Every industry is different and has its own operational demands, but the one underlying commonality of facility operators is the need for buildings to function properly. As a full-service mechanical contractor for the past 66 years, McKenney’s Inc. provides services for every stage of a building’s lifecycle to meet this need of proper functionality for a variety of industries. 

The Atlanta-based company performs its work for various industries in the southeastern region of the United States. “We cover pretty much the full gamut of the construction industry, other than single-family residential and heavy industrial,” Senior Vice President Steve Smith says. “We are pretty diversified. That’s one thing that has helped us survive for 66 years and be a financially stable and secure company.”   

McKenney’s lifecycle services include: design/build, design/assist, construction, renovation, maintenance and repairs, building automation and controls, commissioning, security and data analytics for commercial office buildings, data centers, hospitals, educational and corporate campuses, and many other facilities. The company focuses on its clients versus “chasing the next big project,” Smith explains. 

“We look at how we can make our client more successful by the things we do. We can cover the complete lifecycle of a building, which starts at conceptual design through construction, then operation of the facility, and later renovation or replacement of the facility or systems. We can also plug into the lifecycle of a facility at any point and be with the client for the duration of the building’s life.”

Expertly Designed 

McKenney’s understands that inside any building the systems need to be reliable, energy-efficient and maintainable. “The owners are kind of all the same in that they want systems that work,” Smith explains. “They want something that makes sense, that they can maintain and somebody like us they can rely on to provide help when they need it.” 

The overarching philosophy of McKenney’s is to help its customers succeed and in order to do so, each employee has a designated field of expertise. “In our company, we have teams that align with certain industries,” Smith says. “Our people are educated and focused on the specific needs of an industry – its jargon, system uses and applications of what we do – within the context of a specific environment. This allows us to cover the broad range of the market we do, while serving the specific needs of each type of facility and building owner/operator.”

Evolving Needs

One of the main challenges facing the construction industry is the need for speed in project duration, information transmission and scheduling. “I think it’s something that’s always going to be changing,” Smith says. “Speed and schedule pressure while maintaining focus on the client, focus on safety and ensuring performance of systems is a big challenge.” 

McKenney’s is able to keep up with the current speed demand, while making sure its work meets its clients’ satisfaction, through investment in technology and education for its people. However, at some point, the industry as a whole will hit a point where it’s no longer possible to build faster without impacts to performance, reliability and safety, Smith believes. “I don’t think the industry is there yet and I do think we are further ahead in the industry than most, but that is a big challenge,” he adds. “How do you continue to deliver the same quality and commitment at a faster rate?”

Along with faster production, the construction industry is also seeing different factors rank higher on companies’ lists of importance than in previous years. The two top-ranking system-related factors are now efficiency and reliability, Smith says. “It’s not that they didn’t exist before, they are just changing in rank,” he adds. “One of the biggest drivers that has changed is efficiency. Wherever it was on a list, it has moved up and gained importance.” 

To help building operators become more efficient in managing their operation, McKenney’s created its own state-of-the-art system-data analytics platform. “No longer is the fire alarm or building control on its own system,” Smith explains. “It’s much more integrated and more of a living building that communicates.” 

McKenney’s bdoc® Business Intelligence for Buildings system assembles all of one building’s data into one usable, actionable platform. The company has noticed that because of its bdoc system, building operators are requesting a fully integrated system more frequently. 

“That is a big, big thing that we need to stay ahead of the curve on, stay educated on and know how to deploy in the market,” Smith says. “We have the best way to integrate systems in the industry. bdoc helps support the building operator and owner, and accomplishes the need for reliable, efficient systems by breaking down the silos that exist in non-integrated systems. It unifies the facility systems’ data into a common actionable data set, which provides keen insight into utility consumption, aids with failure forensics and trends facility patterns of use.”

McKenney’s is leading the way and building a higher standard for its clients by deploying highly educated, dedicated employees and supporting the entire lifecycle of facilities. This coupled with investments in technology, commitment to safety and keen understanding of its clients’ needs, the company is supporting the need for speed without risk to operation, reliability and efficiency.