ROCKVILLE, Md. - The Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) Student Chapter at the Milwaukee School of Engineering received top honors for their efforts in the MCAA’s 2010-2011 Student Chapter Competition. It was MCAA’s 10th such annual competition. The winners were announced during the Annual Awards of Excellence Breakfast on March 9 at the association’s annual convention in Wailea, Maui, Hawaii.

Bob Armistead, MCAA president, and Brett Christiansen, MCAA career development committee chairman, presented the award and a check for $5,000 to the winning team. The scores for the remaining finalist teams were so close that the career development committee declared a three-way tie for second place. The University of Washington Mechanical Contractors Student Chapter, the Rocky Mountain Chapter of MCAA at Colorado State University, and the Pittsburg State University MCA Student Chapter each received $2,500.

During the competition, a record 29 teams submitted proposals for this year’s project - the centerpiece of a 15,000-square-foot, two-story, high-end green building project in Northern California that is to be the headquarters for an investment group. Half way through the response period, an addendum was announced that changed the project from a plan-and-spec to a design-build RFP. Then, the engineer on the project declared bankruptcy, but the owner still wanted the project to continue.

In presenting the awards, Armistead thanked career development committee member John Powell of Marelich Mechanical for making the project available for this competition and making possible a special website where chapter team members could access project drawings, forms, and other competition information.

Publication date: 04/25/2011