The Mechanical Contractors Association of America will hold its 2011 Student Chapter Summit Oct. 6-8 in San Francisco.

The Mechanical Contractors Association of America will hold its 2011 Student Chapter Summit - the association’s annual conference for future mechanical construction, mechanical service and plumbing industry professionals - Oct. 6-8 in San Francisco. The event is hosted this year by the Northern California MCA.

“The program features a variety of aspects of the industry to truly give our students a feel for their chosen careers,” saidBrett Christiansen, chairman of MCAA’s Career Development Committee, a member of MCAA’s board of directors and president of Palmer-Christiansen Co.

Christiansen will preside over the educational sessions, which include featured speakers:

  • MCAA President Mark Rogers, who will discuss the mechanical contracting industry and the career paths it offers to soon-to-be professionals;

  • MCAA 2008 President Jack Wilhelmi, speaking about estimating projects;

  • Mechanical Service Contractors of America Vice Chairman Woody Woodall, addressing career opportunities in the HVAC service industry;

  • Representatives from the Greater Michigan MSCA Student Chapter at Ferris State University, MCAA’s 2010 Student Chapter of the Year, discussing the programs and services that made it No. 1;

  • Ken Durr of Durr Mechanical Construction and Prof. Keith Rahn from Illinois State University on general conditions; and

  • Don Russell of Tyco/Grinnell, John Brusa of NIBCO, Joe Pikus of Viega and Frank Schaetzke of Zurn Industries discussing the manufacturer/supplier side of the business.


Details of the 2011-2012 Student Chapter Competition will be announced. Last year’s competition drew a record 29 proposals. Prof.Tim Wentzof the University of Nebraska – Lincoln will moderate a mini-competition to give students an opportunity to hone their skills for the big one.

Attendees will have the option to tour the University of California – Berkeley football stadium, which is undergoing a major renovation and reconstruction, thanks to Lescure Co. of Lafayette, Calif.

Additional events will include a dinner at Sinbad’s Pier 2 Restaurant, a San Francisco favorite, where participants will have a chance to network and discuss career plans; and a pre-Summit tour of the UA Local 342 Apprentice Training Facility in Concord, Calif. The tour will be followed by a dinner sponsored by EMCOR companies Marelich Mechanical Co. (Hayward, Calif.), Mesa Energy (Hayward,) and Performance Mechanical (Pittsburg, Calif.).

Registration, which is free to all MCAA members, is now open atwww.mcaa.org/education. A full brochure with additional details will be released in August.

For more information about the Summit or MCAA’s Career Development Initiative, contact Ann Mattheis at 301/869-5800 oramattheis@mcaa.org.