The MCAA is forging the future of masonry

Words: Donald McCauleyThe MCAA is forging the future of masonry. One of the goals of the MCAA is to validate the architects, owners, federal, state, local governments and general contractors that thru certification our mason contractors are “qualified”, “well trained”, “well educated” and can professionally handle the challenges that building projects in the 21st century can bring.

While there are great masonry contractors and some great regional masonry associations in all areas of the country, we as an industry have not been able to join together as a whole. This has allowed other trades, other industries to steal “market share” from masonry. This is happening not because masonry contractors don't know what they are doing but because of perception and a few “bad apples”.

By perception I mean that there have been numerous occasions that a general contractor or owner have given jobs to an unqualified mason contractors for a “ridiculously” low and “unqualified” bid and those unqualified masonry contractors have laid waste and pillage to a jobsite, through poor workmanship, sub quality materials, poor coordination, delaying the project through lack of manpower, not supplying the correct equipment and simply cutting corners trying to save money.

Everyone reading this article knows of occurrences where this has happened and felt the implications. One of the first things mason contractors hear when they get to a new projects is that masonry in the past has left a “bad taste” in their mouth. When you dig deeper and start peeling back the layers of the onion, you find out that this stigma is usually from one or two encounters with an unqualified masonry contractor, not the industry as a whole.

I have been in the masonry industry for my whole life and I hear all the time from other masonry contractors that they are, “sick and tired of losing jobs to a masonry contractor that is unqualified to do the project or is not totally above board in their business practices,” but that is the end of it; no more is said or done.

Well here is our opportunity to do something and let your voice be heard. Masonry contractors can take steps toward insuring the other masonry contractors they are competing with are qualified and operate with ethical business practices through joining the MCAA and becoming a Certified Mason Contractor.

The MCAA can then promote to architects, owners, federal, state, local governments and general contractors a well-organized national organization of masonry contractors and suppliers that are well trained, well educated and qualified to meet the challenges and desired outcome of each and every project.
Designing for Performance: Key Considerations for Efficient, Durable Masonry Projects
August 2026

A successful masonry project starts well before the first stone is set. The craftsmanship on site matters, of course, but many of the decisions that shape the final result are made much earlier—during design, detailing, and material selection. Those choic

Jeff Tew
MAP Partner
Manufactured Stone MAP Partner Stone (Exterior) Stone (Interior)
Read More
Change Orders: Standard Operating Procedure
August 2026

In masonry construction, change orders are not occasional events; they are guaranteed. Drawings do not always match field conditions, specifications can conflict, and real-world construction has a way of exposing gaps in design. At DRP Masonry, we operat

Donnie Williams
Resources
Read More
RFIs: Clarity, Communication and... Hierarchy?
August 2026

In construction, any project starts with drawings. Plans. Schedules. Specifications. Whether we're talking about new construction, additions, or restoration, there is a plan, there is design intent, and a way every piece of a project needs to fit together

Kate Vienna
Technical Talks
Read More
Zero Laydown: Navigating the Logistics of Tight Urban Job Sites
August 2026

In modern commercial construction, spatial real estate has become just as valuable as the materials themselves. The industry shift toward high-density, urban projects means that the sprawling job sites of the past have been replaced by tight footprints wh

Shayne Sanders
MAP Partner
Read More