October 2016: Chairman’s Message
Words: Michael SutterHave You Made Your Pledge to the Foundation?
Michael Sutter
Chairman
Mason Contractors Association of America
mike.sutter@suttermasonry.com
With the MCAA Midyear Meeting just completed, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped put it all together. This was my first Midyear Meeting since becoming chairman, so I really didn’t know what to expect. There was a lot of preparation, for sure, but most of the work was done by Jeff and the rest of the staff at MCAA. Everyone was involved in some way or another, including Tim, Todd, Angie and Lorra. Thank you very much for making my first Midyear a success.
My wife, Colleen, and I enjoyed having all of you come to our home state of Arizona, and we hope everyone enjoyed their visit to the desert as well. Just as I promised for the last couple of months, the weather was perfect. Everyone had a blast on the UTV rides, the golf course could not have been better, and we raised a lot of money for our PEC (our political education fund). Speed Dating was a huge success, and the ladies painted some masterpieces that sold for top dollar. We also managed to get all of our business completed and set our agendas for our committees for the next year. Mark Kemp did an awesome job receiving pledges for the Foundation from both contractors and suppliers.
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Well, since it is only the beginning of September as I write this column, I’m really just assuming all of the above. Actually, I’m just hoping for all of the above. We’ll know for sure next month!
Getting on to business, I want to remind everyone again about the Masonry Foundation. The Foundation is our investment in the future of the masonry industry. All the money received after our initial commitments goes into an account that will never be spent; only the earnings made on our investments will be used to fund grants that will support our industry. We can’t let the momentum slow on getting pledges. We started off with a bang, getting pledges from only contractor members, and were successful beyond my wildest dreams. We then switched to suppliers and received large pledges from some national companies. We now need to continue to ask contractors, and also our local and regional suppliers, to help fund the future of the masonry industry. Mark Kemp is the current chairman of our Foundation, and he has done an outstanding job. He has put a lot of miles under his belt, visiting contractors and suppliers across the country and speaking on our behalf. He has been extremely successful because he has a passion for the Foundation, our association, and most of all our industry. We are all part of this great industry, and owe it a debt for everything it has done for each of us. So give Mark a call or send him an email, asking any questions you may have and to make a pledge. Mark can be reached at (262) 781-4777 or mark@superiormasonry.com.
Although we have just completed our Midyear Meeting, I need to remind everyone that our Annual Meeting is right around the corner. As usual, it will be in Las Vegas at World of Concrete/World of Masonry, starting on Jan. 15, 2017. The MCAA hotel is the Aria Resort and Casino. We have put together an awesome program, and the entire week will be action-packed. We will be very busy from morning to night each day. Look to the MCAA website, www.masoncontractors.org, for more details and to sign up early. Or just hop on the brand-new MCAA mobile app. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, visit the Apple Store or Google Play and download it for free. I’m sure you will find it informative and very useful.