Then. Now. Forever. Words: Dan KamysThen. Now. Forever. Dan Kamys, Editor - dkamys@staging1.masonrymagazine.com Please allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Dan Kamys, and I’m the new editor of this historic publication. First, I want to thank Karen Hickey and the former Masonry staff at Lionheart Publishing for their dedication and hard work at maintaining the magazine for the past several years. They have been nothing short of outstanding during this transition process. I’d like to emphasize how energized our new team is to be the industry’s voice and advocate with the Masonry brand. I say brand as opposed to a magazine because it is my singular intent to take Masonry to the next level. Yes, the print version is still our main focus. However, we will be unifying the digital, social, and eNewsletter components with the magazine. Along with the rebranding, site redesign, social media and brand developments we’ve been working on for the past few months, I am most excited about our new upcoming publication, Masonry: Regional. Masonry: Regional will be a geographically focused publication that will go to six targeted sections of the country starting in March. This will allow us to develop content specific to certain areas, work with smaller suppliers who want to get their message out and develop all new types of relevant content. This is our big chance to both re-engage our current audience while expanding to a younger demographic that may not know as much about the industry. As someone who’s younger, I got a firsthand sense of the industry’s dedication at the MCAA Mid-Year meeting in Scottsdale. I felt incredibly welcomed by all of the attendees and it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. The meeting’s frank discussions on the issues facing the trade were refreshing and reaffirmed my commitment to doing whatever I can to promote masonry. Since the MCAA is now back in charge of running the magazine, it presents us with the ability to further unify Masonry’s message with the Association’s work. We are focused on providing useful, constructive solutions for both the day-to-day life of contractors and the whole industry. The new look of Masonry is quite different, and an evolution of the previous versions. We’ve taken the 50+ years that this publication has been around, and built on that foundation for the audience of today, tomorrow and beyond. The amount of work that has gone into getting the magazine to this point after all these years is commendable, and I remain committed to the small, medium and large businesses we are trying to serve. Small business and hard work are in my blood. My biggest role model is my father. He went from working in a machinery factory without a college degree to owning the company 40 years later. Sacrifice, care for family, concern for employees and a desire to better the economy through hard work and earning an honest living are all principles I got to experience firsthand. These are the same components that are ingrained into the masonry industry. Through my experience working with my dad’s company, I’ve learned not everything is always sunshine and roses, so I’m not going to pretend it is in the magazine. However, I am committed to working with field experts, writers, suppliers, and readers on how the industry can best tackle its challenges. I want to collaborate with you so that Masonry can do its small part in helping to improve the trade as a whole. I consider myself lucky to have been given this opportunity and am ready to face the challenges and opportunities that come with taking over the voice and heart of the industry. So along with everyone here at the MCAA, allow me to welcome you to the new Masonry.