Masonry Magazine November 2005 Page. 58
News
News continued from page 54
# Colorado
Over 300 Denver Public Schools high school students participated in the 2005 Colorado Construction Career Days at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Brighton on Oct. 5 and 6.
The event gives students and educators firsthand knowledge about the construction industry through hands-on activities such as laying bricks, a nail hammering contest, designing a traffic circle, testing materials, surveying, troubleshooting equipment and more. Students were assigned to an industry representative who served as their guide and resource for information during the event.
Representing the masonry industry during the two-day event were Larisa LaBrant, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute (RMMI), as well as volunteers from Berich, Eberlein and Grosvenor Masonry who helped instruct the large group of potential new masons.
LaBrant reports that the Channel 2 News was on hand to cover the event. Many of the teenagers interviewed said their favorite activity for the day was "laying bricks with the masons." Fabulous! RMMI hopes that some of this youthful enthusiasm translates into some bright new apprentices next year.
Colorado Construction Career Days was started to improve the image of the construction industry while providing high school students with an overview of the rewarding and diverse career opportunities available. Colorado contractors, engineers, architects and the state workforce centers have joined together to sponsor this event.
For more information on RMMI, visit www.rmmi.org.
# Las Vegas
Combine business with pleasure at the Hardscape Expo & Conference being held at the Las Vegas Riviera Hotel & Casino, Nov. 14-16.
Some of the feature events include hardscape installation education, certification courses, a hardscape tradeshow and a full series of seminars by Vander Kooi & Associates.
For more information, e-mail holly@hardscapeexpo.com, call (847) 277-0244, or visit www.hardscapeexpo.com.
# Michigan
The Michigan Mason Contractors' Association (MMCA) annual fall meeting and board of director election were held at the Bay Harbor Resort, Sept. 16-18.
Ray Bostwick, Ed Davenport and Kevin Ryan were reelected to two-year terms on the MMCA board of directors.
During the annual meeting, Ed Boettcher updated the membership on MCAA activities. Tony Darkangelo, executive director of the Masonry Institute of Michigan (MIM), gave a report on the MCAA Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., and also updated the membership on MIM and MasonrySystems.org activities.
Planning was also started for the MMCA to attend the MCAA Masonry Showcase in Las Vegas, March 2006.
On the lighter side of things, several family activities were held, including golf, News continued on page 58
# HR XCEL Chosen by MCAA to Provide H.R. Services for Members
HR XCEL, LLC, announced that it has been endorsed by the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) to provide human resource outsourcing, benefits administration and payroll solutions to association members and their employees. HR XCEL is part of The Compleat Benefits Solution, a program that gives MCAA members access to products, practices and services from some of the nation's leading insurance carriers, third-party administrators and human resource firms.
"By working with HR XCEL, MCAA members will have access to human resource services that will allow them to reduce costs and gain additional expertise, all while giving them more time to focus on growing their business," says Jeff Mortland, HR XCEL vice president.
"We are very excited about this new partnership with HR XCEL," says Michael Adelizzi, MCAA executive director. "One of the purposes of the MCAA is to seek out services that will help our members run their businesses more effectively. With the rising cost of healthcare and healthcare administration, we believe we have found a solution that will help alleviate that financial burden and potentially reduce the cost of doing business for our contractors."
The Compleat Benefits Solution is offered to MCAA members as a value-added membership service. Learn more by visiting www.masoncontractors.org or calling (800) 208-4848.