Organization: MCAA

Join MSCA in Supporting Convoy of Hope’s Aid to the Less Fortunate

We are just two months away from this year’s Convoy of Hope project at the Phoenix Rescue Mission just prior to the MSCA Conference. We hope we can count on your support as there is a lot of need in the local community. The Mission has played a vital role in helping the less advantaged in the Phoenix area cope with the pandemic by providing food, housing and counseling. They need our help this year more than ever. We also will be packing thousands of hygiene kits during the packing party at the conference. These kits, filled with essential supplies like soap, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, etc. will be shipped to areas recently hit by disasters such as the fires and droughts in the west. Your donation toward our $50,000 goal will go a long way in supporting these efforts. Checks payable to “Convoy of Hope” should be sent to MSCA, 1385 Piccard Drive, Rockville, MD 20850. Thank you in advance for your support.

MCAA’s Sponsor Spotlight 26 Welcomes Mark Wilke from CNA

In the 26^th episode of MCAA’s Sponsor Spotlight series, Brian Helm, MCAA’s Immediate Past President is joined by Mark Wilke, AVP – Construction Segment for CNA. The Sponsor Spotlight Series is a new way for MCAA contractor members to learn more about the Manufacturer/Supplier Council (M/SC) Governing Board members, their products, their relationship with MCAA, and what being a member means to them.

Mark Wilke is an insurance professional with an emphasis in program management, construction field underwriting and specialty lines underwriting. He is responsible for the underwriting and development of CNA’s professional liability products geared towards specialty and general contractors. As well, he manages external association relationships with electrical and mechanical contractors nationwide, manages various complex alternative risk placements including captive business, and is an industry leader in the construction middle markets. Mark has been at CNA for ten years where his primary focus has been in the construction segment.

Connect With the Latest Training from SLOAN and LAARS, a Bradford White 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
There are many power supply options available for Sloan touch-free sensor faucets. Learn how to evaluate these choices and determine which power option choice may be best for your facility.

Learn More

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.

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

AEC Welcomes New Leadership Team

MCAA’s Association Executives Council (AEC) welcomed new leaders at the conclusion of the virtual AEC Business Meeting on July 28, 2021. Chair Rick Lundvall (MCA of Rockford, Inc. and Eastern Iowa/Western Illinois MCA), Vice Chair Chip Martin (CPMCA) and Program Chair Valerie Pope (MCA of Central Ohio, Inc. and MCA of Cincinnati, Inc.) will lead the group’s efforts in the coming year. Congratulations to all!

Find the Latest from Zurn Industries, LLC and McGuire Manufacturing Co., 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:

Zurn Industries, LLC
Knowing your flow rate can reduce your water usage, costs, and risks. With the Zurn Connected Flow Meter, you can assess your building’s water consumption, detect potential leaks, or schedule your maintenance around off-peak hours.

Learn More

McGuire Manufacturing Co., Inc.
McGuire is proud to announce the addition of the BV2Press stop valve to their Convertible II Ball Valve series. Designed to save labor cost and manufactured to McGuire’s high-quality standards.

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

How Much Does it Cost to Outfit a Service Truck? Find Out at the PCA Plumbing Service Conference

Contractors looking to enter the service business or benchmark their own operations frequently ask, “How much does it cost to put a new truck on the road?” At the 2020 PCA Virtual Education Series on Plumbing Service, JPG Plumbing and Mechanical outlined the tools it takes to outfit a truck and the costs of the truck itself. JPG President John Geiling remarked, “The price of the tools is a significant investment, but worthwhile as most of tools are long term investments. The real investment comes in terms of training and support operations.”

PCA’s 2021 Plumbing Service Conference will highlight another case study with Neptune Plumbing. As part of the operations tour, Neptune will showcase how they outfit their plumbing service vehicles and share a list of tools and equipment used on all of their vehicles. The list will include current pricing to help service contractors understand the costs associated with outfitting a standard truck.

The operations tour will also highlight the support operations necessary to run a service organization. These include service software as well as sales staff, project management, inventory management, training and recruiting. All are important considerations for a plumbing service operation to compete and grow into a valuable profit center.

While the operations tour is an important component of the conference, the conference will also feature a series of roundtables and presentations on plumbing service operations topics. Differences between residential and commercial service, mechanical and plumbing service, how to handle on-call assignments, training and recruiting manpower will be addressed.

Join us September 20, 2021 – September 21, 2021 in Cleveland, OH. The conference is filling up fast, so register now! To learn more, or to reserve your spot, visit our event page.

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s New Hand & Power Tool Safety Video With Accompanying Materials

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s new safety training video, Master the Mechanics: Hand & Power Tool Safety for the Mechanical Trades. The video provides trainees with information on the most common hand and power tool injuries in the mechanical construction and service trades. It highlights the tools most likely to be involved in an injury incident, and teaches proper use of the tools to help prevent injuries.

The video comes with a pocket guide that highlights key training points, a training documentation sheet, a 20-question multiple choice test, and a test answer key.

VIDEO

POCKET GUIDE

TRAINING DOCUMENTATION SHEET

TEST

TEST ANSWER KEY

For coverage of other safety topics critical to our industry, including training videos and materials, visit the Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

Melanie Thompson-Ott Will Join the MCAA Staff

MCAA is pleased to welcome Melanie Thompson-Ott to the MCAA staff. Melanie will be the new voice answering the phones at MCAA starting August 2, 2021. She will take over the role from Priya, who is returning to her previous support role for NCPWB, JRGF and NEI. Melanie has been working in the legal field for over 15 years, mainly as a litigation paralegal with a background in real estate and antitrust law. Originally from Miami, FL, she completed her paralegal studies at the University of Maryland. On weekends she enjoys creating customized chocolate treats, shopping, travel and reality television. Join us in welcoming Melanie and her family to the MCAA staff family.

Raffi Elchemmas Will Join the MCAA Staff

MCAA extends a warm welcome to Raffi Elchemmas, who will be joining the staff starting August 2, 2021. He will be MCAA’s new Executive Director of Safety, Health and Risk Management, learning the ropes before Pete’s upcoming retirement. Raffi comes to us from Milwaukee Tool, where he was the National Manager, Health & Safety. He is a board-certified ergonomist with an MBA in Sales Leadership & Health Sector Management from DePaul University. He has been a member of MCAA’s Safety and Health Committee since 2019. MCAA is pleased to welcome Raffi to the staff, and his wife Martha, daughter, and son to the MCAA staff family.

Find the Latest from Carrier Corporation and nVent 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:

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

nVent
The nVent CADDY Rod Lock Strut allows for the quick creation and installation of trapeze assemblies. The pre-cut strut is ready to use out of the box and allows for quick prefab and easy installation.

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

MCAA’s Sponsor Spotlight #25 Welcomes Chris Peppler from Trimble

In the 25^th episode of MCAA’s Sponsor Spotlight series, Brian Helm, MCAA’s Immediate Past President is joined by Chris Peppler, Sr. Director, Marketing and Product, MEP Division for Trimble. The Sponsor Spotlight Series is a new way for MCAA contractor members to learn more about the Manufacturer/Supplier Council (M/SC) Governing Board members, their products, their relationship with MCAA, and what being a member means to them.

In his role as Senior Director of Product Management and Marketing, Chris leads the global product strategy and go-to-market for Trimble MEP. In his four years with Trimble, he has transformed the strategy to focus on cloud and providing more value to MEP contractors. Prior to Trimble, Chris held a number of leadership roles at software technology companies, making positive impacts in the areas of product management, business development, customer success, and implementation.

Learn How to Grow Your Business, Attend the PCA Plumbing Service Conference

While the construction industry has bounced back from the lows of 2020, the pandemic has helped teach contractors a valuable lesson –growing your business can help you ride out the low times. Plumbing service presents a perfect opportunity for plumbing, mechanical and mechanical service members to grow their business into new sectors. The ideal time to start the process is now when backlogs are full. The PCA Plumbing Service Conference presents a great opportunity to learn how to add service to your business.

As Neptune Plumbing CEO and PCA Chair Scott Wallenstein puts it, “We started getting into plumbing service a couple of years before The Great Recession. When times were low in 2007 and 2008, plumbing service was a great way to compensate for the slowdown in our construction department. Now we see it as a cornerstone of our business because of the higher margins, cash flow and regular business through maintenance agreements.”

The PCA’s new Plumbing Service Conference is a great way to learn how contractors have added plumbing service operations. While attending the conference, you can see it in action. Join a tour of Neptune Plumbing’s Cleveland facility to see how they perform their plumbing service operations. They will demonstrate how they handle inventory, dispatch, stock a plumbing service truck and perform comprehensive plumbing service operations.

The conference will be held September 20-21 in Cleveland, Ohio and limited to only 50 participants.

Resource Highlight: 2021 MCAA 3D Scanning Technology Research Report

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s 2021 3D Scanning Technology Research Report. The report assesses various laser, non-laser scanning and photogrammetric hardware and software tools used by mechanical contractors. MCAA members stand to benefit from these and other rapidly evolving technologies that can expedite work, increase precision and prevent mistakes.

In addition to scanning, the MCAA’s Construction Technology Research Series explores tracking, layout, design and fabrication technologies using BIM and other tools.

DOWNLOAD

You Might Also Like These Resources

MCAA’s Innovative Technologies Initiative offers a wealth of resources and information for those interested in exploring new technologies. Visit the initiative’s web page to explore them all.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Sean McGuire.

Connect With the Latest Training from DEWALT Industrial Tool Company and Viega 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:

DEWALT Industrial Tool Company
The DEWALT PERFORM & PROTECT™ line of tools and accessories is YOUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE™ on the job. They are designed to provide a high level of one or more of the following: dust containment, control, or low vibration, without sacrificing performance. These quick and easy product guides from DEWALT® will help get you started using your tools.

Learn More

Viega
Check out this educational video on how to use a MegaPress press tool & jaws.

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

STIHL Cut-Off Machines Safety Recall

STIHL is recalling to repair certain TS 410 and TS 420 cut-off machines manufactured between January 2021 and April 2021. In some of these machines the flywheel can break apart while the engine is running, posing a projectile hazard to the users or bystanders. If you have any of these machines, immediately discontinue use and take them to an authorized STIHL dealer for free repair.

New Hand & Power Tool Safety Video Provides Training to Help Prevent Worker Injuries

MCAA’s new safety training video, Master the Mechanics: Hand & Power Tool Safety for the Mechanical Trades, provides trainees with information on the most common hand and power tool injuries in the mechanical construction and service trades. It highlights the tools most likely to be involved in an injury incident, and teaches proper use of the tools to help prevent injuries.

The video comes with a pocket guide that highlights key training points, a training documentation sheet, a 20-question multiple choice test, and a test answer key.

VIDEO

POCKET GUIDE

TRAINING DOCUMENTATION SHEET

TEST

TEST ANSWER KEY

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Overview

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Overview. The United States Department of Defense has created the new CMMC standard that will soon be required for corporations and entities that want to bid as a contractor, or act as a subcontractor, for DoD projects. This whitepaper is designed to give electrical and mechanical contractor corporate leadership and their IT Directors an overview of the CMMC standard.

Find the Latest from Winsupply and Mueller 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:

Winsupply
Because we bring national buying strength to local support directly to you.

Learn More

Mueller Streamline PRS MCAA Virtual Trade Show

Mueller Industries, Inc.
Mueller Industries’ Streamline PRS press fittings are the trusted, quality solution to flameless copper joining.

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

Neptune Plumbing to Host PCA’s First Plumbing Service Conference

The PCA has partnered with Neptune Plumbing of Cleveland, Ohio to host the first PCA Plumbing Service Conference from September 20 -21, 2021. Similar to MCAA’s successful Fabrication Conference, the centerpiece of the Plumbing Service Conference will be a hosted facility tour of Neptune Plumbing’s commercial plumbing service operations. In addition, there will be plenty of education geared towards building and optimizing a plumbing service operation through a series of roundtable discussions and presentations. Attendees will learn the differences between different service operations lines, building their business, recruiting, and training.

“We know that as plumbing contractors, it’s essential that we balance our operations and build out plumbing service divisions in our companies, but not enough of us do it,” explains Scott Wallenstein, PCA Chairman and Neptune President. “We thought it would be easier to show how we address plumbing service to help others jumpstart the process. Now contractors can ask questions of our leadership, our service technicians and the staff in charge of each part of our business and gain their insight.”

Registration is NOW OPEN for PCA, MCAA and MSCA members to attend.

DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

REGISTER TODAY

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Revised Management Methods Bulletin on The Next Generation of Data Security

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s revised Management Methods Bulletin on The Next Generation of Data Security. This bulletin is intended to provide guidance and insight of current tools and techniques to protect your data and operations.

The revised bulletin includes:

Updates to reflect more modern terms or solutions (for example, “Antivirus” is now “Endpoint Detection Response”)
Updates recommendations on products as new players have started outclassing a few of the old ones
Adds five new sections on the areas of “Digital Rights Management,” “Identity Management,” “Dark Web Monitoring,” “Password Management,” and “Penetration Testing.” All of these are now critical to defense.

DOWNLOAD

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.