MECHANICAL CONTRACTING Q&A e Continued from p 24 26
honor, and it’s the highlight of my career in the mechanical contracting industry. I was privileged to serve on the executive committee for three years prior to my term as president, and I was able to see how hard my predecessors worked and what a great job they did. I am fortunate that the association was in great shape when I got the job, and I believe that I am passing along an equally successful association to my successor, Mark Rogers. phc: I’m sure that as president of MCAA you met a lot of mechanical contractors.
Can you describe how that experience was?
Armistead: One of the best parts of being MCAA president is the opportunity to visit with many of our local affiliated associations around the country. Without fail, the contractors I met were gracious and hospitable. They were also very thoughtful, and we had many good, frank discussions about the economy, legislation in Congress and how to make our industry even stronger as the market starts to recover.
phc: How did you get involved with the mechanical industry? Armistead: I was raised in a family-run mechanical contracting business started by my grandfather and, at a young age, worked summers and school breaks in the family business, learning the trade in the field and later working with the estimators and project managers in the office. I received my Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Villanova University. After college, I served as a naval engineering officer aboard the guided missile destroyer USS Richard E. Byrd, stationed with the 6th Fleet. Upon completion of my tour in the Navy, I returned to New Jersey and went back to work in the family business. The Armistead family has been in the mechanical construction and engineering business for four generations. phc: What were/are your
initiatives for the MCAA as president?
Armistead: When I took over as
president in the spring of 2010 from then-president Lonnie Coleman, the association was in excellent condition despite the economy. As president, I wanted to be sure that we continued the year in great shape. This year we offered a full range of educational programs to help MCAA contractors stay ahead of the change curve. In fact, we were able to expand our offerings, adding a number of webinars and workshops on topics like BIM to provide cutting- edge information to our members. Our programs continued to be filled to capacity, even in a very tough business climate. MCAA members clearly know that the only way to succeed is to keep moving forward and to prepare for the rebound.
® ®
Following the 2010 convention, the MCAA executive committee began a series of strategic planning meetings with our labor partners at the United Association. I believe this will continue to be a very successful initiative going forward.
Our legislative agenda continues to be action-packed. We are working on a range of proposals across the breadth of our members’ interests. They include procurement issues, labor issues, pension and benefit issues — including healthcare reform, tax issues and market expansion. We are delighted that President Obama has launched his Better Buildings Initiative and are hopeful that America will choose to incentivize more private jobs retrofitting buildings to increase energy efficiency. Tea Party,
e Circle 19 on reader reply card e Continued on p 36
phc march 2011
www.phcnews.com
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