Mechanical Service Contractors of
America
1385 Piccard Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
Mechanical Service Contractors of America
1385 Piccard Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2009FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Barbara Dolim
bdolim@mcaa.org
301-869-5800
MSCA STAR Service Contractors Meet at Summit
Prepare for year ahead with marketing and fiscal environment experts
ROCKVILLE, MD – The Mechanical Service Contractors of America hosted a second annual MSCA STAR Summit earlier this month, touring the largest LEED certified building in the world and strategizing for the challenging year ahead.
Meeting April 6 and 7 at the LEED Silver rated Palazzo Resort Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV, 40 of MSCA’s highly-qualified MSCA STARS attended educational sessions focused on developing marketing expertise and branding in a challenging economic environment and saw, first hand, the sophisticated heating and cooling command center for the huge facility. (According the U.S. Green Building Council, the Palazzo is four times the size of the second-largest LEED certified building.)
MSCA Board of Managers Chairman Jeff McCoy said, “MSCA makes this kind of opportunity available to those members who have reached the highest levels of qualification in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration system service. We sited this summit with special focus on the opportunities that a national emphasis on sustainability and responsible maintenance affords to our industry.”
Attendees participated in a focused strategy session led by Don Neal, an internationally known marketing, branding and customer management expert based in Washington DC. Neal walked the attendees through an up-to-date marketing plan tailored for mechanical service companies operating in a challenging business environment. Many of the STAR Summit attendees are MSCA GreenSTAR qualified as well.
Chris Klehm, of the U.S. Green Building Council LEED faculty, gave attendees an honest rundown of opportunities and roadblocks in the months ahead. Klehm has been involved in more than 30 LEED projects over the past 30 years, as a specialist in green building, construction and consulting. He is founding chair of Pittsburgh’s Green Building Alliance and author of the USGBC Program LEED for General Contractors and Construction Managers.
Klehm described key aspects of the recent stimulus package, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, that are important to service contractors. He also explained how to take of advantage these new opportunities.
Summit attendees also received company-specific marketing materials created and provided by MSCA and aimed at communicating the standards-based quality of service provided by MSCA STAR and GreenSTAR contractors.
MSCA STAR is a rigorous qualification program recognizing contractors who meet or exceed operating and training standards set by MSCA. To become a GreenSTAR, an MSCA STAR contractor must meet additional stringent criteria including that the company: employ at least one LEED Accredited Professional; be a member of the U.S.G.B.C.; verify that at least 25 percent of employees have participated in green training; demonstrate the promotion of environmental responsibility by offering specific sustainable services and recommending green procedures and equipment; establish an internal commitment to green by attaining LEED certification, of any type, for their building, or by developing an internal “green policy”; and have participated as part of a project team with a LEED EB or LEED NC registered project within the three years previous to application. MSCA STAR and GreenSTAR applications are reviewed and approved by a third-party independent company.
About MSCA
MSCA is the leading national trade association for HVACR contractors, providing education, marketing and labor/management services to assure its members deliver quality performance, value and expertise for all building system needs. MSCA contractors perform service, maintenance, replacement, retrofit and repair work resulting in enhanced reliability, tenant satisfaction, and efficiency. MSCA’s contractor qualification program, MSCA STAR, recognizes contractors that have met the highest standards of excellence in the industry and employ highly-skilled UA STAR certified technicians. MSCA has more than 1,400 member companies and is a subsidiary of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America. For further information go to http://www.msca.org/.###
For a Microsoft Word copy of this release: MSCASTARSummitRelease041609.docGary P. Fowler, Executive Vice President of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Georgia examines plate frame heat exchangers used by the solar system in the Palazzo Resort Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV. MSCA STARS were taken on a tour of the LEED Silver facility at the STAR Summit April 6 - 7.