Bill Mason worked as a mechanic and rigger at a Phoenix-area boat shop through high school and while attending Mesa and Maricopa community colleges, where he completed an AA degree in refrigeration and air conditioning. Afterwards, he worked for a small sheet metal shop for a year.
In 1978, he was hired by IMCOR, then known as Karber Air Conditioning. He worked as a mechanic and delivery/yard guy for a short period and entered into a four-year apprentice program.
During this time, he drove a service truck and performed everything from air-conditioning service calls to sheet metal work, piping, welding, shop sheet metal fabrication, start-up and warranty work. As time went on, he became the piping superintendent with three employees to manage. When the division grew to more than 140 pipe fitters and plumbers in the late 1980’s, Mason took on a management role for multi-million dollar projects.
He was then promoted to vice president of facilities services and for approximately eight years was involved directly with customers on multiple project types. Mason was named president of IMCOR in 2003, with 25 years of experience.
How long have you worked at IMCOR? What IS your proudest achievement since joining IMCOR?
Thirty-six years. I am proud of several achievements, such as managing the first high-rise building (Phoenix City Hall building) for IMCOR as the project manager and in general working my way up from a service technician to the president.
How did the company navigate the recent recession?
IMCOR broadened its customer base by increasing its service group, adding plumbing-specific service, opening a manufacturing group, and IMCOR actually had some construction projects that were perhaps better than expected during
the downturn.
What is one of the most memorable IMCOR projects for you?
The Phoenix Convention Center, phases 1 and 2, that we completed with Hunt-Russell-Alvarado, a tri-venture, was a very large project stretching over five years (2004 to 2009) that required the installation of several hundred feet of 36-inch condenser water piping that was suspended approximately 100 feet above the floor that connected the Northwind (now NRG ) cooling towers to the Northwind ice storage plant located below 3rd Street adjacent to the convention center’s lower level.
IMCOR is celebrating its 40th anniversary. How has the company evolved in the last decade?
Over the last 10 years, IMCOR has grown to nearly a complete city block, increased its BIM department to eight stations, added a computerized automated pipe cutting machine, several automated welding positioners, a 50-feet-by-120-feet metal manufacturing building with a three-ton and six-ton overhead fully mobile cranes, a coil feeder system for the sheet metal plasma cutting table, and has become a high purity piping contractor. IMCOR has also updated its project management and accounting computer programs.
What’s in store For IMCOR in the near future?
Looking forward, IMCOR is faced with the same tough competition as others and plans to maintain a tight overhead and continue to think outside the box to remain competitive in a tough marketplace.
