Modern Piping Inc., an MCA of Iowa member, presented Matt HermsenWhite with a Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) Internship Grant at the start of his 2020 summer internship. The grant is funded by the John R. Gentille Foundation.

“I would like to express my gratitude to all of the members at MCAA for the grant," said HermsenWhite. "I have felt great reception from the mechanical contracting community, both at Modern Piping Inc and from MCAA. I am definitely considering a career in mechanical contracting and would like to say thank you again to MCAA for supporting engineering students with their education.”

HermsenWhite is currently studying mechanical engineering at Iowa State University with plans to graduate in December 2020. This is his second year with Modern Piping as project manager intern. HermsenWhite previously worked on piping in the summer of 2018 and this year’s focus was in HVAC work.

“I am very grateful to be with Modern Piping for a second summer. They have given me ample opportunities to participate in team meetings, bidding, productivity tracking, and project manager tasks. All of the people at Modern Piping have been friendly, welcoming, and willing to teach me practical and technical skills,” he said. 

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, HermsenWhite's internship experience was completely virtual. Throughout his work, he has been supervised by Bob Brown, the president of Modern Sheet Metal.   

HermsenWhite’s main summer projects consist of the following:

• Project bidding for commercial and medical buildings
• Duct fabrication productivity tracking
• Creating weekly report system to help project managers better understand costs hitting projects on a weekly basis
• Project administrative tasks, including startup, permits, close out documents, etc.

HermsenWhite said “although the virtual format came with challenges, it was an opportunity to learn how to collaborate with coworkers and accomplish tasks in an online setting which will be a valuable skill for a 21st century workplace.”

Having MCAA interns working at member companies is a win-win for both the students and the mechanical contracting industry. Employers get fresh talent and build a pipeline of future employees, while students gain experience, create connections, develop skills and further their interest in mechanical contracting. In paying the student instead of the employer, MCAA’s goal is to increase the overall number of interns and drive the overall number of talented employees accepting full-time positions with MCAA members post-graduation.