An Industry Response to a Customer Request
President’s Message
By Tom Daniel
The recent rollout of the MCAA national certification program has been successful. We have contractors registering to qualify for the exam, and suppliers registering as approved providers of educational opportunities for the mason contractor.
Together, the industry is working to help alleviate one of our customers' greatest concerns: quality of work.
During the initial phase of certification, we have heard from a number of long-time contractors who asked why they would need anyone to say they are qualified or certified to do masonry work when our company has been doing it successfully for more than 70 years? MCAA certainly understands these thoughts. However, you must remember that certification is not being done for us in the industry; it is being done to help give direction to the end user in the selection process. Certification will be a tool that architects and owners can utilize in the bidding process to weed out unqualified contractors.
As a contractor, I share in the frustration of working hard on bids, only to have a contractor (who clearly has no business bidding on the work) bid way under the bids of every other legitimate contractor. We all would see this low bid as a red flag and know the architect and owner should throw out the bid, because it simply can't be done that cheaply. However, all too often, the end user will select the low bid (which is way off the rest of the bids) and encounter significant problems on the job. The contractor will take short cuts or may go out of business before the project is complete, leaving the owner with quite a mess on his hands. These experiences give our entire industry a black eye. Certification gives the end users a tool to eliminate these potential issues.
Certification was developed to help those who are not in the industry make wise choices in selecting a contractor. As a fair and equitable program, certification requires all to complete the basic requirements. This includes those who have served on code and standard committees for 30 years, to those who serve on the certification committee that developed the requirements and helped put together the test.
Ultimately, the goal of certification is to help reclaim lost market share by giving the end users tools they can easily use to select quality contractors. Certification is not about companies within the industry trying to impress one another by who is and is not certified. It is an industry response to a customer request to help define quality.
I would encourage contractors who have not yet registered and suppliers who have not become providers to do so today. You may contact the MCAA office today to register for certification. Certification is open to all mason contractors, not just MCAA members.
Chairman’s Message Archive
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Thankful for The Little Things
October 2019
Here’s to Another Successful Midyear 2019
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Texas Masonry Council: The Legacy
August 2019
The American Dream
July 2019
2019 Legislative Conference Recap
June 2019
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Doing Our Part
April 2019
Preparing for D.C.
March 2019
More Than a Little Luck
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Show Your Love For The Industry
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The Opportunities are Endless
November 2018
2018 MCAA Midyear Meeting Recap
October 2018
Every Person’s Potential
September 2018
Recent Updates
August 2018
Masonry’s Future
July 2018
An Offer You Can’t Refuse
June 2018
Worthwhile Work
May 2018
Masonry All Around
April 2018
We’re Washington Bound
March 2018
The Changing Tide And Road Ahead
February 2018
A New Beginning
January 2018
Givers Gain
December 2017
The Reason for the Season
November 2017
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October 2017
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September 2017
Learning From North Carolina
August 2017
Let’s Help Close The Skills Gap
June 2017
Calculating Your Return on Investment
May 2017
Sweet Tea and Grits
April 2017
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March 2017
Things to Remember
February 2017
Looking Forward
January 2017
A Fresh Start
December 2016
Making Our Industry Stronger
November 2016
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Southern Hospitality
May 2016
The 2016 MCAA Legislative Conference
April 2016
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March 2016
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February 2016
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November 2015
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MCAA staying busy and making progress
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March 2014
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Ready for action
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Thanks
December 2013
Happy holidays
November 2013
MCAA Midyear update
October 2013
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September 2013
Workforce a familiar friend
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The MCAA in D.C.
July 2013
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June 2013
Eye opening
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April 2013
First South of 40 Conference
March 2013
Positive movement
February 2013
Headed to Vegas
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New beginning
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My trip to the Rockies
October 2012
The 2012 election
September 2012
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August 2012
Networking
July 2012
Summer time
June 2012
Exciting time
May 2012
Working for you
April 2012
Join us in D.C. next month
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New beginnings
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Farewell!
January 2012
One more to go!
December 2011
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November 2011
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The Future is Around the Corner
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Update From the President
June 2011
The Strong Spirit of our Industry
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A Bright Future
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The MCAA Convention: A Priceless Experience
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South of 40
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Have a Great Summer
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Adding Dollars to the Bottom Line
May 2010
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May 2010
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MCAA is Working for the Mason Contractor
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Moving Forward
February 2010
A Fond Farewell
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A New Year
December 2009
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The Greening of our Industry
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A Successful Midyear Meeting
September 2009
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Brick Voids
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Vision 2020
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State of the Association
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The Silver Lining
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Impact on the Hill
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January 2008
State of the Association
January 2008
Thanks for an Enjoyable Term as President
December 2007
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November 2007
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A Half Century of Service...A Half Century of Leadership
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March 1993
Meeting the Challenges Ahead
February 1961
A Message from Stephen D. Raimo
