Masonry Magazine January 2001 Page. 21
How did you get into the contracting business?
I grew up living next door to a family of bricklayers. At a very young age I would watch and sometimes help them build different brick projects around their home. Upon graduation from high school I was offered the opportunity to become an apprentice bricklayer. Having worked with my father in his business delivering milk from the age of 9 through high school I developed a strong desire to be self-employed as my father was. When I completed my apprenticeship there were very few projects in our area. My neighbor Ted Kimball and I decided to pick up some work building steps and fireplaces. Within the first year we found ourselves bidding on our first small commercial project.
At the end of our first year Ted resigned from the company to pursue a different career. During the second year my cousin Larry Winchester came on board as a partner. After our sixth year in business Larry decided to sell his share of the business to me and has been with the company ever since working as a Superintendent on our larger projects.
I have been very fortunate over the years to have many dedicated employees, which have worked very hard and taken a great deal of pride in the company. Their dedication, pride, and hard work have been the reason for our success in producing quality projects over the past 32 years.
I became a member of the MCAA because...
The reason I became a member of MCAA was to help support the industry I was working in.
Over the years I have gained a great deal of knowledge from networking with people in our industry throughout the country.
When our children were younger I wasn't able to attend as many of the masonry conferences as I would like to have, but now they are grown and I attend each year. Over the years I have learned a great deal from attending the conferences. The seminars have provided very good information in many technical areas of the business as well as the operation of the business. I also look forward to the Masonry Showcase Exhibits, which provide the ability to see all types of equipment and all major manufacturers of the equipment in one location.
Over the years the MCAA has done an excellent job of providing hours of enjoyment with many social functions they organize for the conferences. These functions provide the opportunity to meet other masonry contractors from around the country.
Although I joined to help support our industry, I have gained considerably more than I have given as a member of MCAA.
I find the thing I like most about the MCAA now is ...
The MCAA provides many services to its members which are very beneficial, specifically to mason contractors. If I had to choose one thing I like most it would be the Masonry magazine. The magazine provides me with an excellent overview of what is happening throughout our industry. It keeps me up-to-date on technical issues suck as mortar testing, flashing installation, ties & anchors, as well as many other technical changes that are occurring throughout the industry.
Business concerns such as the manpower crisis, improving productivity, and safety are but a few of the articles that are very informative. The articles on many different types of equipment and materials have been extremely helpful. I use the equipment and material vendor's advertisements as a resource when purchasing new equipment and materials.
The magazine also keeps me informed on the many educational tools. Safety, Masonry Training Series, Business Management, Forklift Training, and many more manuals, videos, and software on masonry related issues are available through the MCAA. We have found them to be very well done and use them frequently in our training programs.
PROFILE: Ronald E. Clough, Maine Masonry Company Inc.
LOCATION: 75 Manson Libby Road Scarborough, Maine 04074
SALES VOLUME: $5-$10 million
Ronald E. Clough
Pettengill Hall, the new Academic Building at Bates College, Lewiston, ME.
MASONRY JANUARY, 2001 21