Masonry Magazine January 2006 Page. 56
News
News continued from page 52
The showroom's welcoming exterior features a covered, arched walkway that leads customers into the showroom. Customers who enter through the tower will step onto a glass floor created with the new IBP Glass Wallk™ system and view a large colorful brick sculpture depicting images from all over the State of Texas.
The dramatic, brick-walled showroom has a broad array of Acme brick color selections displayed on sample brick walls. Large plasma televisions show complete residential and commercial installations, examples of brick sculptures, and installations of the IBP Glass Block System. Customers can also shop for other masonry materials, including stone, "thin" brick pavers and high quality masonry fireplaces.
The beautiful outdoor masonry garden features genuine clay brick pavers in a variety of shapes, colors, textures and patterns that cover the entire 12,500-square-foot area. In addition, there are 148 sample walls that display different blends of brick, natural Texas stone and concrete block that are designed to give customers the opportunity to see masonry options in natural light. The new masonry garden is one of the largest outdoor brick display areas in the nation.
United Rentals Launches Auctions on eBay
United Rentals Inc., a leading equipment rental company, announced the launch of United Rentals Certified Auctions on eBay, the world's largest online shopping destination. United Rentals Certified Auctions will offer a steady stream of quality used equipment-from skid steer loaders, mini-excavators and aerial lifts to generators, welders and more.
The launch of United Rentals Certified Auctions is part of United Rentals' new strategic e-commerce plan to provide customers with convenient online options for purchasing or renting equipment.
American College of the Building Arts Receives Significant Donation
The American College of the Building Arts (ACBA) has announced receipt of more than $10,000 in RIDGID tools, donated by Anderson, S.C.-based Techtronic Industries. The donation is an important component in the creation of leading edge, hands-on learning labs, and includes bench top, stationary and cordless power tools that cross over multiple trades taught at the school.
TMS President's Award Presented to Pat Rand
Max L. Porter, president of The Masonry Society (TMS), presented J. Patrick Rand with the 2005 President's Award for his exceptional contributions to the success of the society at the TMS annual meeting on Oct. 15. During the presentation, Porter noted that the award recognized Rand's career of achievement and his never-ending support of the society. Rand is a professor at North Carolina State University.
Rand has made numerous contributions to TMS and to the subject of masonry. During the presentation of the award, Porter noted that Rand has made more than 28 presentations to the University Professors Masonry Workshops and, accordingly, many members of the architecture faculty have benefited directly from Rand's knowledge. Porter also noted that Rand has produced more than 62 publications, papers and oral presentations since 1990.
NMIA Instructors Review MCAA Training Series
Melissa Polivka, MCAA director of membership and workforce development
News continued on page 56
In October, the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) met and partnered with the National Masonry Instructors Association (NMIA) for a two-day curriculum review of the MCAA's Masonry Training Series manuals in Charlotte, NC. Originally produced in 1995, the goal was to update the content of these four volumes to fit today's students' needs and the current requirements of the industry. As you might suspect, reviewing more than 500 pages of material during these two days was intense, but the results will be extremely beneficial for the students, instructors, Association and industry in general.
During the review, five instructors examined the MCAA Masonry Training Series page-by-page, making updates, edits and additions. Although not much has changed in the basics of masonry construction for hundreds of years, students need to be familiar with the new technologies and terminologies that have arisen over the years. Based on the feedback from the instructors, the MCAA will be making many changes to the books' contents, as well as rearranging some of the curriculum's order and potentially adding additional supplements. A revised edition of the Masonry Training Series should be available in the summer of 2006.
This meeting also provided an excellent opportunity for the MCAA to get insight from instructors "in the field" on the state of recruitment and education within our industry today. The Association's Workforce Development Committee is looking into adding employability skills and other useful information that the instructors feel are lacking in the series.
The MCAA would like to thank the sponsors of this event, Mortar Net and the National Concrete Masonry Association, for contributing the funds necessary to start this high priority project. Also, the Association would like to thank the instructors who donated their time: Jim Fryer, Eugene Johnson, Alonzo Lewis, Max Randolph and Milton Young.
For more information on MCAA'S workforce development efforts, please visit www.masoncontractors.org.