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
October 2018

Every Person’s Potential

Chairman’s Message

By

As I sit down to write this today, the message that Jeff stepped in to write for me last month came up, along with the picture of me with my father. I’m reminded how fortunate I was to have had him for as long as I did.

One thing I’ve heard people say about him numerous times over the past few weeks is that “they just don’t make them like they used to.” You see, my Dad was a hard worker and an honest, trustworthy guy. I was fortunate that my parents raised me to strive to be like that every day.

Although he was cream of the crop, I must disagree about the saying itself. Here’s why:

I don’t think any of us are naturally “made” to be hard working good people. Genetics only gets us so far, in my opinion. We’re molded and raised to be that waywhether through our families, school, or experiences. There is one thing in common for all of us though.

We all have the potential to be great, despite our situations in life, with the right help and encouragement.

I see this in the young people I talk to out on projects. I see this in competitions like I attended at SkillsUSA. The desire is there but are we, as leaders in the industry, harnessing it?

I learned this trade from men who took an interest in my learning and success- both in the classroom and on the jobsite. My generation was fortunate, forty years ago vocational programs were common in most schools. Although masonry wasn’t one that was offered to me, I still learned responsibility and hard work through the classes I took. On the weekends and after school as kids, we were able to work on farms and on construction sites. There wasn’t all the red tape we have now employing teens on our jobsites. Because of this, many kids coming out of either high school or college haven’t ever really had to physically work.

Masonry is hard. It’s a physically demanding, yet also a physically rewarding trade. For “green” employees, it can take a while for them to become accustomed to this challenge. After all, here in Texas, it was 94 degrees by 9:00 AM and it’s September. We must embrace our new employees and help them to get conditioned to it... just like practicing for sporting events.

That’s why I’m so excited about XYZ University, who is developing a class for us at the World of Concrete. You hopefully read about it in the last issue. This course is meant to help us bridge the gap that most of us know is there between our supervisors and teams. I’m excited to see the research and programs they’ll be putting together so I can use it within our company’s teams.

Speaking of teams, training and onboarding new employees has long been a challenge for our industry. However, by the time you’re reading this, you should already have received notice that some of our new onboarding videos have now been deployed. If you’re an MCAA member, be sure you are taking advantage of these FREE videos. Available in both English and Spanish, they’ll be a key part of the puzzle in helping your company make new employees feel safe and secure as they start their new career.

Since I’m writing this just weeks before the Midyear Meeting, I’ll be covering all the great events from that in the next issue. Stay tuned for those highlights, along with more great things coming from your MCAA!

And, thanks again, to all of you who reached out to our family with the loss of my Dad. It meant so much to us all.

Until next month...

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

“With the MCAA as our guiding light, we will make a difference.”

Brandon Hartsell
Gates Construction Company, Inc.
MCAA member since 1994

Learn More