Archives: News Items

Find the Latest from FastEST, Inc. and Morris Group International 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:

FastEST, Inc.
FastPIPE®, FastDUCT®, and FastWRAP — accurate, fast, and easy-to-use mechanical estimating software.

Morris Group International
The ConTrols® Omega® Mixing Valve is installed at point of use to temper water for sinks, baths, showers, and lavatories. ConTrols is a division of Morris Group International.

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!

MCA of Western Washington Names Cowper as its Next Executive Director

The MCA of Western Washington (MCAWW) has appointed Robin Cowper as its Executive Director effective January 1, 2024. “Robin is well positioned and well qualified for this role and I cannot be more happy or proud,” said current MCAWW Executive Director Ed Kommers. He noted that Robin has been with MCAWW since 2005 and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE), a credential presented by the American Society of Association Executives.

Kommers added, “With her, the MCAWW group of Scott Middleton, Brittany Akkurt, and Michael Tran is one of the best teams I have worked with in my career.”

When Cowper takes her new role in January, Kommers will remain on as an advisor to ensure a smooth transition.

MCAA congratulates Robin on her new role and wishes the entire MCAWW team continued success.

Xylem Illustrates How Smart Technology Streamlines Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance is crucial for ensuring the reliability and efficiency of pumps and motors, which are essential components of commercial HVAC applications. An effective maintenance program can reduce unplanned downtime, decrease maintenance costs, and extend asset life. All of these drive business value, which is especially important in today’s competitive and challenging commercial building environment, when building operation teams are being asked to do more with less.

Looking for More Smart Solutions?

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

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

MCAA24 Early Bird Registration Countdown!

December 31 marks the deadline for Early Bird registration for the 2024 MCAA Annual Convention, so register today to take advantage of the discounted rates. 

The stunning JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes Orlando will serve as the backdrop of MCAA24 to be held March 17 – 21, 2024. We have an incredible line up of general session speakers that you won’t want to miss as well as a wide array of education seminars that will attract the convention veteran and the convention newbie alike. And, of course, no one wants to miss a private concert with one of the most popular bands of the 90s, The Barenaked Ladies, who will be performing exclusively for MCAA24 attendees the night of March 20. 

Hotel rooms are going fast so don’t delay…register today at www.mcaaconvention.org.

We can’t wait to see you in Orlando!

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s PIPES (PROCESS INFORMATION PORTAL ENABLING SUCCESS)

Looking to gain efficiencies, the BP Group undertook a high-level process reengineering process that resulted in the development of an online tool. MCAA’s PIPES (PROCESS INFORMATION PORTAL ENABLING SUCCESS) provides details of the solution to inspire others looking to undertake a similar project. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin covers:

  • The background of PIPES
  • An overview of the development process
  • What PIPES does
  • Efficiencies gained
  • A template of PIPES

You may also be interested in the following:

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

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall.

Celebrate MCAA’s 20 Years of Safety Excellence Each Month of 2023 With a Safety Resource Kit

To celebrate MCAA’s 20 Years of Safety Excellence, MCAA is offering monthly safety kits to benefit our contractors around the country and the mechanical industry workers they support. Each kit will include videos, webinars, trainings, and additional resources on each monthly topic.

December 2023: Safety Culture

Employers with positive safety cultures are often the safest contractors around. Excellent safety culture starts at the top and can have profound impact on your company’s bottom line. Alternatively poor safety culture can cripple a contractor and lead to serious injuries and violations. This month’s kit includes resources for workers and supervisors, and highlights three supervisory videos on safety leadership, safety management, and safety conflict resolution.

Worker Safety Training Videos & Accompanying Resources

Hazard Recognition (Part 1)

Hazard Recognition (Part 2)

Supervisor Safety Training Videos

Learn How Your Peers Are Advancing at the 2024 MEP Innovation Conference

The MEP Innovation Conference is renowned for selling out every year, and with good reason – it’s co-produced by three industry pillars: MCAA, NECA, and SMACNA. Join us in sunny Orlando, Florida, from January 29 – 31, as we bring together the best innovators in the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing industry. Our sessions are peer-focused, offering real-world case studies from contractors just like you. Explore multiple learning opportunities through sessions, workshops, breakouts, facility tours, networking, and exhibits. Don’t let this opportunity slip away. Secure your spot now and stay ahead of the game in the ever-evolving MEP industry. Register today!

MSC Heat’s On Event Offered Free Furnace Checks for Veterans

The Madison Area Mechanical & Sheet Metal Contractors Association (MSC) and Steamfitters Local 601 hosted their 35th Heat’s On event on October 21, 2023. More than 50 area steamfitters volunteered a day of labor to inspect and service heating systems in the homes of 69 veterans throughout Dane County.

The day began with a breakfast featuring this special thank you video.

Trucks and equipment used for the day were donated by the following contractors:

  • 1901 Inc.
  • Air Temperature Services, Inc.
  • Bassett Mechanical
  • Butters-Fetting
  • Hooper Corporation
  • JM Brennan, Inc.
  • Illingworth-Kilgust Mechanical
  • The Waldinger Corporation
  • Total Mechanical

Replacement parts were donated by these area suppliers: First Supply, Gustave A. Larson, Johnstone Supply, and Temperature Systems, Inc.

Veterans signed up for their free furnace checks through the Dane County Veteran Services Office and the Veterans Hospital.

“This program has impacted thousands of lives since its inception over three decades ago. Each year, our technicians share stories about their visits with the veterans and the impacts we have made on their lives. It’s a pleasure and an honor to be a part of a program that gives back to those who have given so much!”

Brady Farrell, President, 1901 Inc.

Heat’s On has been serving Dane County residents since 1987 and has performed maintenance services on over 2,600 furnaces. The purpose of Heat’s On is to reduce the occurrence of veterans going without heat or facing other life-threatening emergencies associated with home heating systems.

Past Heat’s On programs have fixed a furnace for a veteran who survived the polar vortex without heat in his home and replaced the furnace of a World War II veteran who had been taken to the hospital twice with carbon monoxide poisoning.

MCAA congratulates the Madison Area Mechanical & Sheet Metal Contractors Association on their ongoing success with the Heat’s On program.

Find the Latest from Daikin Group and SIEMENS 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:

Daikin Group
Daikin North America LLC (DNA) has announced the launch of VRV IV-S-series heat pump – The next generation “Mini-VRV” for residential and light commercial applications.

SIEMENS Zone Control Unit

SIEMENS
Siemens ZCU is pre-engineered and factory-fabricated to reduce installation costs. It includes the VAV box with all controls & hydronics preassembled & leak-tested as a complete package. Guaranteed leak-free operation & warranty.

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!

Harris Realizes Immediate ROI With Watts Specialties Pipe Cutter

Harris saw an immediate return on investment (ROI) from their Watts Specialties automated pipe cutter, with improved efficiency in cutting and handling and no need for hand-cutting for olets or saddles. Based in St. Paul, MN, Harris has 15 regional offices with more than 300,000 square feet of fabrication shops.

Looking for More Smart Solutions?

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

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

UA & MCAA Announce Mechanical Industry Future Leaders Institute

United Association (UA) General President Mark McManus and MCAA President Robert Beck announced the creation of the Mechanical Industry Future Leaders Institute in a letter to their memberships. The new three‐day program will provide leadership education to future field leaders. The joint initiative is a key part of the UA/MCAA Strategic Planning Committee’s efforts to proactively position our industry for continued success and growth. The first session will take place in May 2024. See the attached letter for details and the nomination form. The deadline for submissions is January 12, 2024. This course is completely separate from the MCAA Fundamentals of Field Leadership online course that will start in Q2 of 2024.

MCAA Represents Union-Signatory Construction Employers at IRS Hearing on Prevailing Wage and Apprentice Utilization Proposed Rules for Energy Projects

MCAA Government Affairs Committee Chairman Jim Gaffney and former Congressman Earl Pomeroy, MCAA’s government relations consultant, testified on MCAA’s behalf at the November 21, 2023, Internal Revenue Service hearing. The hearing addressed proposed rules requiring prevailing wages and apprentice utilization for enhanced tax credits under the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) energy projects available for the next 10 years.

MCAA’s remarks and written statement delivered by Chairman Gaffney and former Congressman Pomeroy declared, “The Biden Administration energy project policy is laudable and worthy – and the market is eager for much more specific regulatory guidance from IRS and the Labor Department – which is absolutely essential to meet the statutory and public policy goals of the IRA.”

Chairman Gaffney noted that, “robust competition for qualifying projects depend on specific regulatory guidance for quality construction firms to assess the project performance risks and costs and commit resources to competing for that work.”

Chairman Gaffney continued, “lax regulatory and compliance guidance may well cede this market to low-road contractors over high-quality firms that would perform qualifying projects much more competently and productively.”

Chairman Gaffney and Congressman Pomeroy concluded by recommending a regulatory re-proposal that would adopt, “a Private Letter-type pre-award compliance review that would provide incentives for qualifying project owners to write full compliance specifications into their project bidding and prime contract and subcontract documents in a manner similar to the incentives allowed in the current proposal for owner use of Project Labor Agreements.”

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Indemnification Clauses

Subcontracts frequently include indemnification clauses to transfer risk from the general contractor (GC) to the subcontractor. MCAA’s Indemnification Clauses explains what these clauses are and what mechanical contractors can do to mitigate their effects. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin explores:

  • Limitations of indemnification clauses
  • What mechanical contractors can do to mitigate the effects of an indemnification clause

For a full list of available Management Methods Bulletins, including several on the topic of marketing, visit the Management Methods Bulletins page.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall.

Connect With the Latest Training from SLOAN and Ridge Tool Company 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:

SLOAN
Watch a live demo of diaphragm assembly replacement for Sloan’s top mount G2, ECOS, SOLIS and Sloan flushometers. This training video makes it easy.

Ridge Tool Company
RIDGID product experts provide a detailed overview of RIDGID’s full line of Drum Machines, highlighting the K-15, K-45, K-50, K-3200, K-6200, and K-7500.

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

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

New MCAA Student Chapter – Riverside City College

MCAA welcomed its newest student chapter by granting a charter to Riverside City College during the MSCA23 Opening General Session on October 23rd on Marco Island, Florida.  

Sponsoring Local Affiliate:  ARCA/MCA
• Cheryl James, Executive Director

Faculty Advisor:
Kfir Mendelovitz

2023 MSCA Barbara Dolim Scholarship – Inaugural Year!

Congratulations to Kolten Plekes and Gonzalo Ceja, the recipients of the new MSCA Barbara Dolim Scholarship. The scholarship is named for Barbara Dolim, former Executive Director of MSCA, in honor of her efforts in promoting and ensuring future support for the mechanical service industry.

Gonzalo is on track to earn an associate degree in HVAC Commercial Technology from Riverside City College and is looking forward to starting a career in the mechanical service industry. He is a dedicated student who focuses not only on his own educational excellence, but is also the head of the Associated Students of Riverside City College and a dedicated member of the student union chapter.  

Kolten completed his associate degree in HVACR Technology at Ferris State University and is also the treasurer for the Ferris State University MSCA-MCAA student chapter. He has been enjoying getting to learn the industry, interning with MSCA members, and looking forward to graduating.

MCAA and MSCA congratulate Kolten and Gonzalo on this prestigious scholarship. MCAA recognizes MSCA’s continuing commitment to supporting students interested in pursuing a career in the mechanical service contracting industry.  

Find the Latest from Total Service and Morris Group International 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:

Total Service
Our software powers your business ecosystem.

Morris Group International
The BF12 matches the rough-ins and hole configurations of many existing bottle fillers and is compatible with numerous water cooler models. Murdock® is a division of Morris Group International.

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!

FARO Looks at the Future of AI and 3D Laser Scanning for MEP Applications

It is clear that artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing fast and coming into everyday use. In the near-future, AI systems will be paired with established technology, such as 3D laser scanning for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) applications. What many do not appreciate is that AI is still largely only as good as the quality of data fed into the system, either by human operators or through technology that gathers and organizes information, such as 3D laser scanners and cloud-based data platforms.

Looking for More Smart Solutions?

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

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

ALI Class 23 Graduates Took Home Leadership Tools & A Network of Peers

MCAA President Robert Beck joined ALI contractor-facilitators and Kenan-Flagler faculty under Carolina blue skies on November 16 to congratulate the newest graduates of MCAA’s Advanced Leadership Institute. Over the course of the program, these 36 mechanical executives learned and practiced leading-edge strategies and frameworks to advance themselves, their teams, and their businesses.

The energy, engagement, and enthusiasm that these individuals brought to the classroom was nothing short of inspiring. Moreover, it was plain to see that over the course of the two-week program, ALI Class 23 went from a group of strangers to a community: as our grads left campus they were leaving not only with new ‘tools for their leadership toolbox’ but also a network of peers with whom they can continue to collaborate and grow.

The MCAA volunteers who have overseen the development of this custom curriculum are grateful for the dedication and investment of both the participants and their companies: without question, our 2023 grads not only bettered themselves, but by doing so have also bettered MCAA and the industry as a whole. From the ALI Committee to all the members of Class 23: thank you, and congratulations!

MCAA member company executives who are interested in the program can check out the ALI course page for more information. Be sure to watch the video for a peek into the classroom and to hear first-hand from participants.

Enhance Your Company’s Training & Leadership and Meet Your Financial Objectives with Skills from NEI Instructor Leah Gutmann – New Classes Added

MCAA’s National Education Initiative (NEI) Seminars bring our best programs to your local association or your company thanks to instructors like Leah Gutmann, owner of First Forward Consulting, LLC. Leah teaches instructors to enhance their skills, managers to build leadership skills, and finance teams to meet company objectives. Her newest classes focus on building the fundamental leadership skills of our industry’s field leaders, service leaders, and project managers.

Leah is certified to deliver training on a wide variety of leadership and financial topics. She has over 12 years of experience in the design, implementation and facilitation of educational programs, classes and seminars. Her 20-year career as a CFO and Finance Manager in the mechanical construction industry has given Leah the unique ability to offer training and consulting from a hands-on, in the trenches perspective. 

Leah offers six course series, each tailored for a specific audience and purpose.

The Field Leadership Series (FLS) builds the fundamental leadership skills every field leader must know, believe in, and be able to apply in practical and consistent ways to drive long term success for individuals, crews, projects, and organizations.

The Service Leadership Series (SLS) teaches participants to apply critical leadership skills to real service team problems, building confidence at both the individual and team level. Everyone participating will leave with tools and strategies that can be applied immediately to improve results at all levels.

In the Project Manager Leadership Series (PML), project managers will learn the essential tools needed to gain respect, get noticed, and be the project leader others follow because they want to, not because they have to.

The Instructor Training Series (ITS) Seminars train JATC instructors, association instructors, and organization subject matter experts to increase retention of material, connect with students, and transfer critical industry knowledge to the next generation, thus enhancing their organization’s competitive advantage. All classes are adapted to fit the needs of each instructor group and their application to the mechanical construction industry. 

In the Leadership Development Series (LDS) Seminars for Service and Construction, management level employees and team leaders focus on building strong communication skills and self awareness to help them be successful leaders.

The Financial Development Series (FDS) Seminars for Service and Construction offer customized coursework to address foundational, intermediate, or advanced topics for your identified group and will include direct application and practice to relevant projects, service work, and company financials.

Like our other NEI instructors, Leah brings her unique blend of industry and teaching experience to virtual courses, a 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.