MCAA National Update for February 9, 2015

This Week

MCAAGreatFutures.org is Off to a Great Start!

MCAA Marshalls Efforts to Win Passage of Pension Reform "Phase 2" this Year

You Can Make a Difference for Your Company, Your Industry at the National Issues Conference

Be Proud of Your Company's Safety Achievements...Tell Us About Them

MSCA's Highest Rated Speaker Returns for The Team Thing Webinar Series

Make Sure Your Employees Know How to Work Safely Around Electricity

Improve Your Service Sales Team with the Sales Leadership Symposium

Do You Want Someone Else to Get Your ALI Space? Register Now for Course 15

HVACR/Plumbing Service Technician Recruiting and Training

MCA of Eastern Missouri Contributes to MCERF

Search for Interns, Future Full-Time Professionals on MCAAGreatFutures.org

MCAAGreatFutures.org is Off to a Great Start!

Almost 100 students have posted their resumes, profiles and photos on MCAAGreatFutures.org as an important step in their search for a student internship or a full-time professional position.If you have plans to hire an intern this year or a soon-to-be graduate for a full-time position, check out our new website for candidates. And, if you hire an intern, be sure to apply for a $1,500 Student Internship Grant, a benefit made possible by the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF). Just go to www.mcerf.org/internships for information and a quick, easy online grant application form. The check will be mailed within a few days of when we receive the application (As of February 6, $31,500 in grants had already been distributed to MCAA member firms!) We will be promoting this program at MCAA 2015 with banners, signs, and a computer set up in the MCAA Resource & Hospitality Center where members can look for students to hire on MCAAGreatFutures.org; students attending the convention are highlighted with a green banner on their website photo (over 25 are carrying those banners). The students' contact information will be readily available so members can contact them for a quick interview. Members will also be able to apply for a Student Internship Grant for immediate processing on-site at the convention. MCAAGreatFutures.org also features news for and about MCAA student chapters and quick-read articles and videos highlighting the interesting work, great companies and ultra-high-tech equipment that comprise our industry. Please contact Ann Mattheis at amattheis@mcaa.org for more information.

MCAA Marshalls Efforts to Win Passage of Pension Reform "Phase 2" this Year

At the outset of the 114th Congress, prospects for success look positive for needed passage of multiemployer pension reform, Phase 2 of the Solutions Not Bailouts proposal. Yet, a coordinated and concerted effort will need to be marshalled to address substantive and political challenges to the coalition's reform efforts this year. MCAA is working with former Senator Norm Coleman and the lobbying team at Hogan Lovells, a national law and advocacy firm, along with the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans (NCCMP) coalition to pursue a broad and coordinated pension reform effort this year.

You Can Make a Difference for Your Company, Your Industry at the National Issues Conference

Make a Difference for Your Industry...Register for the National Issues Conference

Plan to participate in the MCAA/Quality Construction Alliance National Issues Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. (April 28-29 at the W Hotel). You'll get the latest updates on issues affecting your company and your industry and you can visit with your Senate and House representatives to share your concerns about those issues. Secretary of Labor Tim Peres and Wage and Hour Administrator Dr. David Weil are invited to address the conference. Pension reform "Phase 2," procurement issues (prime and subcontractor selection criteria), energy efficiency issues (tax incentives for energy efficient buildings and industrial facilities) and workforce standards issues (worker misclassification and prevailing wage standards) will top the list of issues to be discussed. On Tuesday, the program, which takes place at the Newseum, begins with breakfast followed by issue sessions moderated by former Senator Norm Coleman and others. Members will have the afternoon to meet with their Senators; appointments will be made prior to the conference. On Wednesday, breakfast at the hotel will be followed by MCAA member visits to their House Representatives. For more information and to register, go to www.mcaa.org/education/mcaa/legislative/leg_bro.pdf.

Register Now for the NCPWB 2015 Technical Committee Meeting

If you are interested in learning and sharing information about welding, brazing and welder qualification as well as networking with friends, colleagues and new acquaintances, then plan to attend the NCPWB's 2015 Technical Committee Meeting. This year's annual meeting will take place at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, AZ, April 19-21. The line-up of featured speakers is excellent, including Dan Klingman with the Lincoln Electric Company. He will cover Advancements in Welding Technology - a presentation on the latest developments in power source and consumable technology for many types of materials along with advancements in waveform control technology and how it benefits the customer. He will also discuss safety, quality, productivity and how those are improved through advanced technology. This is an excellent conference and one you shouldn't miss. To register and for more information, go to www.mcaa.org/education/ncpwb. Please contact Nick Nikpourfard at nnikpourfard@mcaa.org with questions.

Be Proud of Your Company's Safety Achievements...Tell Us About Them

Your company's excellent safety record is a source of pride and should be commended. We can make that happen. Send MCAA your company's 2014 safety data and we'll send you a safety benchmarking report. Also, if your company qualifies, we'll send you an MCAA Safety Certificate of Commendation. If your company achieved a Lost Workday Cases Incidence Rate of zero, or one that is 25% or more below the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics industry average for mechanical construction in 2014, MCAA will send you the Certificate of Commendation that is suitable for framing. Regardless of your 2014 safety record, MCAA will send you a benchmarking report that allows you to confidentially compare your company's incidence rates with the aggregates of others in your size category and with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics averages for the mechanical industry. To make the request, please visit www.mcaa.org/safetycommendation and complete a short, simple form using your company's 2014 OSHA 300A form as a guide. The completed forms are due to MCAA by the close of business on Tuesday, March 31. The certificates will be delivered in April 2015.

MSCA's Highest Rated Speaker Returns for The Team Thing Webinar Series

Steve Thomas, the MSCA conference speaker who taught you how to navigate through "human weirdness" and how to move from stuck to high-performance, will present MSCA's newest six-part webinar series, The Team Thing. Throughout each session, aspects of team-building will be used as an exercise to strengthen your leadership and impact. The first webinar (February 11 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time) will examine what a "team" really means. Thomas will teach you what it truly is (and isn't), and how to embody it both as a collaborator and a leader. Register today at https://www.msca.webex.com. The next webinar in the series is scheduled for April 1. Remaining dates are tentatively set for June 3, September 2, November 4, and

December 6. Contact Barbara Dolim (bdolim@mcaa.org) with questions about the series.

Make Sure Your Employees Know How to Work Safely Around Electricity

NFPA Safety Training Webinars Are Open for Registration

For employees who are exposed to electricity during their workday, knowing how to avoid an accident or an injury or worse is a top priority. The NFPA 70E Qualified-Level Arc Flash Safety Training Webinars provide excellent training for employees who are potentially exposed to live conductors of 50 volts of electricity or more during their workday, and especially mechanical service technicians who work on units that generate up to 480 volts. The next webinars will take place on February 20 at 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. Presented by the Hilgeman Group, the session covers all applicable OSHA and NFPA requirements including the new NFPA revised 70E requirements that just took effect on January 1, best practices and provides participants with real-world accident information to reinforce the training. Contact The Hilgeman Group at ahilgeman@frontier.com to register.

Improve Your Service Sales Team with the Sales Leadership Symposium

Back by popular demand, the MSCA Sales Leadership Symposium is being offered again February 23-24 in Philadelphia, PA. Tailored exclusively for service sales leaders who manage recruiting and team development, this extended two-day seminar will provide attendees with the skills needed to: build and cultivate a strong sales team, drive revenue growth and profitability, enhance team productivity, and ensure employee retention. Since participation in this session is required by the sales leader before his/her more experienced team members can attend the Sales Masters program, the Symposium will also ensure that leaders are equipped with the tools needed to successfully support these employees. Visit www.msca.org/salesinstitute/leadership to register for the Sales Leadership Symposium. Only a few seats remain and this is the only Symposium scheduled for 2015, so don't delay. For information about all MSCA Sales Institute programs, visit the MSCA Sales Institute Web page. Contact Sobeida Orantes (saorantes@mcaa.org) with registration questions.

Do You Want Someone Else to Get Your ALI Space? Register Now for Course 15

Available spaces for the Advanced Leadership Institute's (ALI) Course 15 are disappearing. There are just a few spaces left and a long line of executives are in line for them. That's not surprising as our industry's top executives know that ALI's world-class leadership education will help them meet the challenges of unexpected economic, market, technological or other developments that could impact their businesses. The curriculum focuses on strategic planning and leadership development that address current and emerging business issues affecting your company's short- and long-term performance. In addition to an outstanding schedule of educational topics customized for our industry, ALI's new module on "Branding" and another on "Customer Partnerships" enhance the value of the program. The branding module will include WebEx-delivered components during the interim period between Week 1 and Week 2. Dates for ALI's Course 15 are: September 27-October 2 (Week 1) and November 8-13 (Week 2). To request an application or learn more about the ALI, please contact Dennis Langley at dlangley@mcaa.org.

HVACR/Plumbing Service Technician Recruiting and Training

To help address the impending labor force issue, MSCA has a new web page that is dedicated to technician training and recruiting. The resources and tools featured on this page are tailored to help service leaders maneuver the upcoming changes in the industry. A new article titled "It's Up to Us - The Role of Contractors in Recruiting HVACR/Plumbing Technicians" has just been published. Additionally, details on upcoming training opportunities from Mitsubishi, Johnson Controls and Carrier Corp. have also been posted. Visit www.msca.org/recruiting to access this content, which is free to MCAA/MSCA members as a benefit.

MCA of Eastern Missouri Contributes to MCERF

The Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF) recently received a $5,000 contribution from the MCA of Eastern Missouri, raising its total to $105,000. The MCERF Board of Trustees greatly appreciates the contribution which enables the Foundation to continue its education and research programs that help our industry advance. Find out more about MCERF and its programs by visiting www.mcerf.org or contact Dennis Langley at dlangley@mcaa.org.

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