News & Resources

Congratulations to Bryce Danielson, one of the two recipients of the Alan O’Shea Memorial Scholarship. The Mechanical Contractors Association of New Jersey established the scholarships to honor the memory of Alan O’Shea, its former Executive Director, and memorialize his many contributions to the mechanical contracting industry. Bryce is a sophomore from the University of Nebraska studying Construction Management. He says, “the amount of support that the mechanical contracting industry has for students like me is what has drawn me towards a future career in this industry.”

Congratulations to Logan Stone, this year’s recipient of the William Bianco, Jr. Memorial Scholarship. MCAA member Kinetics established the annual scholarship to honor Mr. Bianco and his many contributions to the industry’s continuing advancement. Logan is studying Architectural Engineering with an emphasis is MEP System Design at Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Congratulations to Hunter DeJonge of Alfred State College, this year’s recipient of the annual Reilly Family Memorial Scholarship. A charter member of MCAA, John W. Danforth Company, has established the scholarship to commemorate the memory of its leadership, the Reilly Family. Kevin “Duke” Reilly served as Danforth’s Chairman/CEO. Wayne, Patrick and Emmett Reilly. The scholarship symbolizes the Reillys’ many contributions to the mechanical contracting industry. He has been interning with John W. Danforth Company. Hunter says he “enjoys the company culture of continuing education. They really focus on developing employees, especially interns.”

Molly Sizemore, a junior at Pennsylvania State University, has been awarded one of the two Ferguson – Women in the Mechanical Industry Scholarships. Ferguson underwrites these scholarships, which recognize high-achieving female students working towards a degree relative to the mechanical industry. Molly is the President of the MCA of Central Pennsylvania-sponsored student chapter at Pennsylvania State University, where she studies Architectural Engineering specializing in mechanical systems. She will be interning for the second summer with MCA of Metro Washington member, Southland Industries.

The Student Chapter of the Year Award recognizes an MCAA student chapter for outstanding achievement as an organization of students who are planning careers in the mechanical construction industry. The award recognizes exceptional achievement in governance and leadership, membership recruiting, fundraising, community involvement, and career development. University of Nebraska Student Chapter is sponsored by the MCA of Omaha. The chapter’s faculty advisor is, Vishnu Reddi, Assistant Professor of Practice with the Durham School College of Engineering. The student chapter takes a unique approach to fundraising, community service and networking opportunities with local MCA members.

Ali Brown, a junior at the University of Nebraska has been awarded one of the two Ferguson-Women in the Mechanical Industry Scholarships. Ferguson underwrites these scholarships, which recognize high-achieving female students working towards a degree relative to the mechanical industry. Ali has been a member of the MCA Omaha Student Chapter since 2017. She is earning her degree in Business Administration & Human Resources. She sees the opportunities for growth in all areas of the industry. and has been interning for MCA member, Waldinger Corporation focusing in administration, virtual design construction and accounting. Ali will continue her internship through this summer.

In this month’s Beyond the Classroom, meet University of Missouri-Columbia graduate, Paige Theby. She has recently started as an Engineer at MCAA member, Murphy Company. As a past MCAA Student Chapter member and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering major, Paige talks about the importance of her internship and the opportunities she sees for people starting out in the industry. She shares how MCAA GreatFutures can help kickstart a career through networking and internship opportunities.

Colin Hindman has accepted a second summer internship with MCA of Indiana member, Harrell-Fish, Inc. Colin is a junior studying Construction Management Technology at Purdue University where he is the President of the MCAA Student Chapter. Colin says, “being a part of MCAA has both reinforced and built upon concepts I have learned in class, but most importantly on the job. My excellent experience working with HFI gave me a certain advantage when approaching the competition project. Conversely, the MCAA Student Chapter Competition taught me some valuable lessons that I’ve already been able to apply back in my internship.”

This year’s MCAA Educator of the Year Award was presented to Cristina Cosma of the Wentworth Institute of Technology. The award, including a check, honors her mentoring ability, industry knowledge and involvement, and her active participation in MCAA’s Student Chapter program activities. The students of the Wentworth MCAA Student Chapter sponsored by the New England MCA, Inc. said, “a mentor’s role is to provide guidance, advice, encouragement, support, and resources. Cosma checks off all of these boxes and more.”

Congratulations to Hailey Brennan, the first recipient of the annual Josam Endowed Scholarship. Josam Company has established a $2,500 annual scholarship to a sophomore in a MCAA Student Chapter, pursuing a degree in construction management, mechanical engineering or a similar field. Provided that all qualifications are met each year, the yearly recipient will continue to receive the $2,500 scholarship in their sophomore, junior and senior year. Hailey is a sophomore, studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. Hailey joined her MCAA student chapter last fall and has since attended the 2019 GreatFutures Forum and helped lead her chapter to the final four of this year’s MCAA Student Chapter Competition.

Dylan Sterling has accepted a summer internship with MCA of Western Washington member McKinstry Company. Dylan is a junior studying Construction Management and a member of the MCAA Student Chapter at Washington State University. “Being a part of the MCAA competition has allowed me to network with contractors from all over the country, building invaluable professional skills and relationships along the way. I am beyond grateful for the opportunities that the MCAA Student Chapter has offered during my time in the WSU Construction Management program,” he said.

MCAA GreatFutures welcomes its 61st Student Chapter, Cypress College! This is the first student chapter sponsored by ARCA/MCA, and the first two-year technical school to be chartered as part of the MCAA GreatFutures student chapter program. The Air Conditioning & Refrigeration program at Cypress College offers both certificate and degree paths into the industry.