MCAA’s 2021 Annual Meeting: Captiva Island, Florida

Words and Photos: MASONRY Magazine

The MCAA held its 2021 Annual Meeting in Captiva Island, Florida February 7-10th. The annual meeting held the first MASONRY STRONG Live series as well as MCAA’s newly designed and formatted Foreman Development course. Were just a few interesting things attendees could take part in during this event. 

 The Foreman Development Course took place on Sunday, February 7th, and ran from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM. The course instructors consisted of Tom Vacala, Jameel Ervin, Danks Burton, and Donnie Williams. These four industry professionals rebuilt the course from the ground up and put decades of experience and knowledge into this 8-hour course. This was the first part of a two-part series and was intended as a beginner course. Be on the lookout for the Foreman 202 course, which will be held for the first time at the January 2022 World of Concrete. Golfing and the opening reception were also held on Sunday following the Foreman Development Course. 

The MCAA Board and Committees met on Monday, February 8th, in the first half of the day. Following the meetings, the Contractor Roundtable Discussion took place and was open to all attendees. The conversation was moderated by Paul Cantarella Jr. That evening, the MCAA hosted a cookout on the beach with a complete spread and all the fixin’s. It was an excellent opportunity to network with fellow members, enjoy the beautiful weather, and get ready for the action-packed days ahead. 

MASONRY STRONG Live was a two-hour social show that was shot in front of a live audience of attendees on Tuesday, February 9th. The show consisted of 4 education sessions mixed with advice from legends in the masonry industry. The broadcasts were shared on social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube and reached 56,000 views in just one week. 

The closing dinner concluded the MCAA’s annual meeting festivities. At the dinner, MCAA Membership Director Todd Frederick led the evening’s conclusion by announcing the winners of the event’s golf tournament- and also sharing some special news! We’d like to congratulate long-time members Steve Wheeler and Anna Weickhardt on their engagement, which took place in Florida during the annual meeting. 

Hot This Time of Year
July 2026

Yes, summer is hot; that is just how it is. Summer heat can have effects on many things, and as I get older, I realize there is usually something I can do to tolerate the hot days. We all know the obvious, and I am sure every one of us has that person who

Steve Fechino
Fechino Files
Read More
The Walls We Build
July 2026

As masons, we spend our careers building walls. We build them with brick, block, stone, and mortar, and we take pride in making them straight, strong, and built to last. But over the years, I’ve learned there is another kind of wall we build—the walls we

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More
Owen Heimbach
July 2026

This month, the MCAA had the pleasure of speaking with SkillsUSA First Place Winner Owen Heimbach, a young mason just starting out whose enthusiasm for bricklaying is truly contagious. His passion for the craft was evident throughout our interview.

Justin Stengel
GEN NXT
Read More
Backfill Your Foundation
July 2026

I’ve been noticing an uptick in a very specific kind of application lately, and once you see the pattern, you can’t unsee it. The résumé usually reads like a family photo album. “Started helping my dad when I was 15.” “Worked summers, then full time.” “R

Corey Adams
Building More
Read More