| Take 5 Vol. XXIII, No. 3 |
September 2009
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| EVERYONE A WINNER AT ANNUAL CASINO NIGHT! |
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The Mechanical Contractors Association of Georgia and the Mechanical Industries Council held their annual casino night at Maggiano's Little Italy Italian restaurant in Buckhead. More than 176 industry representatives and guests attended the fun-filled evening, which featured a cocktail and appetizer reception, a multi-course dinner, and an exciting evening of casino games.
 A special highlight was an appearance by country artist Loretta Lynn, who entertained the group with several of her most famous hits. Loretta was joined by Linda Head, left, wife of LU72 Business Manager George Head, on several numbers.
During the evening guests had the opportunity to try their hands at a bit of karaoke. Several stepped up and took microphone in hand, providing a perfect backdrop to the excitement taking place at the gaming tables nearby.
At the end of the evening, winnings were converted into raffle tickets that went into drawings for a number of door prizes.
 
Above left: Jim Andrews and other guests enjoy the appetizer buffet prior to dinner. Above right: Loretta Lynn and Gary Fowler. Below left: Anne Tomlinson and Jack Housworth. Below right: Lee Lemke and Loretta Lynn.
 
 
Guests enjoyed an evening of good food, great fellowship, and exciting time at the gaming tables.
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| STUDENTS GO GREEN IN MECHANICAL TRADES INSTITUTE "GREEN MECHANICAL AWARENESS TRAINING & CERTIFICATION" PROGRAM
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A number of students
recently completed Green Mechanical Awareness Training & Certification at the Mechanical Trades Institute.
This
new program is designed to provide contractors with a "green-knowledgeable"
workforce. It is taught by instructor and Joint Apprenticeship & Training Trust Technical Director Lance Streetman.
 
Green Awareness Training Program Instructor Lance Streetman (left) notes that the program "complements the contractor's LEED certification."
The green certification affirms that students have gained an
understanding of green construction in four key areas: general construction,
HVAC, electrical and plumbing and gives students an understanding of the
"green" aspects of the systems that they will be installing. It
serves to complement the contractor's LEED certification.
The
20-hour course is taught over a period of three days and was developed in
partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council, which also handles LEED
certification.
The
next Green Mechanical Awareness Training & Certification programs are scheduled for Sept. 28-Oct. 1, Oct. 12-15, and Oct. 19-22.
For information on the program, contact Lance Streetman.
Above and below: Class members in the recent Green Mechanical Awareness Training & Certification class.
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FOREMAN CERTIFICATION TRAINING CLEARS THE WAY TO SUPERVISORY SUCCESS
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Those taking on supervisory
responsibilities can now be more prepared than ever, thanks to the Foreman Certification Training course now being offered by the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local Union 72 & Mechanical
Contractors Association of Georgia.
This training benefits not only
those who are just starting in supervisory roles but also more experienced
personnel, notes instructor Shane Strickland, who has taught the course on a
number of occasions.
"Whether you're new or experienced,
it teaches new ways of dealing with supervisory issues," Strickland says.
The training, which takes from 40
to 60 hours to complete, is presented in two parts. Part one focuses on issues
of communication, conflict management, and dealing with difficult
personalities. The second portion focuses on scheduling, labor management,
material delivery, and other such project-related issues.
"In my opinion," Strickland says,
"everybody needs to complete this course."
The next foreman training course is
set for Sept. 21-Oct. 1 and Oct. 12-22. For information on the
course, contact Lance Streetman.
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NEW PLUMBERS AND PIPE FITTERS LOCAL UNION 72 & MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA WELDING TECHNOLOGY CENTER CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING
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The newly opened Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local Union 72 & Mechanical Contractors Association of Georgia Welding Technology Center, just west of downtown Atlanta, is now a reality - and what an exciting reality it has turned out to be!
The grand opening festivities featured not only remarks by a number of key industry officials but also tours of the facility, live music, and a lunch buffet of hamburgers, hotdogs and all the trimmings.
 Above: Guests tour the new facility. Left: The event featured a variety of exhibits, a hamburger and hotdog buffet lunch and live music. According to Cajun Seeger, welding director at the new facility, the previous welding school (at just 1,600 square feet) had been stretched to the limit for quite some time. But growing interest in the welding training programs, combined with what Seegar calls "the welding boom we're about to get into," made it clear that more space was needed.
"We considered expanding the existing facility," Seegar says, "but that would have been just a temporary fix."
With an eye toward a permanent solution, the Apprenticeship Committee began looking for a suitable site to rent.
Numerous potential sites were evaluated. But it wasn't until Dec. 15 that the perfect site turned up.
"We signed the lease the day before Christmas," Seegar says.
 The new training facility features the latest in state-of-the-art welding equipment, with multiple booths to handle a large number of welding students. Below left: MCAG's Gary Fowler checks out one of the new welding booths. Below right: Welding Director Cajun Seeger discusses the site's clean room, where orbital welding is taught.
 
Work to turn the site into a new training center began almost immediately. Seeger's vision for the facility was clear, and he went right to work on the details. For example, the school's state-of the-art welding booths were born when Seeger sketched them on his laptop, then sent the sketches to the steel fabricator. The back shop area, also sketched out by Seeger, was constructed by retiree Ronnie Jackson, former vice president of LU72, and a number of apprentices.
Construction moved ahead quickly - so quickly that the new school was able to open its doors to its first class on July 6. The official grand opening was held August 23, with the first full semester of training getting under way on Sept. 8.
The new 14,000 square foot school includes multiple classrooms, an auditorium and plenty of welding booths.
"We are starting with 70 welding booths," Seeger says, "but we can go to 90." There's even a clean room for teaching orbital welding.
The open house at the new welding school featured not only facilities tours but also a number of special exhibits for visitors to experience, including the UA Mobile Welding Center.
Among many who contributed to the success of the project were Project Manager Matt Ratchford and Shop Foreman Mark Young, both of McKenney's Mechanical. McKenney's helped with fabrication of the elevated platform, stairs, and coupon cutting table, among other elements.
"They gave us quick turnaround," Seeger says, "and the pieces fit the first time. That helped keep us on schedule."
According to Seeger, the new facility offers virtually unlimited training opportunities. Demonstrations can be presented in the 55-seat auditorium or in the large shop area. Extensive classroom space provides plenty of room for formal training. Test sessions are held on Saturday and can also be held during the week at any time as needed.
It's high-tech, too, with facilities to monitor welding processes over the Internet - yet another way to enhance the school's ability to train.
Currently, the school keeps three people busy full time. Seeger is the welding director at the facility; he's assisted by welding instructors Greg Webster and Brandon Muehlbrandt.
The new training facility is open from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, with evening journeyman training available Wednesdays and Thursdays until 8 p.m.
Above: Shown at the grand opening open house are (from left) UA District 3 Vice President and LU 572 Business  Manager Bill Borchert; UA Director of Training Mike Arndt; UA International Representative Rick Oliver; and Joint Apprenticeship & Training Trust Technical Director Lance Streetman. At right: LU 72 Business Manager George Head.
The school's future looks bright. It's already getting national exposure in publications such as the AWS Welding Journal, and Seeger is working with technical colleges in the area to recruit and train students. Continuing ed classes, welder briefings, UA regional courses and contractor demonstration days will all be part of the school's program, and the shop is getting OSHA preapproval.
The new facility has even served as the training site for Joe Young, who was in the welding category in the Skills USA finals in Calgary this month.
"Joe Young is now an official member of LU 72," Seeger says, adding that Young worked at the new school 10 to 12 hours a day, five days a week, to prepare for the competition.
"It's a dream come true," Seeger adds. "Thanks to the support of Local Union 72 Business Manager George Head and the Apprenticeship Committee," he says, "we now have the best welding training facility in North America."
Above: The Lincoln Electric display during the grand opening festivities. Below: The Lincoln Electric-sponsored race car was also on display.
 
Above left: Gail Minger, left, who lost her son in a college campus fire and spoke at the dedication of the welding school, with Todd Johnson, an organizer for UA Local Union 669 sprinkler fitters. Above right: Butch Starnes and Gary Fowler. Below left: Jim Chesnut, John Cleveland and Mike Cockerham. Below right: Vickie Barger and Ronnie Jackson.
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UA APPRENTICES CONTRIBUTE WEEKEND OF WORK TO CAMP GRACE
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Art Plumbing Company, LU 72 and Mechanical Trades Institute's
Shane Strickland and Jason Yarbrough recently led a large turnout of
apprentices on a weekend-long project to help Camp
Grace, a camp for underprivileged
children, move ahead with construction of a new facility in Roberta, Ga.
Art Plumbing Company furnished supplies, transportation and tools for the
project.
Camp Grace, located on a 186-acre site in
Roberta, provides opportunities for underprivileged children -- and the LU 72
work day marked one of the first steps toward completing a new facility for the
charity. The overall plan calls for construction of some 28 cabins, and during
its weekend of community service the LU 72 team completed preliminary plumbing
work on about half of the site.
"We became involved during the first stages of the project," notes
Shane, who organized the event. "Initially, we had 21 commitments to
participate. But on the day of work we actually had 27 apprentices show up to
help."
The team of apprentices, working alongside instructors Shane and Jason, spent
the entire weekend working at the site.
"Our students had a good time," Shane says, adding that it was a
great opportunity to give back to the community while practicing their skills
and helping underprivileged children at the same time.
  More scenes from the construction phase as the apprentices work on a weekend-long project to help Camp
Grace, a camp for underprivileged
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HERITAGE CLASS SPOTLIGHTS GOOD WORK HABITS
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Participants in the most recent Heritage class enjoyed a special look at developing good work habits.
Here are some of the participants in the most recent Heritage Class:
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| MIC HOLDS ANNUAL RETREAT AT BILTMORE ESTATES |
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An enthusiastic group of contractors, industry representatives and guests -- not only from Georgia but also from Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee, Maryland and Metro Washington DC -- gathered at the Inn on Biltmore Estates recently for the annual 2009 MIC Spring Meeting Retreat.
Special guests included MCAA President Lonnie Coleman and his wife Frances, as well as Executive Vice President & CEO John Gentille and his wife Sally.
 From left: John Gentille, MCAA Executive Vice President and CEO; Tom Williams, Aberly, Inc., LLC; Lonnie Coleman, Coleman Spohn Corporation, MCAA President; and John McKenney, President, McKenney's, Inc.
The business session began with a presentation by MCAA President Coleman, who shared a State of MCAA address.
The program continued with a presentation by Tom Williams of Aberly, LLC, who retired from McKenney's, Inc., in 2005 and who has been speaking through the National Education Initiative of MCAA for the last three years. He discussed "Strategies for Job Site Success." In his presentation he discussed the recent joint United Association/Mechanical Contractors Association white paper entitled "Strategies for Regaining Local Market Share." He also reviewed four key strategies to ensure successful projects, along with tools for their implementation, and went on to discuss the UA Standard of Excellence
   Speakers at the conference included (from left) Tom Williams, Aberly, LLC; Phil Beck, Smith Currie & Hancock; and Wayne P. Turchetta, Vice President, HMC Service Company.
The program continued with a presentation by Phil Beck, a member of the construction law and commercial litigation department of Smith, Currie & Hancock LLP. Phil talked about "Tools for Tough Times: Practical Tips for Contractors Who Want to Protect Themselves Financially and Better Manage Tight Economic Conditions." The program covered a variety of areas, including front-end planning issues, creating contractual protection, top ten tips for managing financial during construction, addressing the risk of contract/project termination, and what every contractor needs to know about bankruptcy.
The next program included LEED EB O & M. This presentation provided a special emphasis of green awareness that covered the following: What are the five categories to obtain LEED points, Which categories affect you, the Mechanical Service Contractor and Do you know and understand what the LEED EB points are? Plus a discussion on retro-commissioning and the opportunities it holds. The presenter was Wayne P. Turchetta of HMC Service Company, a member of MCAA & MSCA Board of Directors, committee chair of MSCA Marketing/Membership Committee and a past president of MSCA.
The business session concluded with an open forum during which the group discussed UA labor relations, local trust and fund issues, market issues, and other relevant topics.
In addition to the business sessions, the Retreat also included a number of social events. A special highlight was a private tour of the Biltmore House, followed by dinner at the River Bend Barn. The tour provided intriguing info about each room and about how Vanderbilt's love of art, travel and beauty made Biltmore House a national treasure. Included on the tour were four newly restored rooms, and the tour ended with an insider's look at the house's 19th century heating, plumbing and refrigeration technology.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Oct. 2-3
Student Chapter Summit, Denver, CO.
Oct. 6
MCAG Membership Meeting, Petite Auberge Restaurant
Oct. 9
Microsoft Project 2007 Workshop.
Oct. 18-21
MCSA Annual Educational Conference, Bonita Springs, FL
Oct. 28-30
MCAA Collective Bargaining Seminar, Indianapolis, IN
Nov. 3
MCAG Membership Meeting, Petite Auberge Restaurant
Dec. 1
MCAG Membership Meeting, Petite Auberge Restaurant
April 29-May 2, 2010
MIC Retreat held at Pensacola Beach Hilton, Pensacola Beach, FL
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MEMBERSHIP LISTING |
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Mechanical Contractors Association of Georgia Inc.
Mechanical Industries Council
Georgia/Florida National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau
# A Accurate Plumbing Company
ARS Mechanical, LLC
# + Action Elec. & Mech. Contractors
Air Duct & Mech. Comp. Cleaning
AirCond Corporation
Amason Mechanical Services, Inc.
American HVAC
# Art Plumbing Company
Augusta Chiller Services
# + B & W Mechanical Contractors
Blue Chip Air, Inc.
Boling Heating & Cooling, Inc.
Brantley Services
Building Environ. Systems Services
+ C & M Piping Solutions
Certified Air Conditioning Company
Clark Plumbing Company
# + Cleveland Mechanical Services
Crescent Mechanical Systems, Inc.
# DNS Consolidated
The Dickerson Group, Inc.
Dixie Electrical & Mechanical
Contractors of Macon, Inc.
Dynamic Systems, Inc.
# + Emcon Services
Enerfab, Inc.
Engineered Technical Services, Inc.
# Evans Grading Company
Excelco Industrial Services, Inc.
+ F & S Mechanical and Plumbing Service
# 1st Mechanical Services
# Fletcher Mechanical, Inc.
# Alan Foster Plumbing, Inc.
# Frazier Service Company, Inc.
# Galgon HVAC & Mechanical Service
Georgia Central Maintenance Services
Georgia Hot Tap
# Greenco of Augusta, Inc.
HVAC Control Services, Inc.
HVAC Service, Inc.
# + Paul W. Heard & Company
Hill Company, Inc.
# Honeywell, Incorporated
# + Inglett & Stubbs, Inc.
# Johnson Controls, Inc.
# + K & B Mechanical Contractors
Kinetic Systems
L & C Mechanical
# Linc Mechanical Services
Lord Plumbing, Inc.
# + MCI Enterprises, Inc.
MLS Concrete Drilling & Sawing
# + Mallory & Evans, Inc.
# Mallory & Evans Service
# + Mann Mechanical Company
Jake Marshall Company
# + Maxair, Inc.
McAbee Construction
# + McKenney's, Inc.
Mechanical & Plumbing Solutions, Inc.
# + Mechanical Associates, Inc.
Mechanical Services, Inc.
Merritt & Sons Plumbing, Inc.
C. R. Meyer and Sons Company
Morrison Heating & Air Conditioning
# + Muns Welding & Mechanical, Inc.
PAR Mechanical & Plumbing
P.I.E., Inc.
# Padgett Group
Panola Enterprises, Inc.
# + Patton Mechanical
Payne Mechanical
Payne Williams
# + Peachtree Mechanical, Inc.
# + Player and Company
Popham Mechanical Contractors
Prestige Mechanical Contractors
Progressive Mechanical
R & R Refrigeration
REI - Ragan Enterprises, Inc.
Ragan Mechanical Contractors, Inc.
Rome Mechanical
Shriver Mechanical
Siemens Building Technologies, Inc.
Dale Sims Heating & A/C Service
Southern Controls Installations
Southland Electric Company
# + Specialty Mechanical Services, Inc.
# Stallworth Mechanical Contractors
Standridge Plumbing
System Controls & Services
# Tenant Mechanical, Inc.
Thomas Contracting
# + J. S. Thomas Companies
Trans Logic Corporation
Viking Industrial, Inc.
John Wade Company
# + W. B. Wallis & Company
Welding Services, Inc.
A. L. Williams Heating & Plumbing
# + Willis Mechanical, Inc.
# Also Members of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Georgia, Inc.
+ Also Members of the National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau
Gary P. Fowler
4500 Hugh Howell Road Suite 250
Tucker, Georgia 30084
770.934.1427 (FAX 770.934.1429)
www.mcageorgia.org
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