Amerimix
CrewTracks
EZ Scaffold Corp.
EZG Manufacturing
Hydro Mobile, Inc.
Loot
Non-Stop Scaffolding
PROSOCO, Inc.
SOLA/Keson
SPEC MIX LLC
Stabila
Westlake Royal Stone Solutions
Find-a-Contractor Masonry Buyer's Guide
May 2008

An Industry Response to a Customer Request

President’s Message

By

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.

Masonry Certification
Masonry Certification

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

The American Dream

August 2019
The American Dream

Doing Our Part

May 2019
Doing Our Part

Preparing for D.C.

April 2019
Preparing for D.C.

Recent Updates

September 2018
Recent Updates

Masonry’s Future

August 2018
Masonry’s Future

Worthwhile Work

June 2018
Worthwhile Work

A New Beginning

February 2018
A New Beginning

Givers Gain

January 2018
Givers Gain

Things to Remember

March 2017
Things to Remember

Looking Forward

February 2017
Looking Forward

A Fresh Start

January 2017
A Fresh Start

Who Moved My Cheese?

September 2016
Who Moved My Cheese?

Giving back

December 2015
Giving back

An exciting year ahead

February 2015
An exciting year ahead

Defining success

December 2014
Defining success

Staying busy for you

August 2014
Staying busy for you

Ready for action

February 2014
Ready for action

Thanks

January 2014
Thanks

Happy holidays

December 2013
Happy holidays

MCAA Midyear update

November 2013
MCAA Midyear update

The MCAA in D.C.

August 2013
The MCAA in D.C.

A Lot Happening

July 2013
A Lot Happening

Eye opening

June 2013
Eye opening

Positive movement

March 2013
Positive movement

Headed to Vegas

February 2013
Headed to Vegas

New beginning

January 2013
New beginning

It’s finally over

December 2012
It’s finally over

My trip to the Rockies

November 2012
My trip to the Rockies

The 2012 election

October 2012
The 2012 election

Stay involved

September 2012
Stay involved

Networking

August 2012
Networking

Summer time

July 2012
Summer time

Exciting time

June 2012
Exciting time

Working for you

May 2012
Working for you

New beginnings

March 2012
New beginnings

Farewell!

February 2012
Farewell!

One more to go!

January 2012
One more to go!

Join us in Vegas

November 2011
Join us in Vegas

As the world turns

August 2011
As the world turns

A Bright Future

May 2011
A Bright Future

Tidbits From MCAA

March 2011
Tidbits From MCAA

Time Flies By

February 2011
Time Flies By

The End of the Year

December 2010
The End of the Year

Busy Times!

November 2010
Busy Times!

South of 40

October 2010
South of 40

What Are We Doing?

August 2010
What Are We Doing?

Moving Forward

March 2010
Moving Forward

A Fond Farewell

February 2010
A Fond Farewell

A New Year

January 2010
A New Year

Start the Year Strong

December 2009
Start the Year Strong

MCAA in D.C.

September 2009
MCAA in D.C.

Brick Voids

August 2009
Brick Voids

Vision 2020

February 2009
Vision 2020

State of the Association

February 2009
State of the Association

The Silver Lining

January 2009
The Silver Lining

Impact on the Hill

June 2008
Impact on the Hill

New Horizons

February 2008
New Horizons

Wrapping up Another Year

December 2007
Wrapping up Another Year

Greetings From Italy!

November 2007
Greetings From Italy!

We Need Your Help!

January 2005
We Need Your Help!

The Strength of Unity

November 2003
The Strength of Unity

Changing of the Guard

February 2002
Changing of the Guard

“The MCAA is always a great resource for information.”

Travis Frantz
United Masonry Incorporated
MCAA member since 2006

Learn More