MECHANICAL CONTRACTING Q&A | OUTGOING, INCOMING PRESIDENTS |
MCAA leadership
MCAA national president’s term comes to a close
Waldwick, N.J. and Newburgh, N.Y., will complete his term as the national president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) at the association’s annual convention, which takes place March 6 – 10 in Wailea, Maui, Hawaii. Serving as president since April 2010, Bob has led the
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industry in navigating the turbulence of an uncertain economy and tight marketplace. Of his term as president, Bob observed that the 2010 economy and construction markets began to show signs of life and an eventual rebound. As his term comes to an end and he looks ahead to the future, Bob notes that the most successful contractors going forward are those that will continually look at the changes in the industry and stay ahead of the curve. “As we look at
Robert T. (Bob) Armistead, president of Armistead Mechanical Inc., Waldwick, New Jersey, completes his term as MCAA national president this March.
the changes taking
place in the construction marketplace, we see what our companies must do differently to be more productive and competitive,” said Armistead. During his year as president, the organization developed programs to help contractors integrate building information modeling technologies into their operations. As contractors become even more competitive and
value-oriented, MCAA notes the importance of having our labor partners do the same thing. For that reason, Bob and his associates at the MCAA leadership team formed a joint strategic planning committee, made up of the executive committees of the United Association and the MCAA. The group meets on a regular basis and has established several subcommittees, including the education subcommittee, whose members are currently developing a presentation on the contractors business model and the competition subcommittee, which addresses the issues that prohibit the competitiveness of union mechanical contractors. In addition, under Bob’s leadership the MCAA has
promoted tax incentives and sound energy policies in Washington to encourage the growth of green building and has also provided LEED training, workshops and resources to continue to educate its members on the importance of energy efficiency, water efficiency and other aspects of green building. Phc News recently conducted exclusive interviews with
Robert Armistead and incoming MCAA national president, Mark Rogers.
phc: Among the prestigious history of past MCAA
presidents, can you describe the significance of being chosen to lead the MCAA?
Armistead: Leading the MCAA has been a tremendous e Continued on p 26
obert T. (Bob) Armistead, president of Armistead Mechanical Inc., a fourth-generation mechanical contracting and engineering firm with offices in
New MCAA president to assume duties in March
MCAA president March 10. M MCAA?
Rogers: As a person who started in the trenches (literally) and worked my way up from apprentice to journeyman to foreman to owning my own business, I have been fortunate to see all aspects of our business and both the labor and managements views. phc: What are your initiatives for the MCAA for 2011? Rogers: Get people involved in MCAA by encouraging them to volunteer their time. Through involvement with MCAA, they can make a big difference in their own personal well-being, for their people and for the industry itself. phc: You now stand among the shadows of prestigious past MCAA presidents; can you describe the significance of being chosen to lead the MCAA? Rogers: Our past presidents have a wealth of knowledge. They have all played some part in my personal and professional success. I will always be grateful to them. They are a tremendous resource to have, and I am honored to be able to continue that tradition of
Mark Rogers, chief operating officer, West Chester Mechanical
leadership in hopes of one day joining them and passing along the tradition. phc: What do you see as the top three or so obstacles
Contractors, Chester, Pennsylvania, begins his term as MCAA president March 10.
facing contractors in 2011? Rogers:First, getting money released to owners so they can pursue their projects and so we in turn have work. The turmoil in the financial system and tight credit continue to be issues for the construction industry, including mechanicals. Another issue is the fast pace of our rising benefit packages and the associated costs to our businesses. As contractors, it is important for us to do what we can to control our costs and stay competitive. We’re also adopting new technologies and streamlining our processes and creatively adding value to our projects. MCAA’s educational offerings are a great assistance to contractors as they adopt best practices and evolve their companies. Certainly, like many businesses, we struggle with rules and
regulations that affect our industry. This year, one of our greatest challenges is from the Financial Accounting Standards Board, an independent accounting standards body. They have proposed new disclosure rules for contractors who are signatory to multi-employer pension and benefit plans that would be extremely burdensome for our industry, while providing information that is more misleading than helpful to users of financial statements. MCAA took the lead
phc: How did you get involved with the mechanical contracting industry?
Rogers: I had given up my baseball scholarship in college due to an injury to my pitching arm and was directed to the Steamfitters Local # 420 apprenticeship by my then girlfriend’s (now my wife’s) father who was a member of local 420. I took the test, got accepted, and the rest is history, as they say.
phc: How does your experience help you best lead the
ark Rogers is Chief Operating Officer for West Chester Mechanical Contractors based in Chester, Pennsylvania, and will take the reins as
phc march 2011
www.phcnews.com
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