Masonry Magazine April 2007 Page. 16
Contractor
to Contractor
MCAA MEMBER CONTRACTORS RESPOND TO THE INDUSTRY ISSUES OF THE DAY.
Mark McCullough
MJM Masonry Inc.
Arlington, Mass.
MJM Masonry was a small operation mainly devoted to fireplaces and other small jobs. As the company's reputation began to grow, so did business. Today, MJM Masonry is one of the largest masonry companies in Massachusetts. Mark McCullough, who heads the MJM team, attributes his company's success to hard work and viewing a challenge as an attraction. McCullough spoke with Masonry magazine about his company's diverse offerings, his philosophy on safety, and where he sees the future of the masonry industry heading.
Masonry: Tell us a little about MJM Masonry's history.
McCullough: We started out like a lot of guys-small. It was just a laborer and myself. We were doing chimneys, steps and that sort of thing. Now we've grown into a mostly commercial operation, although we do custom masonry.
Masonry: What steps did your company take to create this growth?
McCullough: As we grew a little bit, guys my age when we were getting started, they'd end up with a better job from where we met. They were usually in an office and they had capabilities of deciding who is going to do the masonry work. They would get us into their office and give us an opportunity to bid on the project. That's happened a number of times, and it gave us the growth that way.
Masonry: Your website places an emphasis on safety. Tell us some of the steps you take to increase safety on the job.
McCullough: We have a full-time safety officer. One of the things he does is to visit each job twice a week. Once a week, he gives a toolbox talk to each crew on each job. He provides safety glasses, earplugs, helmets, everything the guys need.
Masonry: MJM completes almost every type of masonry work, from commercial, residential, educational and industrial, to repointing, historic restoration and hardscaping. How are you able to offer such a broad range of services?
McCullough: Just having a larger crew with guys with different talents.
Masonry: Tell us a little more about some of the custom masonry work that MJM Masonry completes.
McCullough: For example, on the Pingree School, we had to mimic the masons' styles back when that was originally built. We had to basically use the same tools, which came down to a big, three-pound hammer and a number of different size chisels. We had to basically cut every size stone the way they did years ago, the way they did when the Pingree School was built.
We had to teach 12 guys a style that was different because of the stone.