September 2016: Chairman’s Message

Words: Michael Sutter

Who Moved My Cheese?

Michael Sutter Chairman Mason Contractors Association of America mike.sutter@suttermasonry.com

Michael Sutter“Movement in new direction helps find new cheese.” This is a quote from Dr. Spencer Johnson, author of “Who Moved My Cheese?” a business fable about change and opportunities. We are moving some cheese/making a change at MCAA that excites us all. As you will read in the President’s Message, MCAA will begin publishing Masonry Magazine in January 2017. We have always owned the magazine, but we provided only limited content. The editorial content and publishing were controlled by our publisher, Lionheart Publishing. With our contract ending at the end of this year, and after a lot of discussion regarding the pros and cons of renewing our contract, we came to the decision that it is in the best interest of our members and industry to take back Masonry Magazine and control all aspects of it. Doing what is best for our members and industry is our top priority and focus when we make any decision at MCAA. We appreciate our relationship with Lionheart Publishing and our current editor, Karen Hickey. While we haven’t had the opportunity to work with Karen very long, we enjoyed the relationship we had with her and thank her for the work she has done for us. Karen worked very hard during her time with us to learn our industry and the people in it. I want to personally thank Karen for editing my article each month to make it readable! We also thank our previous editor, Jennifer Morrell, for her years of service as our editor and friend to our industry. Of course, we also thank all of our contributors and advertisers for their support and contributions. We want to continue to strengthen our relationships going forward and will do whatever we can to make that happen while increasing the value of the magazine for our readers. We have a lot of ideas and look to begin rolling them out in the January 2017 issue. Please keep an eye out for them, and if you have ideas/suggestions regarding Masonry Magazine that will bring more value to you the reader, let us know. We want to provide content that is rewarding yet challenging. If you are interested in writing an article about your experiences, tips or tricks, we want to hear from you! I have just returned from Austin, Texas, from the Texas Masonry Council convention. The Texas mason contractors are always out in front, leading and promoting masonry in both their state and the country. My wife, Colleen, and I love visiting our MCAA chapters and the old friends we have made over the years, and also meeting new ones. This is a trip Colleen has been looking forward to for a while. You see, she is a huge fan of the TV show “Fixer Upper,” which is filmed in Waco. Susie Odom volunteered to take her to Waco and spend the day seeing everything “Magnolia”! With less than 30 days before the MCAA Midyear event, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it one last time. Our event will be held in my home state, in Scottsdale, Ariz., at the Westin Kierland Resort. It is one of the finest resorts in Arizona, and I promise outstanding weather. There are awesome meeting rooms, Speed Dating rooms, restaurants and outdoor activities to fill your time while there. Please plan on bringing the family. I assure you they will not be bored while we are in our meetings. The Midyear meetings are where we map out our agendas for the coming fiscal year. Our committee chairmen will reveal their plans, along with the executive officers, other committee chairs and members providing direction and focus to our members as we prioritize for the year ahead. I hope to see you there!
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