CATALINA 8/7/08 12:32 PM Page 144
profile c ata l i n a m e c h a n i c a l
Educating the Industry
+ Catalina Mechanical works with the Mechanical
Contractors Association of America to help ensure its
business remains competitive.
Catalina Mechanical serves
the needs of commercial,
industrial and residential
customers.
> As a mechanical and HVAC contrac-
tor working throughout the Southwest,
Tucson, Ariz.-based Catalina Mechanical
serves the needs of commercial, indus-
trial and residential customers. To
ensure it has some of the best tools for
its business, Catalina Mechanical works
with the Mechanical Contractors
Association of America (MCAA).
This association has approximately
2,300 members from mechanical,
plumbing and service contracting firms,
144 b&c southwest fall 2008
and it provides them with education
programs and a variety of resources to
help them manage and grow their busi-
nesses. MCAA says its tools help mech-
anical contractors remain informed and
connected within the industry, and save
money for their businesses.
MCAA considers itself to be “the edu-
cation association.” This is because,
throughout the year, the association
holds events to introduce its members
to the leaders in mechanical construc-
Catalina Mechanical
Headquarters: Tucson, Ariz.
Services: Mechanical contracting
tion, plumbing and service. MCAA
says these events help its members
build strong relationships and gain the
knowledge and tools to keep their com-
panies successful.
The association’s programs include
the:
» Advanced Leadership Institute, which
provides custom-developed courses for
current and future leaders of the indus-
try;
» Institute for Project Management,
which covers advanced project-man-
agement theories and techniques to
make firms more competitive;
» National Education Initiative, which
focuses on project profitability manage-
ment, design/build and advanced super-
visory education;
» Annual convention, which offers a
forum for professional development
and networking;
» Strategic Estimating Conference,
which is geared to estimators and other
experienced project personnel who
want to learn to plan for profitability
and sell clients on value, not price;
» Labor Relations Conference, which,
MCAA says, is the leading joint
labor/management cooperative forum
in the country, and allows local labor
and management leaders to forge suc-
cessful bargaining approaches and
enhance market performance; and
» National Issues Conference, which
provides an opportunity for contractors
to advance their business and industry
interests directly with lawmakers on
Capitol Hill through the organiza-