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!
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.
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.
Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!
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!
A new six-year National Service and Maintenance Agreement has been finalized, approved and signed by the UA and MSCA/MCAA effective August 1, 2021. This Agreement will continue to play an important role in growing the HVACR market for the organized sector. Several important modifications are included in the new Agreement, which should benefit all national signers and local UA unions. Click “Learn More” for details on the changes in the new Agreement and a link to the new document.
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.
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.
Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.
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.
MSCA’s Everyday Hero Award is a great way for you to honor those individuals working for your company that go above and beyond to make a difference in their communities, churches or within their own families.
These extraordinary individuals get involved or perform these acts simply out of the kindness of their hearts. Whether it is helping the needy, aiding the elderly, volunteering for a charitable organization or fostering children, they are truly heroes.
Help us honor these generous and caring individuals that work for you by nominating them for the MSCA Everyday Hero Award. To submit your nomination, complete the brief form below and send it back to MSCA. Not only will we recognize them but MSCA will make a very generous donation to their charity of choice.
Deadline for nominations has been extended to August 20, 2021.
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.
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.
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.
Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!
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!
In the 25th 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.
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.
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.
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.
Contact MCAA’s Sean McGuire.
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.
Viega
Check out this educational video on how to use a MegaPress press tool & jaws.
Be sure to visit the Manufacturer/Supplier Training area for all the latest offerings.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mueller Industries, Inc.
Mueller Industries’ Streamline PRS press fittings are the trusted, quality solution to flameless copper joining.
Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!
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!
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.
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:
For a full list of available Management Methods Bulletins, visit the Management Methods Bulletins page.
Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall.
In the 24th episode of MCAA’s Sponsor Spotlight series, Timothy Brink, MCAA’s CEO is joined by Matt McGrath, Global Channel & Distribution Manager, Sporlan Division for Parker Hannifin. 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 Global Channel & Distribution Manager, Matt has overall responsibility for global distribution in the Americas for the Sporlan Division of Parker Hannifin. Matt started his near 30 year career with Sporlan and Parker in 1992 as a sales engineer and has taken increasing roles of responsibility including Regional Sales Manager, Commercial OEM Sales Manager and now has lead the distribution & aftermarket segments for 12 years. Matt has been involved with the MCAA and MSCA since the launch of ZoomLock in 2016 and has been involved on the MS/C supplier council for the past 2 years. Matt has a degree in Engineering Management from Southern Methodist University and resides in St. Louis, MO.
OSHA recently released a compliance directive titled Inspection Procedures for the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard. The directive is a guide for compliance officers implementing inspections and issuing citations involving:
If OSHA’s new Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on COVID-19 applies to your company, it may be helpful to understand what the agency’s compliance officers are looking for when they are inspecting affected workplaces, and how they are directed to issue citations for violations of the standard.
