Masonry Magazine September 2007 Page. 15
Masonry:
What are your thoughts about the masonry industry's current position?
Buczkiewicz:
It has taken a little bit of a hit over the past few years. I think that we're perceived as being a complex system and that one glitch can create problems for the entire job. Will there be workforce issues? Will there be training issues? There have been a lot of different things that have come up, some warranted and some not, but these problems have become a stigma, which is based more on perception rather than reality. So, I feel that our current position is a little weaker than it was a few years ago. However, I have been involved in several studies that found masonry materials in general are still the preferred material by the end user. So I think that we're in a very enviable position. To have been through what we have over the past few years and still be in that type of situation is a tremendous asset. I think that we just need to start reshaping the image of the industry and perception of it, we need to address some of those complexities that exist out there, and we need to redefine them. Sadly, perception is reality, and we need to work on that perception and have it fall more in line with what truly is out there.
Masonry:
Do you feel that MCAA's role in the industry will change in the future?
Buczkiewicz:
I think the role will change rather dramatically in the future. I see us being a national leader and trying to redefine masonry at that level. We need to look at why people have possibly chosen not to use masonry in the past and turn those reasons upside down. And we need to simplify the process for users. The design community is looking for the systems approach. In order to regain market share, we need to unify and have a direct source for masonry systems. It will be very tough to compete in today's world as independent systems. But we're making some strides in that direction. For instance, I think MasonrySystems.org is a step in the right direction. I also feel that, as a national organization, we need to solidify some relationships with state and local groups and build upon them. Each segment and each local marketplace has its own issues to deal with. As a national organization, we obviously can't address all of those specific needs; they are different from place to place. We need to be there to help support them on a wider scale, but we also need them, at the local level, to support us as an organization, as well as on some of the more complex national issues. So, in the future, I think you'll see us more as a facilitator, building relationships and creating a simplified systems approach to masonry.
Masonry:
What priorities are you focusing MCAA's efforts on during the next year?
Buczkiewicz:
I can tell you that our highest priorities, in a broad sense, are marketing, legislative issues, codes and standards, MCAA membership and workforce development. Obviously, those are our core issues that we're always going to focus on. In addition, I think in the next year that we need to focus a little more on redefining ourselves as an organization. A process such as that will really take 12 months to go through and take an honest evaluation of the organization, to see what our resources are, see what we're doing well, and even some of the things that we aren't doing as well.
Masonry:
Any long-term goals for the Association?
Buczkiewicz:
We talked earlier about building relationships with the supplier you're looking for and we'll help put that together with the other segments of the industry. The contractor becomes a conduit for the training, education and some promotional efforts.
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