The Metal Construction Association (MCA) started the year strong at its winter meeting in January in Cape Coral, Fla., gearing up to launch significant new initiatives in 2025 to leverage emerging building construction and green building trends.
The MCA winter meeting provided attendees with valuable insights through keynotes by Lisa Ryan and Alex Chausovsky, addressing workforce engagement and retention and strategies for navigating economic trends. Educational panels covered sustainability, innovation, and insulation practices, complemented by networking opportunities such as the Women in Metal Construction Networking Dinner. At the meeting, we passed the torch of MCA chair of the executive committee from Brian Partyka, who completed his two-year term, to Chandler Barden, now taking over this vital leadership role. We are grateful to both for their service to the association, and Chandler’s leadership will be crucial to several new initiatives the association is kicking off this year.
Residential metal wall marketing initiative
Thanks to innovations in print and rollforming technology, metal wall cladding is seeing accelerated growth in residential applications. To promote metal’s benefits to building owners, large builders and contractors, and architects in this sector, MCA is launching its residential metal wall marketing initiative. This includes publicizing metal’s aesthetic and performance attributes, including durability and the material’s suitability for hurricane-prone and high-fire-risk regions.
Regional conferences for the design community
To enhance engagement with the design community, MCA will team up with METALCON to develop and promote a series of one-day regional conferences. There’s still nothing quite like in-person education for architects; it’s where you can ask questions face-to-face, engage in one-on-one discussions, and build meaningful connections.
These in-person courses will complement MCA’s extensive online education courses
and webinars through MCA Metal University, Architectural Record’s Continuing Education Center and Metal Architecture Academy, METALCON Online on-demand services, and AEC Daily.
Contractor training initiative
Responding to an increased demand for metal buildings and the need for skilled workers to install metal roofing and wall panels, MCA’s contractor training initiative will provide a comprehensive installation training curriculum addressing all forms of metal cladding. The curriculum
will include interactive online modules, classroom content, hands-on demos, and training.
Promoting metal in sustainability
In MCA’s ongoing effort to counter misleading information about metal, promoted by alternative building materials, sustainability messaging was discussed at the winter meeting. MCA continues to build an industry coalition focused on developing uniform messaging that champions metal’s sustainability attributes. This includes identifying courses, tech materials, and case studies that include content discussion and demonstrating metal’s environmental benefits.
In conjunction with messaging, the association is working to update industry Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Members who participate in this initiative will ultimately save time and costs when developing their company’s product-specific EPDs.
Advocacy in Florida
On a regional level, MCA has been involved with the State of Florida, lobbying for metal to qualify for larger discounts in homeowner’s insurance premiums due to its durability, resiliency, fire protection qualities, and ability to withstand weather events.
Currently, Florida provides discounts to homeowners making improvements to “harden” their homes against damage from wind events. However, the criteria do not differentiate between materials. Consequently, MCA is lobbying to revise the requirements to make a distinction amongst materials and allow metal enclosures to qualify for more significant discounts in the premiums.
Scholarship Awards
In other news, the MCA Scholarship Program will award funds to help member company employees and their families seeking higher education. Five deserving students received funding in the program’s first year in 2024; another five will receive financial support this year.
Summer meeting
The MCA summer meeting, which will be held June 10 to June 11 in Rosemont, Ill, is open to non-members who want to experience MCA’s value first-hand. We look forward to seeing our members and some new faces in Chicago.
Jeff Henry, MBA, CAE, is the executive director of the Metal Construction Association (MCA). He leads MCA’s staff in supporting industry members and elevating the use of metal in construction. For more information, visit metalconstruction.org.
