Organization: MCAA

Pre-IPM Registration Is Open for 2024 Classes Starting May 21st!

Registration for this year’s Pre-IPM classes is open! These introductory-level project management programs begin the week of May 20th, and space is limited. If you have Assistant Project Managers, Project Engineers, new hires, or people transitioning to the office from the field or Estimating, this online course is for them!

MCAA’s newest project management program, the Preparatory Institute for Project Management, was developed by the same team that oversees the Institute for Project Management (IPM) and Advanced Institute for Project Management (AIPM). This course provides an introductory education on everything from planning to scheduling, from cost control to professionalism.

The 12-week online curriculum is intended for those with 0-3 years of experience and is designed to help flatten the learning curve for those new to the world of mechanical project management. In a series of 90-minute weekly classes, professional instructors and current mechanical contractors will explore topics essential to project management.

Registration takes place on a first-come, first-served basis – and classes tend to fill quickly. Visit the Pre-IPM webpage to learn what you need to do to prepare for registration. The Pre-IPM team looks forward to welcoming your participants to the program this spring!

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Things and Must Do’s to Protect/Secure Your Company’s Data

Technology is changing every day, but the need to secure company data remains constant. MCAA’s Things and Must Do’s to Protect/Secure Your Company’s Data reviews the basic steps contractors should take to keep intruders out and company data secure. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin explores:

Data storage solutions
Data security solutions
Data protection strategy and policy guidelines

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You may also be interested in MCAA’s The Next Generation of Data Security, which provides guidance and insight on current tools and techniques to protect your data and operations.

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.

Robert Beck Explores the Value of Relationships on The People Business Podcast

MCAA President Robert Beck joined Frank Favaro for The People Business podcast on February 22, 2024. Listen as he delves into the significance of continually forging and solidifying relationships. He sheds light on the power of influence and its role in serving the greater good for everyone involved. Amid the earnest conversation, Robert also highlights the importance of infusing fun into all aspects of the day.

Find the Latest from DEWALT Industrial Tool Company and XOi 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:

DEWALT Industrial Tool Company
Maximize cutting-speed potential and minimize cutting effort with innovative DEWALT IMPACT CONNECT™ Impact Driver Cutting Attachments. The DEWALT IMPACT CONNECT™ PVC/PEX Pipe Cutter Attachment makes 6X faster cuts and requires 100X less cutting effort than a manual cutter so you can save time on your toughest jobs.

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XOi
XOi fills the gap in curb-to-curb experience for service teams. As a complete system of visual record and enablement, the cloud-based mobile app documents everything that occurs on the job, allowing service providers to better educate, communicate, and verify the services they offer.

Learn More

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Visit the 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!

Visit Smart Solutions

Fuel Your Success at MCAA24 – Register Now!

MCAA24 is a can’t miss opportunity to prepare your company for the year ahead. Space is running out, register today!

The 2024 MCAA Annual Convention will be held March 17 – 21 at the beautiful JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida. Those who attend will enjoy exciting and meaningful general sessions, stimulating education seminars, superior networking opportunities and fun social events for the whole family.

By registering spouses, guests, teens and children, you are unlocking the door to the total convention experience for them, and they are welcome to join MCAA members at all convention events.

CONVENTION WEBSITE

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Recovery of Material Escalation Costs Arising From Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

Unanticipated price escalations in construction materials after the contract is executed have caused concern to owners and contractors. MCAA’s Recovery of Material Escalation Costs Arising From Steel and Aluminum Tariffs addresses the approaches contractors may assert to recover under fixed priced contracts for the price increases resulting from new tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin explores:

Historic periods of price escalation
Challenges of traditional price escalation recovery arguments
Tariff-based price increases as additional avenues for recovery
Contract clauses for tariffs

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WEBBOOK

You may also be interested in MCAA’s Fixed Price Construction Contracts, Material Price Volatility and Contract Cost Adjustment Clauses, which discusses traditional arguments and approaches that contractors may pursue to recover for market-driven price escalation.

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.

Ryan Hoggatt: MCAA’s MEP Innovator of the Year Is Leading Innovation in Construction

MCAA congratulates Ryan Hoggatt, UMC, Inc.’s Director of Manufacturing, on being our MEP Innovator of the Year. The award recognizes his outstanding contributions to the construction industry in the areas of efficiency, productivity, and innovation. His efforts have improved UMC, Inc.’s operations and encouraged others to adopt innovative practices.

Hoggatt plays a crucial role at UMC, Inc., overseeing areas such as corporate manufacturing, virtual construction, construction technology adoption, prefabrication, and modular construction. His work focuses on making processes more straightforward and efficient, cutting waste, and ensuring high standards of quality and safety.

Beyond his work at UMC, Inc., Hoggatt is known for sharing his insights on innovation with the wider construction community. This commitment to innovation was on display at the 2024 MEP Innovation Conference. During the Dear Software Vendor session, Hoggart and co-presenters Darren Young of UMC and Mark Lotspeich from Dynaletric, shared the contractor perspective on integrating new software tools with both contractors and industry developers.

Looking forward, Hoggatt advocates for collaboration, embracing change, and continuous improvement in the construction industry. His approach serves as an inspiration for future innovation, aiming to make the industry more sustainable and successful.

MCAA congratulates Hoggatt on the award and thanks him for sharing his knowledge with us.

Pre-IPM Registration Now Open for 2024 Classes Starting May 21st!

Registration for this year’s Pre-IPM classes is now open! These introductory-level project management programs begin the week of May 20th, and space is limited. If you have Assistant Project Managers, Project Engineers, new hires, or people transitioning to the office from the field or Estimating, this online course is for them!

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

Connect With the Latest Training from Victaulic and Watts Water Technologies 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!

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Watts Water Technologies
Watts eLearning system provides access to a wide selection of products and solutions from our family of brands. Courses can be accessed anytime, anywhere; perfect for your busy schedule!

Learn More

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

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

Learn More

Learn How to Deliver an Outstanding Customer Experience from NEI Instructor Frank Favaro

MCAA’s National Education Initiative (NEI) Seminars bring our best programs to your local association or your company thanks to instructors like Frank Favaro, founder and President of ServeCentric Coaching in Cleveland, OH. Frank teaches sales employees where other companies drop the ball when it comes to customer interactions, relationships, and service and how to avoid those same mistakes.

Frank is the first certified CX (customer experience) Coach specializing in our industry. He is licensed and trained by the world’s customer service authority, The DiJulius Group and John DiJulius. He is also a master coach in the Go-Giver Methodology, licensed by Hall of Fame speaker and author Bob Burg to teach the 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success.

Frank believes the best sales and marketing strategy is a great customer experience based on authentic relationships.

His coaching track record and his experience as one of the mechanical service industry’s top account executives make him a natural fit to teach the Customer Experience Seminars (CES). Designed for sales employees, these seminars focus on customer interactions, relationships, and service. Those who attend will learn where other companies drop the ball, and how to avoid those same mistakes.

Like our other NEI instructors, Frank 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.*

LEARN MORE ABOUT FRANK’S CLASSES

NEI WEBSITE

*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.

Find the Latest from Morris Group International and SLOAN 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
Morris Group International’s Kwik Ship^® Brand includes the Golden Triangle: three manufacturing plants replenish local stock weekly, ensuring many products are available for immediate shipment.

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SLOAN
Airports, schools, and eldercare facilities often need commercial restroom faucets that go beyond handwashing. Sloan’s NSF-61 certified faucets guarantee safe drinking water flows out of our most popular faucet designs.

Learn More

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Visit the Virtual Trade Show

Speaking of Smart Solutions

This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!

Visit Smart Solutions

CNA Shares Tips to Minimize Winter Driving Risks

Operating a vehicle in any weather condition involves a variety of risks. Winter weather requires extra care and attention to minimize risk to both companies and drivers. CNA, an MCAA member and longtime supporter of MCAA’s Safety Excellence Initiative, shares tips to minimize risk and keep everyone safe on the road.

The Winter Driving Guide prepares companies to manage driving operations based on the National Weather Service categories for winter weather risks.

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The Driver: Tips for Wintertime Driving teaches drivers to handle winter driving hazards to so they arrive safety at their destinations.

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MCAA thanks CNA for sharing these resources, and for their commitment to our members’ safety.

2024 MEP Innovation Conference Expanded Relationships & Skills

Over the last four years, the MEP Innovation Conference’s success and popularity have continued to skyrocket. The 2024 conference drew record-breaking attendance, with more than 725 participants in attendance. Together, MCAA, NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association), and SMACNA (the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association) have grown this meeting into one of the premier construction events of the year.

Innovators and industry pioneers from all three associations expanded their comprehension, relationships and skills across all building trades during the January 29–31 gathering in Orlando, Florida. As it does each year, the conference helped registrants better understand new technologies and project trends as well as develop collaboration opportunities.

Attendee demographics are shifting. A live survey revealed that more than half of the attendees were either company executives or department heads. This is a shift from the conference origins when attendees were primarily working within BIM and VDC.

“This year, I’ve noticed an increase in leadership representation at the conference,” remarked Chris Weaver, Director of Technology at Andy J. Egan. “This trend reflects both the growing recognition among executives of technology’s pivotal role in business success and the promotion of individuals spearheading technology implementation within their organizations.”

With over 50 educational sessions, all based upon contractor case studies, the conference provides a heavy dose of practical innovation. The breakout sessions proved to be the real work horse of the sessions. Over 70 speakers from the three trades shared their wins and losses when it comes to software, technology, processes, and hardware.

Plans are already underway for the 2025 conference, to be held January 27-29 in Los Angeles, California. Watch for more information and resources as the date draws nearer.

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.

Learn More

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.

Learn More

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Visit the Virtual Trade Show

Speaking of Smart Solutions

This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!

Visit Smart Solutions

Sloan Joins Works with WELL Product Licensing Program as Inaugural Member

Sloan, an MCAA member, has joined the International WELL Building Institute’s (IWBI) Works with WELL offering. The move makes Sloan the only commercial restroom manufacturer in the program and one of only 40 early adopting companies. Works with WELL is a new product licensing program designed to help product manufacturers validate and showcase how their products align with WELL strategies based on IWBI licensing criteria.

Launched in 2014, the WELL Building Standard has helped guide the design of thousands of buildings around the world, giving them clear guidelines for creating spaces that keep people healthy and productive.

“It’s so important for a facility to understand how its products impact its tenants, yet it can be a challenge to understand which products to specify in order to achieve sustainability and WELL goals,” said Paul Sambanis, Sloan’s vice president of sustainability. “Sloan’s new partnership with the Works with WELL program will help facilities better understand the benefits they receive when specifying Sloan restroom products. We are proud to be the only commercial restroom manufacturer in this category.”

To achieve this verification, companies must submit their products for the Works with WELL trademark before undergoing a third-party document review to validate that their products meet the licensing criteria.

A wide range of Sloan products—from flushometers to soap dispensers and hand dryers—now feature the Works with WELL licensing mark and appear in the Works with WELL registry to enable customers to see which products help them meet their WELL and LEED goals.

Since 2014, the demand for WELL has impacted over 17 million people in 37,000 locations across 125 countries.

Visit Sloan’s WELL Building Standard Calculator to learn more about the value of WELL-eligible Sloan products, and check the Works with WELL Directory for more information on Sloan products with the WELL licensing mark.

For more information on Sloan’s Works with WELL partnership, visit Sloan’s website. Follow Sloan on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, and blog for additional updates.

Safety is Our Top Priority. Apply Today and Let MCAA Reward Your Company’s Safety Performance

Application Deadline: Close of Business March 15, 2024

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 2023 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 15, 2024.

The program provides six awards categories including awards for zero recordable cases, zero lost workday cases, recordable cases incidence rates that are 25% or more below the industry average, lost workday cases incidence rates that are 25% or more below the industry average, and two that are a mix of these items.

To apply for this commendation, complete a simple reporting form with data from your company’s OSHA Form 300A. Online submissions are due by close of business on March 15, 2024.

ANNUAL REPORT FORM

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Raffi Elchemmas.

2024 Membership Dues Packets Sent

On February 2, membership dues packets were emailed to the primary contact at each member company that pays its own dues. The email contains the 2024 dues reporting form and instructions, which may also be downloaded below. The 2024 dues rates for construction and service hours remain unchanged at $.09 per labor hour. The minimum dues assessment is based upon 12,000 hours ($1,080) per branch office, and the maximum assessment is 300,000 hours ($27,000) per branch office. The next dues increase will be January 1, 2025. At that time, dues will increase to $.10 per labor hour.

This years dues materials can also be downloaded here:

Instructions

2024 Dues Reporting Form

If you have any dues-related questions, please contact Jocelyn Jackson at jjackson@mcaa.org or 1-800-556-3653.

Dues should be submitted monthly by the 15^th of the following month until you reach the maximum of $27,000 in 2024.

CEA National Issues Conference Will Focus on Key Regulatory & Legislative Issues

The Construction Employers of America (CEA) invites you to participate in the 2024 National Issues Conference, which will take place May 6–8, 2024, at the Royal Sonesta Washington, DC Capitol Hill. This event will focus on key regulatory and legislative issues affecting the union construction industry today. As with previous in-person conferences, the CEA will host both regulators and representatives from Congress for their expertise and insights on a variety of topics. Don’t miss this opportunity to get the latest information that impacts your business from the nation’s capital! Early-bird registration is now available!

MCAA’s NEW Accident Investigation Video Offers Safety Training to Supervisors

An accident on a jobsite is everyone’s worst nightmare, but most accidents are preventable. MCAA’s new video helps supervisors conduct an accident investigation, so it doesn’t happen again. The video reviews the three steps of an accident investigation: Investigate, Find the Cause, and Act. It also teaches supervisors what to look for during the investigation and how to access accident investigation templates.

An accident investigation is one of the most important things a company can do because it:

Helps prevent a similar repeat accident.
Shows workers that the company is committed to safety.
Saves money!

The video is available in both English and Spanish.

MCAA will continue to add Spanish-language safety resources throughout 2024 to help ensure the safety of all our industry’s workers.

For additional safety and health videos and a list of all 700+ mechanical industry safety & health resources available from MCAA, click here.

If you have questions, please contact Raffi Elchemmas, MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management

Connect With the Latest Training from Parker Hannifin 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:

Parker Hannifin
Learn how ZoomLock MAX press technology for HVAC will improve your efficiency, adding to your bottom line. ZoomLock MAX fittings delivers secure, braze-free connections in a few simple steps while providing a safer environment for your team.

Learn More

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.

Learn More

Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

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

Learn More