This Week

MCAA 2014 FOCUSED ON HELPING CONTRACTORS GROW THEIR BUSINESSES

MCAA HONORED ACHIEVEMENT, WELCOMED ERIK WEIHENMAYER

CHUCK FELL BECOMES NEW MCAA PRESIDENT AS 125TH CONVENTION CLOSES

THERE'S STILL TIME TO JOIN CNA'S WEBCAST ON PREVENTING COSTLY INSURANCE FRAUD

SAVE A LIFE-REGISTER FOR THE NFPA 70E QUALIFIED-LEVEL ARC FLASH SAFETY TRAINING WEBINAR

HELP US HELP YOU! REGISTER NOW FOR 2014 NATIONAL ISSUES CONFERENCE

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MCAA National Update for March 17, 2014

MCAA 2014 FOCUSED ON HELPING CONTRACTORS GROW THEIR BUSINESSES

Approximately 2,000 members and guests came to Scottsdale, AZ and MCAA 2014 last week to celebrate the association's best. The program featured an exceptional line-up of distinguished and accomplished speakers from a variety of vocations who gave MCAA members new ideas about how to streamline their businesses, improve operations and increase profits while finding more time and ways to enjoy life along the way. On Wednesday, educational sessions featured: IPM Committee members with ideas to help members recruit new talent, maximize profits and minimize waste; LEED expert Courtney France on the latest green building developments for plumbing contractors; industry consultant Pat McGeehin on better ways to price changed work; CNA's Brian Roberts speaking about how to reduce worker injuries while increasing productivity; Steve Dawson and a panel of experts on the cyber security challenges facing our industry; BIM experts Dave Quigley and Steve Shirley on the new MEP Guide to Spatial Coordination Through BIM; and industry consultant Paul Stynchcomb and an expert panel on managing changes in a construction contract. Entertainment events included the Annual Dessert Party, featuring Anthem, and the Wednesday evening gala featuring top pop rock band Train. From the opening session to the closing program, attendees experienced MCAA's best, as they learned of and honored their industry's accomplishments. And so much more...

MCAA HONORED ACHIEVEMENT, WELCOMED ERIK WEIHENMAYER

The Annual Awards Breakfast on March 20 honored members' sports achievements, exceptional safety performance and celebrated the winner of the 2013-2014 Student Chapter Competition. Following the announcement of the winners of the golf tournament, tennis tournament, and Fun Run/Walk, MCAA President Michael R. Cables announced the winners of the 2013 Safety Excellence Awards: Southwest Town Mechanical (Orland Park, IL) (Category I); Lyles Mechanical Company (Fresno, CA) (Category II); Auburn Mechanical, Inc. (Auburn, WA) (Category III); General Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.(Madison, WI) (Category IV); and Apollo Mechanical Contractors (Kennewick, WA) (Category V). President Cables and Career Development Committee Chairman Troy Aichele awarded trophies and cash prizes to the finalists of this year's Student Chapter Competition: first prize and $5,000 went to the Student Chapter of Specialty Contracting (Mechanical/Electrical) at Southern Polytechnic State University and the $2,500 prize for second place went to the MCA of Metro DC Student Chapter at the University of Maryland-College Park. The Southern Polytechnic State University chapter also won the 2013 Student Chapter of the Year Award and Prof. Daphene Koch of Purdue University was honored as the 2013 Educator of the Year. World class mountain climber and adventurer Erik Weihenmayer, who's been blind since age 13, inspired and moved attendees with remarkable stories about his adventures and achievements, made more so by his refusal to let his disability stand in the way of his determination.

CHUCK FELL BECOMES NEW MCAA PRESIDENT AS 125TH CONVENTION CLOSES
Chuck Fell of CFI Mechanical (Houston, TX) became MCAA's new president at the closing session of MCAA 2014. Outgoing President Michael R. Cables delivered farewell remarks after presenting plaques of appreciation to retiring Board of Directors members William J. "Mac" Lynch, Christopher FitzGerald and Michael Farrington. Joining MCAA's Board of Directors are Gary Grandchamp of Kirlin Mid-Atlantic (Rockville, MD), Ken Harbour of Cleveland Mechanical Services (Atlanta, GA) and Jim Allen of Sloan Valve (Franklin Park, IL). United Association General President Bill Hite updated attendees on the latest developments concerning workforce training, market recovery efforts, and apprentice recruiting programs. Greg Fuller of North Mechanical Contracting, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN) became the newest member of the Executive Committee, where he will serve as vice president/assistant treasurer during the coming year. Rounding out the program was former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert S. Mueller who shared his experiences and insights gained from transforming the FBI from a crime-fighting force into a highly effective counterintelligence agency. He also discussed the latest challenges facing our industry and the nation presented and brought about by cyber breaches of our government, corporate and personal data. President Fell ended the program by inviting all to attend MCAA 2015 at the Grand Wailea Hotel and Resort in Wailea, Maui, HI, March 8-12.

THERE'S STILL TIME TO JOIN CNA'S WEBCAST ON PREVENTING COSTLY INSURANCE FRAUD

If you haven't yet registered for CNA's educational webcast about fraudulent property and casualty insurance claims and how to detect and prevent them, there's still time. The webcast, which is free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership, will be presented on Wednesday, March 19 at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). The information is valuable and may help you avoid costly insurance costs. Fraudulent claims cost Americans, especially business owners, billions of dollars annually through increased premium rates and taxes. CNA's Special Investigation Unit will lead you through methods to identify and prevent fraud in your own business. Fraud accounts for more than 10 percent of all property/casualty insurance claims (National Insurance Crime Bureau). To register, please contact Pete Chaney at pchaney@mcaa.org to request a webcast flier. You will receive the flier electronically, which will allow you to register online.

SAVE A LIFE-REGISTER FOR THE NFPA 70E QUALIFIED-LEVEL ARC FLASH SAFETY TRAINING WEBINAR

If you or one or more of your employees missed the NFPA 70E Qualified-Level Arc Flash Safety Training webinar last month, the next one is coming up on March 20, 2014, at 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and registration is open. MCAA/MSCA members' employees who are potentially exposed to live conductors of 50 volts of electricity or more during their workday, and especially mechanical service technicians working on units that push 480 volts or less, should attend. Presented by the Hilgeman Group, the session covers all applicable OSHA and NFPA requirements, best practices and NFPA's recent changes to the 70E requirements and provides participants with real-world accident information that reinforces the training. Contact ahilgeman@frontier.com to register.

HELP US HELP YOU! REGISTER NOW FOR 2014 NATIONAL ISSUES CONFERENCE

Never has it been more important for you to attend the MCAA/Quality Construction Alliance National Issues Conference (April 30 - May 2, Washington D.C.). Pension reform will be the focus of the program this year, as the need to press that measure through Congress by the end of the year is imperative. With a broad and effective labor/management coalition agreeing on fundamental rebalancing of risk in the industry's multiemployer pension system for the first time, the chance for fundamental reform of the industry's multiemployer pension system makes this an opportunity that MCAA members cannot miss. Register for this important conference so you can learn more about the issue, the legislative solutions and how you can help your industry win this important effort. Go to www.mcaa.org/education.

The MCAA National Update is is a weekly publication of the
Mechanical Contractors Association of America
1385 Piccard Drive, Rockville, MD 20850.
Questions? Contact Ann Mattheis, Editor, Phone: 301-869-5800; Fax: 301-990-9690