MCAA Board Approves New National Initiatives

At the recent Mason Contractors Association of America Midyear Meeting in Maui Hawaii, the Board approved two far reaching initiatives that will have a major impact on the use of masonry and the contractors that will be selected to build future masonry projects.

Approved by the MCAA Board of Directors was a national mason contractor certification program targeted toward improving the professional capability of the industry's quality contractors and then ensuring the selection of those certified contractors by industry construction customers. The program seeks an aggressive and extensive educational program for both the contractor and their supervisory personnel followed by national exam that contractors must pass in order to achieve certification. The association is already engaged in gaining support from key customer groups that will ultimately specify the use of a certified mason contractor on their projects. Contractors are already working toward their certification by taking the required educational programs. The first exam dates are expected in the fall of 2007.

Also approved by the Board is a move by the association to become engaged in masonry promotion through a new effort to educate construction designers. Heading a call from nationally recognized architect, Chris Huckabee, the MCAA Board recognized the need for the contractor segment of the industry to step up nationally to promote the greater use of masonry systems by construction customers. Millions of dollars are spent on promoting the use of masonry materials while the industry continues to lose market share to inferior systems such as tilt-up. The Board recognized the need for the contractors to become engaged in promoting masonry at a national level and how our unique role in the construction cycle can benefit in educating and convincing customers to use total masonry construction. The Board approved the establishment of a national fund which will support a new educational program targeted to designers, both at the academic level as well as practicing designers. The association will ask members and suppliers to fund this new national initiative.

For further information about the MCAA and its programs, call the MCAA National Office at 800-536-2225 or visit www.masoncontractors.org.