Category: Uncategorized

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s How to Set Up Tax-Wise Corporate Minutes

Properly drafted corporate minutes that reflect the actual intentions of the corporate directors and shareholders can be, and frequently have been, the factor that tips the scales in the taxpayer’s favor during disputes with the Internal Revenue Service. MCAA’s How to Set Up Tax-Wise Corporate Minutes explains the bottom-line importance of these important business documents. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin covers:

  • What properly drafted minutes should include
  • Potential alternatives to minutes
  • Areas that are particularly susceptible to IRS challenges

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.

The UA and XOi Work Together to Train the Next Generation of Skilled Labor

MCAA member XOi Technologies, a leading provider of technician-focused technology solutions, has formed a partnership with the United Association (UA) that delivers XOi’s innovative AI-based tech-enablement solution to HVACR instructors and registered service apprentices across the United States.

“XOi combines many critical functions for UA instructors and apprentices and other field professionals in a single platform,” said UA training specialist Robert Vilches. “In addition to its streamlined workflows and best-in-class data indexing and analytics, XOi keeps UA apprentices and instructors connected in the field and provides instructors with unrivaled insight into how students perform on the job. And XOi’s first-to-market virtual mentor support extends training from the classroom to the jobsite, so apprentices can continue to learn while they’re in the field.” 

XOi’s deep data cataloging capabilities, advanced AI-driven analytics, and intuitive remote support options enhance the value of UA’s training programs, giving the organization resources to help contractors close the skilled labor gap.

“This partnership is an opportunity to maximize the UA’s proven training programs and to strategically extend XOi’s position as a top innovator in the industry,” said Aaron Salow, founder and CEO of XOi. “By equipping their apprentices and instructors with our powerful solutions, the UA is empowering the next generation of skilled labor talent with in-depth, hands-on education that will help contractors face the continuing labor shortage in the service industry.”

XOi’s advanced cloud-based solution allows field service technicians to utilize, aggregate and analyze critical job data and maximize customer value through industry-leading efficiency, accuracy, and accountability. With a full suite of standardized workflows, job documentation capabilities, and technician training and enablement solutions, teams can build deep and easily accessible institutional knowledge bases that support real-time decision-making and data-based continuity. Service teams can apply these extensive data-science capabilities to analyze those foundational elements and strategically respond to evolving data trends and forecasts.

For more information about XOi, visit https://xoi.io.

For more information about the UA, visit https://ua.org.

Connect With the Latest Training from SLOAN and The Harris Products Group 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
Find out how to improve public restrooms in educational buildings based on government-provided stimulus funding.

The Harris Products Group
Harris Products Group, maker of brazing and soldering equipment and consumables, provides NATE training on the basics of brazing, base and filler metals and fluxes, and torch safety. Includes brazing demonstrations and hands-on practice.

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

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

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

Morris Group International
Quick, easy installation! Specifically designed with tilt-up concrete buildings in mind, our Stainless-Steel Cored Hole Hydrant Box can cut your installation time by at least 75%!

Team Industries, Inc.
Designed in accordance with “Lean Manufacturing” concepts, Team’s pipe welding positioners deliver economical, high quality pipe welding. Team’s positioners are designed for the highest quality and peak efficiency in pipe welding.

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!

MCAA Partners with OSHA for Safe + Sound Week

MCAA has partnered with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) for Safe + Sound Week, August 15-21, 2022. This nationwide event, held each August, recognizes the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe.

The week is part of the year-round Safe + Sound campaign to encourage every workplace to have a safety and health program. Successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line.

Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help get your program started, energize an existing program, or provide a chance to recognize your company’s safety successes.

MCAA contractors looking for an opportunity to recognize their company’s commitment to safety are welcome to participate. Last year, more than 5,300 businesses helped to raise awareness about workers’ health and safety.

If you have questions, please contact:

  • Raffi Elchemmas, MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management

Click the below links for more information and resources.

Build A Network of Peers at MCAA’s Field Leaders Conference

Those working in the field come to MCAA’s Field Leaders Conference prepared to discuss their companies, their projects and the challenges they face, but they leave with a new network of peers. In sharing their own experiences and listening to others, attendees build new relationships that allow them to exchange advice and support long after they leave. The conference will be offered in both Indianapolis, IN (October 12-14, 2022) and Kansas City, MO (November 2-4, 2022). Register your field leaders today!

Those who attend will also learn from industry experts who will share their real-life tips and tools for success on the job site, including ways you can professionally control crucial job site conversations. Attendees will leave with actionable education. Learning from some of the industry’s best, attendees will be inspired to take this knowledge and apply it to better themselves at work, and in life. 

During this intensive conference, field leaders will learn to:

  • View themselves as professionals
  • Understand how their performance is critical to the bottom line
  • Establish tangible goals
  • Appreciate the importance of customer relationships and their role as the face of the company

They will also learn what it really means to be a great foreman, giving them the skills needed to be business and results oriented leaders who focus on growing company culture, brand and profits.

Field Leaders Detroit 2019

Lead field personnel cannot afford to miss this conference! Watch the video above to hear about the conference experience from previous attendees, then click the button for your preferred location to learn more and register today.

Develop Growth-Oriented Project Leaders with the Field Leaders Conference this Fall

The MCAA Field Leaders Conference provides those working in the field with the skills needed to be business and results oriented leaders who focus on growing company culture, brand and profits. During this intensive conference, attendees will learn from industry experts including facilitators who have been in their shoes and worked their way through the ranks to become successful business owners and from their peers from around the country as members of breakout session teams. The conference will be offered in both Indianapolis, IN (October 12-14, 2022) and Kansas City, MO (November 2-4, 2022) this fall. Register your field leaders today!

During each of these conferences, field leaders will learn to:

  • View themselves as professionals
  • Understand how their performance is critical to the bottom line
  • Establish tangible goals
  • Appreciate the importance of customer relationships and their role as the face of the company

They will also learn what it really means to be a great foreman.

Field Leaders Detroit 2019

This is a conference your lead field personnel cannot afford to miss! Play the video above to hear what previous attendees have to say about their Field Leaders Conference experience then use the buttons below to learn more and register for this fall’s conferences.

Connect With the Latest Training from LAARS, a Bradford White Company and Lochinvar, LLC 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:

LAARS, a Bradford White Company
Laars Academy is our commitment to ensure our industry professionals have the training and knowledge needed to stay on top.  Watch a recorded training session on Laars MagnaTherm FT at www.laars.com.

Lochinvar, LLC
Lochinvar’s commitment to training and education hasn’t wavered in over 80 years. Learn with us on-line at LochinvarU.com, on-campus in Lebanon, Tennessee or at a sponsored event in your hometown.

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

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

Find the Latest from Morris Group International and Seton 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:

Morris Group International
Meet the Acorn Controls® brass master mixing valve. Designed for thermal shock protection and scalding prevention, head to our website to learn why these valves are ideal for healthcare facilities.

Seton - MCAA Virtual Trade Show

Seton
Since 1956, we’ve been providing contractors with quality service and products designed to meet your critical project requirements. Our complimentary services allow you to free up resources to work on other critical aspects of the project.

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!

Find the Latest from EVAPCO, Inc. and Carrier Corporation 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:

EVAPCO, Inc.
Using the power of capacitive deionization technology, EVAPCO Water Saver makes it easy to improve your water efficiency, lower your operating costs, and deliver a recovery rate of up to 90 percent. EVAPCO even manages the system’s routine monitoring for you.

Carrier Corporation
Carrier’s new Ecoblue technology is the industry’s first beltless direct-drive vane axial fan system for select rooftop models designed to improve performance and efficiencies while decreasing maintenance and installation costs.

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!

Help Your Field Personnel Become Leaders – Register them for the Field Leaders Conference this Fall

The MCAA Field Leaders Conference provides those working in the field with the skills needed to be business and results oriented leaders who focus on growing company culture, brand and profits. During this intensive conference, attendees will learn from industry experts including facilitators who have been in their shoes and worked their way through the ranks to become successful business owners and from their peers from around the country as members of breakout session teams. The conference will be offered in both Indianapolis, IN (October 12-14, 2022) and Kansas City, MO (November 2-4, 2022) this fall. Register your field leaders today!

During each of these conferences, field leaders will learn to:

  • View themselves as professionals
  • Understand how their performance is critical to the bottom line
  • Establish tangible goals
  • Appreciate the importance of customer relationships and their role as the face of the company

They will also learn what it really means to be a great foreman.

Field Leaders Detroit 2019

This is a conference your lead field personnel cannot afford to miss! Play the video above to hear what previous attendees have to say about their Field Leaders Conference experience then use the buttons below to learn more and register for this fall’s conferences.

Connect With the Latest Training from Mueller Industries, Inc. and Xylem Inc. – Bell & Gossett 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:

Mueller Industries, Inc.
Streamline® PRS Copper Press Fittings | Instrucciones de instalación Instrucciones de instalación de conexiones prensadas de cobre PRS. English version also available under supplier training.

Xylem Inc. – Bell & Gossett
Bell & Gossett offers free training/education opportunities for plumbing and hydronic HVAC industry professionals. The Little Red Schoolhouse and Remote Learning Hub host a wide range of seminars tailored to different occupations within the industry.

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

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

Faculty Share Lessons Learned & Tools for Success at MCAA’s Field Leaders Conference

At MCAA’s Field Leaders Conferences, you will hear from the best of the best. 

Greg Fuller and Mark Rogers, two MCAA Past Presidents who started their careers in the trades and now own their own mechanical contracting companies, share their experiences and lessons learned from being on both sides of the fence. 

Chris Haslinger, UA Administrative Assistant to the General President, focuses his presentation on the latest equipment and technology that is changing the way jobsite projects are managed. 

Kevin Dougherty, leading construction industry consultant, discusses successful ways to build and maintain relationships with focus on being a better listener and how to be the most effective communicator possible.

Finally, Mark Breslin, President of Breslin Strategies, conducts a presentation on leadership, how to promote positive change and how to effectively achieve it.

MCAA will be holding two 2022 Field Leaders Conferences: Indianapolis, IN (October 12-14) and Kansas City, MO (November 2-4). It’s a conference your lead field personnel cannot afford to miss and we hope to see them there!

Heat Stress Resources from MCAA Partners in Safety, CNA & MILWAUKEE TOOL

MCAA and its partners in safety, CNA & MILWAUKEE TOOL, offer resources to help protect workers from heat stress.

CNA Resources

Many workers spend part of their working day in hot environments, both indoors and outdoors. Workers performing physical labor, including mechanical construction and service contractors, are often exposed to hazardous heat conditions that can have severe safety and health outcomes. Please review the below information on heat stress and sun exposure.

For questions or additional information, please contact:

MILWAUKEE TOOL Resources

MILWAUKEE TOOL has started a monthly safety emphasis program. Below you will find information for July’s Heat Illness Prevention campaign. The information comes from some of the industry’s most credible sources, including the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

For additional information on the safety emphasis program, please contact:

MCAA Resources

For more information on heat stress from MCAA, review our last post or check out these training talks:

If you have questions, please contact:

  • Raffi Elchemmas, MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management

Find the Latest from Johnson Controls, Inc. and Charlotte Pipe & Foundry 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:

Johnson Controls MCAA Virtual Trade Show

Johnson Controls, Inc.
Whether you’re building from scratch or retrofitting an existing facility or plant, Johnson Controls has nearly everything you need, with the most comprehensive line card in the industry.

Charlotte Pipe & Foundry
Charlotte Pipe and Foundry is the nation’s leading maker of cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings for the plumbing industry.

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!

Registration is Now Open for MCAA’s Fall Field Leaders Conferences

MCAA is pleased to be hosting two Field Leaders Conferences this Fall. The same conference is being presented in two different cities to welcome as many field personnel as possible. We will be in Indianapolis, IN (October 12-14) and Kansas City, MO (November 2-4).

Hearing from industry experts who have been in their shoes and networking with peers from around the country, conference attendees can expect to realize their importance and value as professionals and members of their company’s management team. Play the video above and see what previous attendees have to say following their Field Leaders Conference experience.

To learn the details of each conference and register attendees, follow the links below. We look forward to seeing your field leaders this Fall!

Enhance Your Company’s Quality of Service with MCAA’s NEI Courses and Kevin Dougherty

MCAA’s National Education Initiative (NEI) Seminars bring our best programs to your local association or your company thanks to instructors like Kevin Dougherty, who uses his industry experience to provide tangible solutions to today’s problems in an easy-to-listen-to style.

Kevin has served as a foreman, journeyman, sales manager, project manager, operations manager, and corporate trainer for a multimillion-dollar mechanical contractor. He has also been a frequent speaker for MCAA, MSCA, the UA and other trade associations. Kevin’s ability to entertain audiences and hold their interest while getting his message across consistently makes him one of the industry’s top speaking and training talents.

He teaches those who attend the Service Training Series (STS) Seminars for Service about the fundamental principles of effective leadership and communication:

  • People Management
  • Sales and Marketing
  • Customer Service
  • Supervisory & People Management
  • Finances
  • Time Management
  • Communication
  • Cost and Pricing
  • Strategy
  • Planning

Like our other NEI instructors, Kevin brings his unique knowledge of the industry and teaching experience to his seminars. 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.

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Bring Your Own Device – Is It Right for Your Company?

Many employees are more comfortable using their own mobile devices on the job. MCAA’s Bring Your Own Device – Is It Right for Your Company? explores the advantages and disadvantages of a bring your own device (BYOD) policy to help mechanical contractors decide whether to adopt such a policy. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

  • Topics covered include:
  • Potential advantages of a BYOD policy
  • Potential challenges for employers
  • Financial considerations to review before adopting a BYOD policy
  • Elements of a successful BYOD policy
  • A note about the legal implications of BYOD

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.

Get an Inside Look at Lexington Plumbing’s Operations at the 2022 Plumbing Service Conference

The PCA has partnered with Lexington Plumbing of Kansas City to host the 2022 PCA Plumbing Service Conference from September 14 – 15, 2022. The event, which is modeled after MCAA’s Fabrication Conference, will center around a hosted facility tour of Lexington Plumbing’s commercial plumbing service operations. Registration is now open. Space is limited to 65 participants, so don’t delay – register today!

“As plumbing contractors, we know it’s essential that we balance our operations and build out plumbing service divisions in our companies,” said Tom Axtell, President of Lexington Plumbing. “The service business doesn’t hit the same peaks and valleys as our construction side and provides our company with a steadying force to build from.” 

Lexington’s facility tour will include an in-depth case study of the company’s service operations. Attendees will be able to get answers to their questions from the people performing the tasks.  Lexington’s service operations include drain cleaning, jetting, cameras, trenchless pipe replacement, water/sewer line main breaks, leak detection, temporary hot water, backflow prevention/installation and water heaters.

In addition to the facility tour, education will be geared towards building and optimizing a plumbing service operation. Through a series of roundtable discussions and presentations, attendees will learn the differences between service operations lines and about using key performance indicators to forecast recession, acquiring service vehicles, new service technology, and recruiting.

Registration is now open for PCA, MCAA and MSCA members to attend and limited to 65 participants.

Connect With the Latest Training from Victaulic and Conex Bänninger (IBP Group, LLC) 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:

Victaulic
From one-hour seminars to full-day events, Victaulic University Continuing Education courses provide training on key industry concepts, including piping movement design, grooving and installation fundamentals, and gasket technology, as well as Victaulic HVAC and fire protection solutions. Request an instructor-led course or enroll in an online course today!

Conex Bänninger (IBP Group, LLC)
Conex Bänninger offers online training for >B< MaxiPro, the innovative, flame-free press-fit solution specially designed for ACR applications. From training courses to industry updates, you will have all you need to press ahead.

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

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