Masonry Magazine December 2001 Page. 41
GRANT CONTRACTING CO. RECEIVES FAMLY BUSINESS AWARD
St. Louis, MO-Grant Contracting Co. has been awarded first place in the Small Company (1-50 employees) division of the Eighth Annual Mississippi Valley Family Business of the Year Awards, a competition sponsored by Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Tim award was announced at an awards dinner at the Hyatt Regency Union Station on October 11, 2001.
Competing firms were judged an a number of criteria including innovative business practices, effective family life-business life linkage, contributions to the community and industry, and multigenerational family management.
Grant Contracting Co., founded in 1946, is a Fenton-based masonry construction firm. Donald and Brian Grant are the owners.
The company's projects include the Missouri Botanical Garden's Boxwood and Chinese Gardens, the Monsanto Research Center, and the Compton Drew Learning Center; the St. Louis University School of Law, the St. Louis Children's Zoo, the Sheldon Concert Hall Annex, the Fenton River Chase, and the St. Gerard Majella Parish Main Hall.
The Masonry Institute of St. Louis serves as an educational and informational resource for those interested in masonry design and construction.
TIME TABLE
February 6, 2001
Excellence in Masonry Awards Banquet. Call Jeff at MCAA for more information. (800) 536-2225
February 6-9, 2002
MCAA's Masonry Showcase
Phoenix, AZ, For further information or to receive a registration brochure, contact the MCAA at (800) 536-2225.
February 7-9, 2002
Architects' Masonry Symposium. Call Jeff at MCAA for more information. (800) 536-2225.
February 9, 2002
Masonry Skills Challenge International Competition. Contact Kim at MCAA at (800) 536-2225.
February 26-March 2, 2002
National Chimney Sweep Guild 2002 Annual Convention Grand Opening of the CSIA Chimney and Venting Technology Center "Where History and Progress Meet", Indianapolis, IN, The Adams Mark Hotel at the Indianapolis Airport. Contact the NCSG Office at (317) 871-0030, fax (317) 871-0841, or email office@ncsg.org
FASTEST FENCE CONTEST
For the second time, a unique competition called the "Fastest Fence Contest" took place in Phoenix on Saturday, October 27th in conjunction with the Region 6 Masonry Skills Challenge and the Arizona Fastest Trowel Contest. Concrete Masonry fences is a large business in both Arizona and Nevada in which the industry takes pride. The competition is modeled after the successful Fastest Trowel Competition held annually. Contestants had fifteen minutes to build a 24-foot long fence.
HOME GROWN TOOLS
Homegrown Tools features innovative tools and ideas adapted by contractors from around the country. This column does not accept tools or ideas that are for sale by a manufacturer. The only ideas or tools published will be "homegrown." We encourage readers to submit their own "Homegrown Tools" to the editor of Masonry Magazine at 1910 S. Highland Ave. Ste. 101 Lombard, IL 60148. The publisher of this magazine does not endorse or promote the use of any of these ideas or tools. Readers should evaluate these ideas for safety and effectiveness and adapt their own thoughts on the usefulness of these tools and ideas.
This month's feature submitted by: Steven Fechino, WASCO Masonry, Nashville, TN
I install segmental retaining walls. With this work, often jobs require reinforcement grids, which are cumbersome to move and cut to length by one employee. We designed the following rack, which served our purpose.
This rack fits in the bed of a 16' utility trailer, it can be flown around a jobsite by crane with the use of straps. It organizes the grid to one central location and allows the grid to be easily cut to length by a single employee.