MCAA Midyear 2018: Austin, Texas

Words: Bronzella ClevelandThis year’s midyear meeting will be held from September 24ththrough 26th, 2018 in Austin, Texas. The Archer Hotel in north Austin will be the main hub for the meeting. Archer brings a luxe boutique hotel experience and sincere Southern hospitality to The Domain and Domain NORTHSIDE – the exciting fashion, dining and nightlife destination. Shop locally loved brands and national favorites. And experience the energetic new Rock Rose, uptown Austin's most downtown street, with iconic Austin restaurants, bars and Viva Day Spa – all steps from Archer. Austin is known for its 250+ live music venues and distinct downtown entertainment districts. But that’s just the beginning. Austin is also home to a wonderful ballet, world-class museums, one-of-a-kind shopping and beautiful outdoor spaces. You can just as easily spend your morning paddling the lake as you can strolling through a celebrated history museum. We look forward to welcoming you to Austin, Texas this September! SCHEDULE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM Optional Event: MAC PEC Golf Tournament – Teravista Golf Club Teravista is a Championship 18-hole golf club that captures the beauty of the Texas Hill Country with views that span for over 50 miles. The rolling terrain provides a challenging 7,200-yard layout and offers 5 different sets of tees that will challenge golfers of all ages and abilities. 7:00 AM shotgun start. Best ball. Prizes will be awarded for: First Place Team, Second Place Team, Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, Last Place. All proceeds will support the MAC PEC. Cost: $195.00 Players must wear soft spikes and shirts with collars. No jeans or denim permitted.  12:30 - 4:30 PM Committee Chair Meeting (with Working Lunch) 5:30 - 8:00 PM Opening Dinner – Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que – Sponsored by EZ Scaffold Get a taste of Texas Hill Country BBQ that restaurant reviewers rave about! Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que is the ‘Best Of The Best’ in the barbecue business and home of the original World Famous “Big Chop.” The Wootan & Cooper Family has provided its World-Famous Pit Barbecue to hundreds of thousands of hungry diners over the years at its family-owned and operated restaurant. 8:00 - 10:00 PM Esther’s Follies — Sponsored by EZ Scaffold For over 40 years, Esther’s Follies in Austin, Texas has been entertaining sold-out audiences with political satire, comedy sketches, Vegas-style magic and hilarious musical numbers. Esther’s has been hailed as “Austin’s answer to Saturday Night Live,” with sharp insightful comedy performed by talented actors, entertainers and musicians. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 6:30 - 7:00 AM Breakfast 7:00 - 12:30 PM Speed Dating – Guest Rooms Speed Dating is a rapid series of short and concise business-to-business meetings between mason contractors and manufacturer/suppliers to openly discuss business needs as well as the latest product and equipment innovations advancing the masonry industry. 12:30 - 1:30 PM Lunch and Speed Dating Raffle – TBD Prizes will be raffled for all attendees who completed a stamp card during MCAA’s Speed Dating. Cost: $225.00 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 7:00 - 10:00 AM Breakfast and MCAA Board Meeting – TBD The MCAA Board Meeting is structured to allow interaction and participation from members. Members of the MCAA are asked to attend and take an active role in shaping the future of the association and the masonry industry. An update on activity of all committees will be given as well. 10:00 - 12:00 PM Networking Roundtable Discussions – TBD Networking Round Table Discussions will engage different positions within a masonry company. The group will address and discuss issues of relevance to the duties they perform. The session will have an appointed leader from within the segment. That person will initiate conversation and coordinate the time for the group. Attendees should be prepared to participate in conversation about the issues at hand and should be willing to share best practices. This is a great opportunity to openly discuss topics with other peers from around the country in a non-competitive atmosphere and for your company to walk away with a host of new best practices to implement in your company.  5:30 - 8:00 PM Closing Dinner – TBD – Sponsored By: Non-Stop Scaffolding The MCAA Midyear Meeting concludes with a reception and dinner at the Archer Hotel Austin. It will be a great, fun-filled evening for all guests of the MCAA Midyear Meeting. 8:00 PM Dessert Reception – Outside Terrace A dessert reception on the outside terrace will follow dinner. Schedule subject to change. SPEED DATING A RAPID SERIES OF SHORT AND CONCISE BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MEETINGS Speed Dating is a rapid series of short and concise business-to-business meetings between mason contractors and manufacturer/suppliers to openly discuss business needs as well as the latest product and equipment innovations advancing the masonry industry. As a contractor, you’ll meet with companies set up in an intimate setting, where they’ll present their latest products and services. Once that meeting is over, you’ll move on to the next appointment to learn how that company will improve your organization’s business and increase profitability. Gold Sponsors STABILA  www.stabila.com For more than a century, Stabila has produced innovative, precision-made tools in the time-honored tradition of German craftsmanship. Stabila will demonstrate the first self-positioning line laser, the layout station, and its extensive line of tools, each factory tested to meet specific job site standards. Stabila is dependable, consistently accurate, and can handle any condition. Raffle Prize: TBD   HUSQVARNA CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS N.A. www.husqvarna.com/us/construction/home Husqvarna is a global leader in outdoor power products. Participating Companies   CAD BLOX, LLC www.cadblox.com CAD BLOX exists to assist in the ordering and installation of architectural masonry products as well as provide BIM for masonry services. CAD BLOX, LLC will be presenting masonry modeling, clash detection methods, and coordinated shop drawings. Other BIM related topics and new tools will be discussed.   CREWTRACKS www.crewtracks.com CrewTracks is field management software made easy. It untangles the mess that lies between the bid and the accounting. The web interface enables you to schedule jobs, dispatch crews and equipment, and view automatically-generated reports in real time, while the mobile app allows field workers to quickly report attendance, work completed, and materials and equipment usage. We will highlight features we have added in the past year specifically for masonry companies, including the ability to allocate time to jobs/phases without using a time clock, and real-time efficiency feedback (e.g. block per hour). CrewTracks makes it easy to gather the information you need to eliminate paperwork, stay within budget, and stop letting so much time and money slip through the cracks. Raffle Prize: iPad   ELITE DISTRIBUTION, INC. www.elitedistribution.net Elite Distribution is a trusted supplier to clients across the USA. Fast service, straight answers and solutions with below market pricing on the widest selection of diamond products in the industry. Elite Distribution will provide a brief overview of DJI Drones, and present the benefits of a few of their unique diamond tools. EXPANDED SHALE, CLAY AND SLATE INSTITUTE (ESCSI) www.escsi.org ESCSI is the international trade association for manufacturers of rotary kiln-produced expanded shale, expanded clay and expanded slate lightweight aggregate. ESCSI representatives will be discussing the value of lightweight concrete masonry units along with the next generation units. Our purpose will be to explore ways to promote these units to assist with the industry regaining market share.   EZG Manufacturing www.ezgmfg.com EZG Manufacturing has rapidly become a leading equipment manufacturer to the masonry and concrete construction market. EZG Manufacturing products are well known for groundbreaking, labor-friendly designs and high quality standards,allo each contractor the opportunity to increase efficiency and profitability, with American Made products. EZG Manufacturing will provide a brief overview on their current products along with discussion possible additions to their line of equipment. They will also have a Q&A session on our equipment. Raffle Prize: Booger Hog with Dust Collection Attachment   FRACO USA, INC. www.fraco.com Fraco is a Canadian manufacturer of mast guided access equipment. Its range of products includes work platforms, construction elevators, industrial lifts, material only hoists and transport platforms. Mr. Armand Rainville, President of Fraco, will welcome its guests and present the Fraco model, a proven method to increase the efficiency of labor bricklayers on the job site.   NORTON CLIPPER www.nortonabrasives.com Norton offers powerful, precise, user friendly solutions enabling our customers to shape and surface finish all types of materials even in the most complex and challenging applications. From abrasives to total job solutions, we deliver the right choices that increase your productivity while being friendly to your bottom line. Norton Clipper will discuss their brand of products and the new MCAA incentive program. They will also focus on high moving equipment and diamonds, silica dust collection, and general business. Raffle Prize: TBD   SCANCLIMBER www.scanclimber.com Scanclimber Oy has been a trusted producer of demanding and safe vertical access solutions for over 40 years. We have successfully matched various requirements without compromising the safety, high quality or durability of our products. Scanclimber is a leading producer of rack and pinion based vertical access systems and equipment.   SPEC MIX LLC www.specmix.com SPEC MIX® is your source for high quality factory produced cementitious products for the masonry industry. From mortars for brick, block, stone and restoration work to stucco to core-fill grouts mixes in 80 & 3,000-pound bags, our 60+ North American based plants utilize quality assurance batching equipment and the finest materials to ensure total product consistency and performance throughout your project. The SPEC MIX team has over 80 experienced technical representatives and dedicated lab personnel that work with designers and contractors to select the best suited product for the building application. When it comes to jobsite efficiency, safety productivity we provide mason contractors with numerous silo material mixing systems that maximize a contractor's cost savings and profitability...Every job! SPEC MIX LLC will discuss masonry mortars and grouts.   XTREME MANUFACTURING www.xmfg.com Xtreme Manufacturing is a leading manufacturer of heavy equipment and construction machinery including lifts, loaders, telehandlers and more. Xtreme Manufacturing will discuss telehandlers including solutions for safe and productive material handling from 5,000 lbs. to 70,000 lbs. For more information on the MCAA Midyear meeting including sponsorship opportunities and registration, please visit masoncontractors.org/midyear or call at 800.536.2225.
Photos: Teravista Golf Club, RoschetzkyIstockPhoto, billnoll
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