The UMCA Board of Directors joined forces with the board of the Colorado Association of Mechanical and Plumbing Contractors (CAMPC) last week as part of its annual board retreat and strategic planning for the coming year. This is the first time the UMCA board met with another MCAA chapter, and the conversation was facilitated by Steve Lamb, who recently was named MCAA’s Best Practices Mentor.

Labor relations was a key topic, and the two boards discussed what was working in each of their areas. They collaborated on ideas on how to strengthen relationships between the contractors and union members. Education for journeyman and apprentice training also came up. The two boards swapped examples and ideas on how each state was employing technology in their companies and how it could – and was – enhancing field productivity.

The joint meeting ended up running longer than scheduled, with both sides fully engaged in the conversation and flow of information. The combined session brought each side a more regional view of the mechanical contracting industry.

The second day of the retreat was focused on UMCA, and what its membership needed and wanted in the year ahead.

The Contractor Survey distributed and returned this summer gave the board a clear direction from the membership on priority issues and education topics. (Read more about the survey results here.)

Education was a top priority discussion for the board. Members voted Field Productivity, Technology and Project Management as the Top 3 topics they’d like to see education classes on. Some of the proposed classes from the board for 2017 include:

Field Leaders Conference
Project Management
Construction Law
Project Manager’s Contractor Negotiation course
Time Management

UMCA will continue to post information as plans for the proposed classes are solidified.

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