MCAA National Update for March 3, 2015
This Week
MCAA 2015 Final Program is Online
MCAA 2015 Final Program is Online
The latest program details, most current schedule and other important information about MCAA 2015 are now online at www.mcaa.org/mcaa2015.  One of the changes you'll notice is a new speaker - Bill Taylor, co-founder and editor of the business magazine Fast Company. Taylor has a passion for the ideas and practices that are reshaping how organizations compete, innovate, and win. He shook up the business-magazine world and the world of business with his magazine and will lead a session, Practically Radical: Transforming Your Company and Challenging Yourself, about rethinking how we compete, work and get results. His latest bestselling book is a game plan for leaders who aspire to change the game at their companies. And, if after scanning the Final Program, you decide to attend MCAA 2015, rooms have become available at the Makena Beach and Golf Resort. Go to http://www.mcaa.org/mcaa2015/cnv_reg.pdf for a downloadable registration form.
New ALI-Graduates (ALI-G) Program Off to Strong Start...1/3 Filled in a Week!
Register Today for the New ALI Graduates Education Program If you are a graduate of MCAA's Advanced Leadership Institute (ALI) and you want to attend the first-ever offering of the ALI Graduates (ALI-G) program (June 17-20), apply now! Applications are coming in quickly and seats are filling up fast. The new offering for ALI alumni was meticulously crafted by MCAA's ALI Committee in consultation with the academic leaders of Babson Executive Education, and the faculty members were hand-picked for the program. Attendance will be strictly limited to 30 ALI alumni, and registrations are honored on a first-come/first-served basis. Please contact Dennis Langley at [email protected] for a flier, curriculum schedule and registration form. And, if you have not attended the ALI, MCAA's foremost educational and leadership program, and are planning to apply, only a few spots remain for Course 15 as well.  ALI 15 will take place September 27 - October 2 and November 8 - 13 at the Babson College Executive Education Center.  To obtain an application for Course 15, contact Dennis Langley at the link noted above. 
Student Internship Grants...No Deadline, No Limits!
Find Your Next Intern, Coop or Full-Time Hire at MCAAGreatFutures.org The Year of the Intern is all about drawing well-educated young people with an interest in mechanical engineering, construction management or similar disciplines into our industry. If you have hired a student to fill an internship or coop position, be sure to apply for a Student Internship Grant from the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF). The grants are $1,500 for each student intern or coop hired. There is no deadline for submitting the grant request, and you may request a grant for as many interns as you hire.  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(s) (as of February 27, $109,500 in grants had already been distributed to MCAA member firms!).  And, if you are just beginning your search for a great candidate to fill a student intern, coop or full-time position, your best, easiest and most cost-efficient resource is MCAAGreatFutures.org. So far, more than 150 students have posted their resumes, profiles and photos on the website as a first step in building their great future. Please contact Ann Mattheis at [email protected] for more information.
Your Company's Safety Achievements Deserve Recognition
Send your company's 2014 safety data to MCAA and we'll provide you with a safety benchmarking report. The best news is, however, that if your company qualifies, we'll send you an MCAA Safety Certificate of Commendation in recognition of your company's commitment to safe work practices. To receive the certificate, your company must have 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. The benchmarking report 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. 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, 2015. The certificates will be delivered during April 2015.
Learn How to Be a TEAM Leader with MSCA's Next Webinar
Ever Tried a Webinar? In the second webinar of MSCA's "The TEAM Thing" webinar series, presenter Steve Thomas will focus on the team leader. Sharing insights into the four qualities that determine whether or not people will follow a leader, he will also introduce practices you can apply to ensure that you are the one that others trust to lead. The webinar will be held on April 1 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time, and is free to all MCAA/MSCA members as a benefit. Visit https://msca.webex.com to register (or click here to register via mobile device). Tentative dates for the remaining webinars are June 3, September 2, November 4, and December 6. For more information, contact Barbara Dolim at [email protected].
Accelerate Performance of Field Supervisors with MSCA Training
Accelerate Performance of Field Supervisors with MSCA Training Growing and Developing Service Supervisors, one of MSCA's most popular classes, will help attendees understand how to coach, mentor, manage, and motivate their technicians. In addition to the skills they will learn during the seminar, each participant will also receive a manual complete with more than 100 forms and worksheets that will help them with day-to-day responsibilities in the office and in the field. This two-day course will be held April 23-25 at MILWAUKEE TOOL headquarters in Brookfield, WI. Register for this program at www.mcaa.org/education/msca/superservice. Contact Sobeida Orantes at [email protected] with registration questions.
MCA of Houston Contributes to MCERF
Learn More About MCERF The Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF) recently received a $5,000 contribution from the MCA of Houston, raising its total to $102,500.  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 [email protected].
Shorten the Learning Curve of Entry-Level Employees with MSCA Sales Basecamp
Advance Entry-Level Employees' Skills at Sales BasecampThe MSCA Sales Basecamp course (May 4 - 5 in Baltimore, MD) will prepare employees new to service sales and/or the HVACR and plumbing industry to confidently sell services while creating added value for the customer. A few of the topics that will be covered are understanding the MSCA Sales Cycle, building trust with potential customers, effectively linking features with needs and handling objections professionally during the proposal presentation. Registration is now open at www.msca.org/salesinstitute/basecamp. Class size is limited, so sign-up today. Contact Barbara Dolim at [email protected] with any questions.
Phase 2 Multiemployer Pension Reform Progress
MCAA continues pressing key lawmakers to push for enactment of multiemployer pension alternate plan design reform this year. A successful outcome on this critically important issue isn't likely if the issue slips into 2016 and the general election maelstrom. Prospects remain positive as key lawmaker commitments have carried over from 2014.  However, the issue of steep increases in Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) premiums, beyond the 100% increase levied at the end of 2014, is beginning to cloud the issue for groups in the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans (NCCMP) coalition.  The questions are how much is too much and too fast? The increases could be counterproductive for PBGC's solvency forecast, as steep increases in premiums now could doom the recovery prospects for some of the critical and declining plans that are proposing benefit suspensions, ensuring that PBGC's deficit will grow.
MCAA in the Lead Supporting Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order
MCAA drafted a statement, signed onto by the Campaign for Quality Construction coalition, expressing support for Executive Order 13673.  The EO directs that federal contracts not be awarded to firms that have a record of legal non-compliance which makes them an unsound proprietary choice for successful contract performance. The CQC statement expressed support for the overall goal of the EO, and granted that regulatory changes would be necessary to make sure that the EO operates fairly for legally compliant prime contractors and subcontractors. The statement became a primary point of discussion at a February 26 Congressional hearing. Several subcommittee members expressed support for primary aspects of the CQC statement:  "CQC's purpose is to work with the Congress and the regulatory agencies to achieve a workable set of procedures to achieve the laudable goals of the EO, raising the qualification standards in the Federal market and attracting back in top quality performers.  CQC acknowledges the added complexity of the pre-award eligibility screening procedures, but supports the judgment that the aims of the policy are worthy of exploring and implementing new and innovative approaches to improve Federal market performance." 
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