Masonry Magazine December 2000 Page. 6
BACK TO THE FUTURE
In the Universal Studios movie Back To The Future, Michael J. Fox traveled through time to see what his life would be like in the future, giving him the ability to change the outcome of his future. How great that would be...to have the ability to speed thirty years into the future to see what would be in store for our industry...and then to posses the ability to change our future if we didn't like what we saw.
In a sense, the Executive Committee of the Mason Contractors Association of America did just that back in July, albeit not in a Delorian time machine like in Back To The Future, but instead at an association long-range strategic planning retreat held at the Coronado Marriott in San Diego. That process was continued in mid-September at MCAA's fall board meeting held at the Seattle Westin. Association officers, committee chairs, staff, and industry supplier representatives met for two days to travel, if you will, thirty years into the future to think about the future of masonry and what our industry and the MCAA's role within the industry will look like.
We debated who our industry's competitors will be. Will masonry be a dominant building product or will we be faced with new forms of building materials to compete against? Will foreign competitors make inroads into U.S. construction and specifically in masonry construction? Or will U.S. based construction firms maintain control over the U.S. construction industry? Will we have available a sufficient number of masons and laborers to install our products especially if we are able to gain greater market share? Will government introduce unforeseen regulations and laws that will cripple our industry and thus, make us less competitive? In addition, we even grappled with the question of whether or not masonry will be a viable building material thirty years from now.
Clearly, most of us will not be active in the masonry industry thirty years from now. It is our legacy our gift to future mason contractors and the future of the masonry industry that we focus on this now - TODAY! If we truly care about our industry and its survival and growth, planning for an unforeseen future should be extremely important to all of us. And as important as it should be to each one of us within the industry, it is especially critical for the Mason Contractors Association of America. Few functions of any association are as important as the strategic governance of any board. Association boards are in a unique position
president's message
to spend time and resources to think about the future and how to protect the long-term interests of its members. The MCAA is in that unique position to protect the long term interests of our members. While individual members work each and every day, worrying about today and getting paid on the jobs they just completed, your association is working to guarantee your future.
As exciting and rewarding as it was to spend two days with fellow board members to debate what the future will bring us, it was even more exciting to discuss, as a board, the steps that the MCAA could implement as an association representing the industry's contractors, to affect the outcome of our perceived future. For the first time in our association's history, we looked thirty years into the future and strategized on what the MCAA could do to ensure the survival of our industry and the viability of our members, and our industry alliances (NCMA, PCA, BIA, etc.) to compete effectively in that future. It was rewarding for me to see our senior officers, regional vice presidents, committee chairs, staff and even representatives of our associate members, eagerly participate as a team to develop measurable goals and objectives to make the MCAA "the recognized global leader with the knowledge and resources to lead the masonry industry and influence the construction industry."
One overriding thought throughout the two-day strategic planning experience was that the mason contractor was the ultimate responsible person in our industry. It is you and I, the mason contractor, who interacts with the customer, we buy the materials, we hire the labor force, and we are responsible for bringing it all together on the job site. More importantly, we have a contractual responsibility as well, since we sign and furnish the warranty - it is our name on the bottom line of the contact. Therefore, it is our obligation to step forward and provide a strong leadership role. What was clear to me during the two day session was that it wasn't only important for us to lead our industry through the Mason Contractors Association of America, but we need to become involved locally in providing a leadership role as well. I urge all of you to become active in building a stronger future for our industry. We must continue to put back into the industry what we take so much out of. After all, the future is made by what we do today. -
Richard M. Johnston, President MCAA