Mason Contractors Step up to Promote Total Masonry Construction

President’s Message

By Frank Campitelli

Few industries in construction spend as much aggregate funds each year as the masonry industry to promote the use of its products. Millions of dollars are invested each year to promote brick, block and stone sales, yet our industry has lost market share.

As the national Association that represents the industry's mason contractors, the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) believes that contractors need to step up and play a greater role in marketing the masonry industry to advance our products and services. We realize that our inactive participation in marketing masonry systems over the years has played a role in our shrinking markets. We do not have the luxury to sit back and not become engaged; we cannot continue to watch as millions are spent each year, while we witness a shrinking market for all of us to compete in. It's been said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again, but to expect a different result. The time to do something different is now.

As a contractor, your future is inextricably tied to MCAA's efforts, our successes and to the vital industry programs that our Association conducts. In November 2006, the MCAA Board of Directors debated this issue during the Association's Midyear Meeting. Overwhelmingly, the Board agreed that the contractor segment of our industry must step up to promote the use of masonry systems. More specifically, the Board agreed that it is time for the MCAA to step up and fund a national campaign to convince designers – both in the academic world, as well as practitioners – of the benefits of total masonry construction.

The MCAA Marketing Committee, headed by chairman Damian Lang, is considering several broad-reaching projects to support with a new marketing agenda.

The MCAA Marketing Committee, headed by chairman Damian Lang, is considering several broad-reaching projects to support with this a marketing agenda.

Years ago, we asked our members to increase their financial support of the national Association so we could hire a full-time Director of Engineering and a Director of Government Affairs. Today, MCAA is the leader for the mason contractors, protecting you in the codes arena and in Washington, D.C. Over the last few years, we have won major battles that have saved masonry companies tens of thousands of dollars each year – far greater than the minimal dues increase that our members have paid.

Once again, the MCAA has asked its members to increase their dues to be earmarked to this new marketing campaign to educate designers about the benefits of using total masonry construction. We realize that the amount we're asking our members to pay is just a beginning. It will take a long, sustained effort to build our markets; however, we are hopeful that others in the industry will join this national effort.

We invite mason contractors not currently members of the MCAA to join us and help us build your future; in addition, we ask our supplier friends to join our effort as well, to expand the use of our system where we will all benefit. With our lead and their additional support, we will be able to accomplish so much.

Currently, the MCAA Marketing Committee is considering several broad-reaching projects to support with this new marketing agenda. We believe that these programs, once presented to the MCAA Board and approved, will have a wide-reaching, positive impact on our markets and our industry's ability to sell total masonry construction.

I applaud fellow MCAA members for making this effort a possibility through your generous membership dues investment. Your leadership and support will soon enable the Association to have a favorable impact on the bottom line of thousands of mason contractors.

I believe that, in five years, we will be able to look back and say that on this day the contractors in our industry lead us to greater markets and greater prosperity.