Masonry Magazine February 2003 Page. 40
Contractor
Contractor continued from page 14 recapture a greater share of the market.
Masonry: What do you think will be the masonry industry's biggest competitor in 10 years?
Borman: It's hard to say. We have to be on our toes, though, to develop new systems - new cavity wall systems - that will meet the requirements of the projects that architects are designing. And we have to respond to every other new technology that arises with one of our own to counter their efforts to acquire our market share.
Masonry: What do you feel are the most critical issues you'll face with future government regulations?
Borman: Well, certainly ergonomics is one of them. The Federal government has agreed to back away from this issue for a time, but we still have to deal with it on a state level. Washington state is moving ahead with ergonomics. I think some of the ergonomic requirements are unreasonable. I don't believe that someone who works in the construction industry, or any industry, should expect to retire at 50 or 60 years old with the same body that they had when they were 19.
I feel the ergonomics regulations, if they're not mitigated by involvement of people within the construction industry, could have a devastating effect on our ability to deliver quality projects on schedule and within cost.
Masonry: Which group do you feel has the bigger impact on masonry's future, architects, engineers, or general contractors?
I don't believe that someone who works in the construction industry, or any industry, should expect to retire at 50 or 60 years old with the same body that they had when they were 19.
Borman: Architects, certainly the design begins with the architect. The engineer generally offers input, of course, but he or she will engineer the building according to the architect's design. If the architect has chosen to use CMU, then the engineer will provide the information and the data required to complete that design. So, our promotion efforts need to be directed toward architects, primarily.
General contractors, to some extent, have involvement when they do design-build projects. Oftentimes, general contractors use their own workforce to do the concrete work and we often see buildings that might otherwise be CMU go to tilt-up concrete. It depends, too, on the economy. If there's a lot of work, the general contractor will sub it out to CMU; if the GC needs the work to keep his or her workforce going, it'll turn into a tilt-up concrete job.
Masonry: What do you like most about being a member of MCAA?
Borman: What I really like the most is the access to the literature that they have in the library. Oftentimes, problems develop on job sites and we need to substantiate the means and methods that are industry standards within the masonry industry. On several occasions, I have looked to MCAA to provide the documentation that I need to substantiate my claims.