Masonry Magazine April 1981 Page. 10
CONFERENCE REPORT
continued from page 9
At 1:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, MCAA conferees made a return visit to the Trade Show and enjoyed a special buffet that was set up in the exhibit area. That evening, more than 500 MCAA members and their wives were entertained at the spectacular musical review, "Hello, Hollywood, Hello," in the huge Ziegfeld Theatre of the MGM.
On Monday, at 9:30 a.m., March 2, President Helbert officially called to order the Opening Session of the '81 MCAA International Masonry Conference. As in past years, the addresses that followed were preceded by the traditional presentation of colors by a Marine Corps Color Guard, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the invocation.
The first address consisted of the Report of the President. Forecasting a slow but sure recovery from the current sagging economy, President Helbert said, "Masonry is now meeting, and beating, its competition more effectively than in the recent past, and the whole industry, through added experience in working together, is becoming more cohesive, resilient and strong."
Helbert characterized 1980 as "hectic and frustrating" from a business standpoint, and predicted more of the same for 1981 in the way of uncertain business conditions. But he pointed to two major factors which could help turn things around.
"The long-range prospects for the building industry and for masonry are excellent. Recessions and inflation postpone building plans, they do not cancel them," he said. "There is every reason to believe that perhaps by the end of 1981, certainly by 1982, market demands will begin to reassert their supremacy over those negative market factors which currently are causing so many problems."
The other major factor, he said, is that MCAA is making "substantial progress" on a broad array of programs, both on its own and in concert with other masonry organizations, such as those national groups comprising the Masonry Industry Committee and Masonry Research Foundation. He also pointed to IMI, IMAT and the International Pension Fund as viable entities created by MCAA in cooperation with the International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftsmen.
He added that the relations between MCAA and its members, and the International Bricklayers' Union and the Laborers' International Union "have never been better or stronger."
10 MASONRY/APRIL, 1981
The popular Masonry Industry Showcase again experienced a typically large turnout, including numerous wives. The annual event, which was staged outdoors in a designated area adjacent to the MGM Grand, featured live demonstrations of rough terrain material handling equipment (facing page) by firms exhibiting at the MCAA Trade Show.
In what he termed his long-range "Goals for Greatness" for MCAA in 1981, President Helbert listed four major immediate objectives:
* A local-level labor relations assistance program for chapters and members.
* Funding of a Masonry Research Trust through collective bargaining.
* Vigorous promotion of associate memberships in MCAA.
* Development of long-range "Goals for Greatness."
"We need goals and objectives that will carry us through to 1990 and which will give the organization the direction it needs to achieve the greatness we all desire for it," he said. "Without a set of long-range goals, MCAA is certain to wander from one problem to another, from one challenge or opportunity to another. We no longer have the luxury of being able to do this.
"Our industry," he concluded, "is, in a manner of speaking, at war with the world for existence. MCAA must be constantly prepared to justify and sustain the position it has achieved."
(Printed copies of President Helbert's "Goals for Greatness" are available on request from the MCAA Executive Office.)
Helbert was followed on the podium by John T. Joyce, president of the International Bricklayers Union, based in Washington, D.C.
Joyce, too, was optimistic about the future promise for masonry. The combination of design trends, energy requirements, environmental sensitivities, economics and public tastes are creating a "very favorable situation for masonry," he said.
Joyce echoed President Helbert's views that the masonry industry sorely needs more in-depth research programs. Reinforcing his comments with a series of color slides, Joyce said, "R&D (research and development) are powerful marketing tools. But they don't have to produce new products to be effective. New design procedures and construction techniques can be just as effective."
Joyce added that while the contemporary masonry bearing wall concept has created new jobs for craftsmen and contractors, the industry has lacked R & D and marketing follow-through.
"The challenge facing us now is to create an industry research program for the 1980s and the decades beyond so that more innovations will be produced. It's a great chal-
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