Barbara Dolim Receives MSCA's Award of Excellence

Barbara Dolim, executive director of the Mechanical Service Contractors of America (MSCA), was recently named the 2007 recipient of the D.S. O'Brien Award of Excellence. Dolim received the award during the opening session at MSCA's 22nd Annual Educational Conference, which was held at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO.
The award honors individuals who have made special contributions to MSCA and the HVACR industry, and is named after long-time MSCA and industry contributor, D.S. "Spence" O'Brien.
O'Brien, who passed away in May, was a senior vice president at Cal-Air in Whittier, CA. He was a member of MSCA's Board of Managers for 12 years, serving three years as Board Chairman. O'Brien was the inaugural recipient of the Award of Excellence in 2000 and was also a past recipient of Mechanical Contractors Association of America's (MCAA) Distinguished Service Award.
According to outgoing MSCA Board of Managers' Chairman, Wayne Turchetta, O'Brien's passing earlier this year provided special meaning to the 2007 award.
"Barbara's tireless efforts on behalf of MSCA and the industry for the last 25 years embody what this award is all about. In many ways, Barbara and Spence share much of MSCA's legacy. It is a fitting honor to both of them that she received the award this year."
Dolim has been executive director for MSCA since 1985. In her position, she is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the 1,300-member organization. She works closely with the United Association in administering the National Service and Maintenance Agreement and played a major role in helping kick off the UA STAR and MSCA STAR programs and the new 5 STAR Careers joint recruitment program. In 1990, Dolim led the campaign to create a new image for the association, including the name change to the MSCA in conjunction with a new marketing and membership initiative.
Dolim was also instrumental in developing the first national educational conference for MSCA in 1985. The conference continues to grow in scope and size under her leadership, and has become the standard for the mechanical service industry. The 2007 Educational Conference was the largest in the 22-year history of the annual meeting.