PROGRAM
- Sponsored by:
- MILWAUKEE TOOL
Recommended attendees: Career Development Committee members, MCAA Board Members, Local Association Executives, GFF24 sponsors and speakers.
- Sponsored by:
- Southland Industries
The MCAA student chapters have been going strong for over 30 years! Alumni are encouraged to gather for breakfast prior to the official kick-off of GFF24.
- Registration for Alumni will be available from 7:30 – 8:00 am in the Foyer, prior to breakfast.
- An Alumni group photo will be taken following this informal breakfast gathering.
- Sponsored by:
- NIBCO
- ,
- Ferguson
- ,
- Viega
Snack station sponsored by NIBCO
Bags sponsored by Ferguson
Shirts sponsored by Viega
Check-in, gather your swag and grab a bite at the snack station. Don’t forget to place your chapter logo on the “We’re Here” banner!
GFF24 kickoff and welcome from the Career Development Committee Chair, Andrew Palcan and MCAA President, Rick Gopffarth. Conference ground rules and expectations will also be reviewed.
Speakers
![Welcome image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2022/05/AndrewPalcan-90x90.png)
![Welcome image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/RickGopffarth-90x90.png)
What does the future hold for a career in the construction industry? How will your contributions help shape the future? Will mechanical lead the way? Listen in during this panel discussion for insights into technology, sustainability and the educational opportunities that will move the needle for your career in mechanical contracting.
Speakers
![Moving the Needle – Panel image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2022/05/AndrewPalcan-90x90.png)
![Moving the Needle – Panel image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2022/06/MichaelEvans-90x90.png)
![Moving the Needle – Panel image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2022/05/SarabethGandara-90x90.png)
![Moving the Needle – Panel image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/AndrewNguyen-90x90.png)
Work together with your school over the course of GFF24 to answer trivia-style questions related to mechanical contracting. Topics will range from resources to help your team with the MCAA Student Chapter Competition, to historical construction facts, and even a few hidden easter eggs that will be mentioned throughout the conference.
The winning student team will receive a $1,000 prize. Then the student winners vs alumni team will go head-to-head from their scores to reveal the ultimate trivia champions and the opportunity to name a charity of choice for a $500 donation.
Prizes will be awarded on Saturday morning. The team must be present to win.
Speakers
![Trivia Announcement image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/ShannonNicklaus-90x90.png)
![Trivia Announcement image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/RyanManuel-90x90.png)
This is the time to return anything you don’t want to bring with you on the bus to your hotel room. Check the weather and potentially grab a jacket! TopGolf is an outdoor event.
Navigate the greens with golf and grace. What’s the proper etiquette for paying the bill during a business event? Is it polite to excuse yourself for a work call? What are tips and tricks for maintaining professionalism at events with open bars? When is it ok to decline an invitation? Learn how to be a master of casual conversation by knowing a little about a lot of topics…including golf basics! Prior to heading to TopGolf, we’ll go over golf lingo and traditional course etiquette to keep everyone from scoring a bogey at a social outing.
Speakers
![Mastering the Swing of Social Etiquette image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2022/05/KristaEbbens-90x90.png)
![Mastering the Swing of Social Etiquette image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/DarrenBlack-90x90.png)
- Sponsored by:
- Procore
Time to test out your new business event skills with an evening of TopGolf, mocktails and dinner.
All employers should gather briefly to review the unique procedures for the Job Fair. Helpful MCAA resources will be highlighted, such as the GreatFutures Job Board, tips for submitting an Internship Grant, and where to find the Internship Guide, which is packed full of how to’s for where to start if your company hasn’t previously employed an intern.
Following this session, be sure to promptly check-in at the Employer Desk. A new visual display will be utilized this year to assist the students with knowing who is represented and where each company is primarily located.
Speakers
![Job Fair Prep: For Employers image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2023/04/KurtVoss-90x90.png)
All students should gather briefly before the Job Fair doors open for a quick-hit session of tips and tricks on networking, specifically geared towards the job fair environment.
Speakers
![Job Fair Prep: For Students image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/AnneFinerfrock-90x90.png)
![Job Fair Prep: For Students image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/RobinCowper-90x90.png)
- Sponsored by:
- MCA Western Washington
Breakfast sponsored by MCAWW
This is not your traditional job fair! Identifiers will be distributed to signify if you’re looking for (or offering) an internship, full-time job, or if you’re just there for the bacon breakfast. Mingle and move your way through delicious breakfast stations, share contact info via your name badge QR code, and find your employment match in this fun and relaxed environment. A breakout room will also be available for employers who are looking to have a quick on-site interview.
- Students – please wear your GreatFutures shirt that will be provided at registration.
- Employers – please wear a shirt with your company logo on it.
We will not be utilizing stationary booths. Please do not bring trinkets, handouts, or backdrops. Everyone will be moving around the room throughout the event. New this year will be ‘pop-up corners’ to assist in finding connections more quickly for specialized employment needs.
Thank you to MCAA WiMI for sponsoring this session.
Introduction with Stacy Johnson
Discover the process for pushing an initial spark of an idea into a widely accepted industry standard with a TED talk speaker who already has a decade of experience and influence in the tech world, yet is only 21. Google Developer Expert for Machine Learning and AI & Software Architect for IBM Watson Apps, Tanmay Bakshi, will share how to identify useful patterns across different domains to create impactful solutions within previously undefined intersecting fields. Tanmay will also utilize live demonstrations to take attendees on a journey to a prediction for the future workplace. Will it be full of robot overlords or a cohesive vision where the past, present and future of technology is intertwined? Listen in (be kind to your Siri/Google) and learn how to create lasting positive change.
Speakers
![Innovation – An Intertwined Future image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2023/04/StacyJohnson-90x90.png)
![Innovation – An Intertwined Future image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/TanmayBakshi-90x90.png)
Takeoffs have to start somewhere. Learn what to pre-prepare in advance, how to keep organized throughout the process, and what to do when you get stuck along the way.
MCAA offers student chapter members complimentary utilization of WebLEM (web-based labor estimating manual), which can be used as a useful tool for the student chapter competition. This session will cover WebLEM basics, as well as how to import the data into Trimble Estimation MEP, which is also provided as a complimentary resource for the competition.
Speakers
![Competition Skills: Takeoff Basics image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2022/05/JustinBlackledge640-90x90.png)
![Competition Skills: Takeoff Basics image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/RonKing-90x90.png)
Meeting for Faculty Advisors and Industry Advisors to discuss upcoming student chapter opportunities, review policies, and share best practices.
Speakers
![Faculty Advisor/Industry Advisor Meeting image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2022/05/AndrewPalcan-90x90.png)
Student chapter competition details will be reviewed, plus time will be available for Q&A.
Speakers
![2024-2025 Competition Introduction image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2023/04/MikeRusso-90x90.png)
![2024-2025 Competition Introduction image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2022/05/SarabethGandara-90x90.png)
![2024-2025 Competition Introduction image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/ScottHinton-90x90.png)
![2024-2025 Competition Introduction image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/ChrisMilone-90x90.jpg)
Students not in attendance at the Student Chapter President Meeting will have time to work on trivia questions. Everyone should also take advantage of this time to submit a scholarship application from the provided on-site QR code.
Non-students are encouraged to utilize this time to check-in at the office and catch up on work prior to heading offsite for the duration of the afternoon.
Each chapter may send up to 2 representatives (Student Chapter President + 1 additional future leader)
Speakers
![Student Chapter President + 1 Meeting image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2022/05/AndrewPalcan-90x90.png)
Review of safety guidelines and tour logistics.
Closed toe shoes and long pants are required for the tour.
Speakers
![MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions Tour Information image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/RoryOlson-90x90.png)
This is the time to return anything you don’t want to bring with you on the bus to your hotel room. Check the weather and potentially grab a jacket! The tour is indoor/outdoor and the aquarium will start with a mocktail hour on the pier before heading indoors.
MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions is a leading full-service design-build commercial mechanical contractor in the Pacific Northwest. With 12 offices across Washington and Oregon and a 100,000 sq. ft. fabrication shop, they specialize in HVAC and plumbing solutions for commercial buildings and critical environments, including research and development, life sciences, healthcare, and data centers.
The tour will highlight the lean manufacturing principles embedded into their daily shop logistics, showing the productivity, pride and use of technology within their sheet metal, fitting and plumbing trades. Attendees will experience how MacMiller utilizes innovative technologies, including virtual reality solutions. Learn about their commitment to sustainable energy and expertise in engineering and smart building services by going hands-on in their controls systems training lab. Get ready to experience the culture and innovative work at MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions, a leader in the mechanical industry.
- Sponsored by:
- Victaulic
Dinner sponsored by Victaulic
The evening will begin with a mocktail hour on the historic pier, followed by a buffet dinner and time to leisurely explore the exhibits inside the Seattle Aquarium.
- Sponsored by:
- DeWALT
Make sure your team submits your trivia answers by 7:45 AM.
Get ready to journey through the mechanical puzzle in this student requested, crash course on mechanical systems. This session will go piece by piece (literally) through a system for how it is built, connected and utilized by end-users.
Chapters will be able to return to campus with a hands-on 2D example of a mechanical system that can be utilized for classroom demonstrations and recruiting.
Speakers
![The Mechanical Puzzle image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2023/04/KurtVoss-90x90.png)
![The Mechanical Puzzle image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/Tyler-Holman-Headshot-2024-90x90.jpg)
Stand up, stretch out and connect with fellow students to discuss best practices for building your student chapter. This interactive session will have you moving throughout the room and going home with a to-do list full of new ideas.
Speakers
![Building Your Chapter Roundtables image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2022/05/AndrewPalcan-90x90.png)
Trivia questions that stumped the crowd will be reviewed by three of our Career Development Committee Members, who also happen to be professors. The winning team will be announced for a $1,000 prize. Then the student winners vs alumni team will go head-to-head from their scores to reveal the ultimate trivia champions and the opportunity to name a charity of choice for a $500 donation.
Speakers
![Trivia Answers & Prizes image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/RyanManuel-90x90.png)
![Trivia Answers & Prizes image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/ShannonNicklaus-90x90.png)
![Trivia Answers & Prizes image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2022/05/MariePatterson-90x90.png)
Be sure to stick around to the VERY end of GFF24. Students who fill out the survey and show the completion screen to our committee members will receive a gift card. Who doesn’t love a free lunch?
Speakers
![Final Wrap-Up & Survey image](https://mcaaevents.org/great-futures-forum/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2022/05/AndrewPalcan-90x90.png)