Masonry Magazine April 1993 Page. 8
Meeting the Challenges Ahead
Hope for the future is that through MCAA, ways are found to apply ingenuity to the new opportunities that will present themselves.
KNOWN AS the Year of the Woman, 1992 was a good year for some, but not very good for most. There were some people who became famous. Some people got foolish. People died. Things changed. It seemed like a long year. That's because it was. February 29 gave us 366 days in 1992.
This past year has to rank very high as one of the worst years economically that we have encountered in the past ten years. Not in recent memory have things been as tough (in an ever changing construction market) as they were in 1992, and continue to be in many areas of the country. But one thing we can say is. "So long status quo."
Rarely can the essence of an entire year be captured in a single word, but 1992 was one of those years, and the word was "Change."
That alone is remarkable. As much as we Americans like to think of our nation as the world capital of the pioneer spirit, the reality is that our society fosters a deep and abiding comfort with the status quo.
We like grandfatherly incumbent leaders, steady as she goes... that's the ticket, at least that was the ticket. This past year though, a call for change erupted like a volcano from the American subconscious. And president Bill Clinton, the politician who did the best job in recognizing the eruption and sticking the one word label "change" on it, was rewarded with the presidency.
And what's even more remarkable is, no one seems to know just what shape all this change is going to take. For all the papers, summit conferences, and policy speeches that have abounded, a foggy air of vagueness still seems to cling to the whole process.
During these tough times, many associations scale back and wait for the storm to blow over. But MCAA refused. Instead the association, its officers and staff acted aggressively on behalf of its members to meet the challenges that lie ahead for our industry.
Report of the President
By RICHARD MATTHEWS
President, Mason Contractors Association of America
In my address in Orlando last year, I noted that along with our country's call for change, this was echoed elsewhere in the world, the Soviet Union, Europe and again in the Middle East. Even MCAA had to change, if it expected to meet the challenges ahead. I outlined several areas that we would have to commit ourselves.
MCAA should work closely with allied associations to better coordinate all our efforts to expanding our market share. We must work to expand our membership base, which will result in a stronger more effective association. MCAA should work to improve the industry's image, the quality of our projects, and look beyond our own pocketbooks.
Become more involved
We should be conscious of the industry's future as well. MCAA should revive and expand its educational efforts to keep our members leaders in the masonry industry. Finally, we should become more involved with government relations which dramatically affect our industry. This was an undertaking that raised some questions.
On behalf of my fellow officers, I can report that the state of the Mason. Contractors Association of America is sound.
As we prepared for our summer