost and time overruns have occurred on many projects due to the fluid boundaries between coordination and design. MCAA’s new Identifying, Quantifying and Preventing BIM Related Cost and Time Impacts Management Methods Bulletin explores the factors that contribute to these overruns, allowing contractors to better plan for them. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin explores the types of contracts that are employed in the construction industry that can directly affect BIM estimates and BIM execution and how these forms of contracts can affect BIM management, time and costs. Key terms used in the BIM environment are explained in terms of contract scope, cost and time management such as the all-important term “normal and expected coordination”.

Recognizing the Level of Development (LOD) to be provided to the contractor in the BIM process is a key element in estimating BIM costs and schedule times. Additionally, defining and scheduling the BIM process can be a key element in successful BIM execution. All of these key elements are discussed in detail in this Management Methods Bulletin.

The bulletin includes:

• A brief introduction to BIM
• Discussion about the various forms of construction contracts
• How design-bid-build forms of contract can affect the BIM process
• Differentiating between BIM “coordination” and design
• How the BIM Execution Plan (BEP) can affect BIM implementation – time and costs
• Determining the LOD to be provided by the design professionals to the contractor
• The importance of the LOD
• Discussion of design-assist forms of construction contracts
• The importance of including detailed BIM activities in the prime contractors’ CPM schedule
• Tracking BIM scope change work using time records and schedule impact estimates
• Defining “normal and expected coordination” by the MEP/SM subcontractor
• Ten priorities to consider before entering into contracts requiring BIM coordination

A polling process is being undertaken to address more specific estimating suggestions. Those suggestions will be incorporated into the bulletin content and released as a new chapter in an upcoming edition of MCAA’s Change Orders, Productivity, Overtime—A Primer for the Construction Industry. Watch for an announcement on mcaa.org and in the National Update when that becomes available.

For a full list of available Management Methods Bulletins, visit the Management Methods Bulletins page.

Find all of MCAA’s educational resources in the Resource Center.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall.