Masonry Magazine August 2002 Page. 10
Contractor
to Contractor
MCAA member contractors respond to the industry issues of the day.
Roy Swindal-MasonryArts, Inc.
Roy Swindal is president of MasonryArts, Inc. Bessemer, Alabama.
The company began operations 50 years ago by installing heavy masonry exterior claddings; it opened as an entity on its own in 1979. Today, Masonry Arts is a single-source curtain/window wall contractor for a wide variety of commercial and renovation/restoration projects. In addition to renovation work on the Pentagon in Washington, DC, MasonryArts completed a 17-story reclad for Chase-Manhattan Bank in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is currently reglazing the Sears Tower in Chicago.
Masonry caught up with Roy Swindal just before he left for a whirlwind business trip to Europe. This is what he had to say about the masonry industry.
Q: What do you feel is the biggest misconception about the masonry industry?
Swindal: On the residential side, I don't think the general public understands the building materials they're using, the quality of the materials they should be using, and the actual longevity of those materials. We also have an image problem that we can't get the brickwork done, on time, and done correctly. That's incorrect.
On the commercial side, one of the first things commercial contractors do on buildings is to change to a cheaper skin-EIFS, some type of wood, or something else because they think that's going to save money up front. But it doesn't save long term costs, especially for a commercial building that has a 50- to 100-year life.
Q: What would you do to change that misconception?
Swindal: We must develop a nationwide marketing program. We have to educate both end users and contractors for both residential and commercial projects about masonry, the inherent qualities of masonry, and that people are available who can install these products correctly.
Next, the people we're now bringing into the trade must have some pride in what they're doing. Not, "I'm going to be a bricklayer because I couldn't be a computer operator." We've got to get that pride back to "I'm a bricklayer because I enjoy working with my hands and creating walls of all types of masonry products. I make a good living. And I'm responsible."
That is a hard, hard sale. Last, we have to police our industry. We've got to find ways to rid ourselves of unqualified contractors who are affecting our name and our ability to do this business.
Q: What are your three biggest concerns in keeping your company successful?
Swindal: First, quality training programs that keep good people interested. One thing I learned long ago: Young people keep your company young, growing and profitable. Training programs must be an integral part of the whole idea of us staying in business and making any money.
Second, masonry contractors must be paid on time. If not, I can't grow because I can't improve my liquidity and improve my equity. I can't get stronger because I never have enough money to operate or to do the next size job.
My third concern is the solidarity among suppliers, manufacturers, equipment producers, and masonry contractors who sell our products. We have to promote masonry products so we don't lose any more market share.
Q: What do you feel is the industry's biggest challenge in the near future?
Swindal: Building materials that compete with masonry products. We need to promote our products from the quality end. We're not the Yugo, we are a solid product. We are quality product. And we're one of the only products left that is installed in most cases one piece at a time, by hand.
Q: Where do you think the masonry industry is going to be 10 years from now?
Swindal: Because of labor shortages and the incredibly short schedules to build buildings today due to owners wanting a faster return on their money, we're going more toward unitized construction. In the past, that has been historically more expensive to do than conventional masonry.