MSCA Conference: Woodall Named Chairman; Borst Receives O'Brien Award; Contractors Learn & Have Fun

New leaders for 2011-12 were announced during the Mechanical Service Contractors of America’s (MSCA’s) 26th Annual Educational Conference held at the Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO, October 9-11.

Arnold "Woody" Woodall was named chairman of the MSCA Board of Managers. Robert Lake was named vice chairman. Richard A. Starr, LEED AP, assumed the responsibilities of treasurer.

Woodall is director of business development for Gary Company, Washington, DC., an MSCA STAR contractor.

Lake is president/COO officer of EMCOR Service/Mesa Energy Systems, Inc., Irvine, CA, an MSCA STAR and GreenSTAR contractor.

Starr is president/owner of Enterprise HVAC Service and Control in Twinsburg, OH. In 2008, Starr became Northern Ohio’s first LEED AP to be accredited within the "Existing Building Operations & Maintenance" (EBOM) track. Enterprise HVAC Service and Control is the ContractingBusiness.com 2011 Commercial HVAC Contractor of the Year.

Russell J. Borst, LEED AP, vice president of service, Hurst Mechanical, Belmont, MI, was presented the D.S. O'Brien Award of Excellence. The D.S. O'Brien Award of Excellence was established by MSCA in 2000, to recognize individuals who exhibit extraordinary dedication and outstanding commitment to the mechanical service contracting industry and to MSCA.

"Russ's energy, enthusiasm, and passion on behalf of MSCA are extraordinary. His dedication and commitment to fostering the advancement of the HVAC industry has been widely recognized," said Thom Brazel, chairman of the MSCA board of managers.

Borst serves on the MSCA Labor Relations Committee, and was chairman of the association’s Board of Managers in 2008.

The theme for the 2011 MSCA Educational Conference was "24-Carrot Service: Putting People First." Presentations focused on initiatives employers can use to motivate employees, and build their "employership brand."

Keynote speakers included author Chester Elton, employer consultant Jim Baston, economist Lowell Catlett, Peter Sheahan, CEO of ChangeLabs, and motivational speaker Ross Shafer. Popular roundtable forums were also featured.

New Board Members Named
New MSCA board members include Jaimi Lomas, general manager for the Service & Energy Division, A.O. Reed & Co., San Diego, CA, joining for her first three-year term. Lomas is the 2011 Contracting Business.com Woman of the Year. Jim Bartolotta, executive vice president, Air Comfort, Broadview, IL, also joined the MSCA board for his first three-year term. — Terry McIver; supporting information by MSCA

Tally Up Four More Projects for Haberberger, Inc.

Haberberger, Inc., a St. Louis-based mechanical contracting company, recently completed work on three separate projects in St. Louis County, and a fourth project in Jefferson City, MO.

Haberberger worked as part of the team assembled by Hof Construction to handle work on the HVAC portion of the new St. Louis County Animal Vector Control Shelter in Florissant, MO. Haberberger's work was part of the larger transformation of a 26,000-sq.ft. warehouse into the new animal vector control shelter.

The Haberberger team also completed two installation projects at the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) Grand Glaize plant located in Valley Park, MO. Haberberger field team members successfully worked with Dan Hof and Tony Perotta of Hof Construction to complete the project.

Work at the MSD Grand Glaize plant took place between April and September as the Haberberger team tackled two separate projects at the facility. In the first project, Haberberger installed a redundant washer compactor at the plant by relocating an existing washer compactor and modifying the piping and electrical for the new equipment. Haberberger’s second project at the MSD Grand Glaize plant included the installation of new valves and piping in four different splitter boxes.

Haberberger also completed work on the mechanical portion of a project to add ultraviolet treatment to the Jefferson City Water Reclamation Facility in Jefferson City, MO.

Haberberger provided solid dates and times for completion, and endured that the project proceeded according to plan. The crew was led by project manager Jeff Roberts, and general foreman Clay Buxton, in conjunction with Sircal Construction. The team tied 54-in. ductile iron pipe into the existing effluent piping to route the plant’s waste matter into the ultraviolet facility prior to discharge. When both 54-in. lines were tied in, a portion of the plant had to be shut down in order to safely complete the project. Key challenges were tying the new 54-in. piping into the existing piping, while keeping the plant in operation.

"When we made the tie-ins, we were also limited on time. And, after we had the pipe in place at the tie-in points, we had to pressure test it. We used an internal joint tester to test the joints before filling the pipe with water. If we had put the system into service and found leaks, it would have been very difficult to backtrack and shut the plant down," Roberts says.

The internal joint tester was not available for rental, so it had to be purchased at a price tag of $6,000. But, Roberts says it was a labor saver and time saver.

"When you purchase it, you do feel as if you’re spending a lot of money, but it definitely made testing the pipe go much easier. In the grand scheme of things, it was a good investment," he says.

ANSI Accredits Contractor Training Group, Blue C

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), has bestowed accredited status on Blue C, LLC, under the ANSI Certificate Accreditation Program (ANSI-CAP).

Blue C, LLC is a professional organization of HVACR educators working together to provide challenging and comprehensive online assessments, reviews, courses, and programs for the HVACR industry. The ANSI accreditation has been awarded to Blue C’s HVACR 4-Year Apprenticeship Program.