Masonry Magazine April 1998 Page. 27
Our Work Awaits Us
Let us Begin...
For nearly two years now, the theme of my President's message has been "Our Work Awaits Us.... Let Us Begin." It seems however that our work is never done. There is always a new challenge facing us, a new issue to deal with, a new problem to solve, and always an uncertain future to contemplate. We face ever changing problems as mason contractors. Problems from competitive systems attacking our markets, demanding customers, continuous training of employees, collections, taxes, contract negotiations, change orders, punch lists all lending to the feel of utter frustration. We look back to earlier years of when we first got into business and longed for what we remember to be the simpler days and wonder why we deal with all of today's challenges.
It seems as though that our beginnings have no end and that it never seems to be easy. We all swear that had it been this hard to run a masonry business when we started, we never would have gone into the masonry business.
But we are in the masonry business. Most of us raised families by what we earned as a contractor. We provided a good living for the families of our employees. Many of us today are still raising families and hope to have a thriving business well into the future. And we all hope to have a thriving profitable business to turn over to our children.
That's why we must continue to work hard to meet these challenges so that we can look to the future for better times for future mason contractors. We cannot shirk from our responsibilities to build a brighter future.
Your national association, the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) has faced our industry's problems head on. Through our membership and involvement, your association has developed programs, services and materials to help us construct the brighter future we all seek for ourselves, our families and industry.
It's been through your financial support and involvement that the MCAA has become active enough, viable enough and committed to fight on your behalf. Individually, we cannot solve our problems, but collectively, networking with one another, we have strength to accomplish our goals. It is at convention time, that we reflect on our MCAA's year of accomplishment and contemplate the year ahead. Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow members of the MCAA, it is my distinct honor to report to you, that once again, our Association is strong, active and engaged in building a viable masonry industry for us all. The MCAA has had many accomplishments and during the past year, we have accomplished many of the goals we set out for our Association. Equally important, we have established new goals that will guide us in years to come. I am pleased to report that the Mason Contractors Association of America has achieved the following.
Recruitment & Training
As a critical component of running a successful and profitable mason contracting business is the availability of a well trained workforce for us to employ. The MCAA had led the industry in the challenge to recruit new masons and provide quality training materials for our industry's future labor pool.
Focusing the entire industry on recruiting has been our biggest challenge and keeping the industry focused on the long-term program of recruiting new masons will continue to be our challenge.
Masonry Career Day has become the rallying point to motivate the industry to act. This past year, the MCAA held the first Masonry Career Day with great success. Not before this had the industry been focused to act in a unified fashion, contractors and suppliers jointly going to schools to promote our industry as a viable career path. The career day galvanized us with a common goal. Although, career days don't happen on the day we designated, by having one day selected as the national masonry career day, contractors and suppliers are motivated to establish their career day plans. We look forward to our second masonry career day which is February 27.
It is important for us to remember that recruiting our future employees is a long term task. It won't happen overnight or even over a year. It will take years of dedication for our industry to
Donald Larsen
President, Mason Contractors
Association of America
The State of the Association Address Given by Don Grant at the General Meeting in Charlotte