Masonry Magazine January 2005 Page. 18
MEMBERSHIP
MCAA has not only relied on passive marketing opportuni: MASONRY ties, but has actively sought out clients and shown through actions how and why masonry should be a part of their next project.
"Marketing initiatives including Fastest Trowel, International Skills Challenge, Excellence in Masonry and our new Masonry: It Makes a Village competitions are exclusive promotional events tailored to directly market masonry products and services to architects and specifers," Faul adds. "Our new partnership with Construct America will also play a large role in influencing masonry clients. This event will provide an outlet for our members and suppliers to grab the attention of architects and specifers to show them everything masonry has to offer, including creative products and uses of masonry that architects and specifers may not have been aware of previously."
Legislative
THE GLOBAL MARKET is an ever-changing scenario, and politics is becoming an even greater part of daily business life in the masonry industry.
"From a legislative standpoint, every bill that our Congress passes or fails to pass concerning construction affects the bottom line of our profit and loss statements," says Bounds. "I firmly believe that this part of MCAA's efforts brings more to the mason contractor than any other single thing we do."
David Gillick, Executive Director of the Mason Contractors Association of St. Louis, agrees that mason contractors need to pay attention to what's going on in Washington.
"If you're in business, you certainly don't have to like politics but you have to be involved in it. That's a big thing with the MCAA and Marian Marshall, MCAA's Director of Government Affairs." MCAA and Marshall's proactive approach in Washington have prevented several OSHA standards and legislative initiatives that could have literally wiped out masonry businesses with a stroke of a pen.
MCAA's proactive measures have meant the difference between business as usual or not at all.
"With respect to the silica standard, because MCAA knew about the proposal early on and decided it was necessary to take a proactive approach to it, I believe the industry will be much better off in the end," says Marshall. "We should be able to fend off some of the worst possible aspects of any standard governing employee exposures to silica."
One such way that MCAA has taken a proactive lead is by having a MCAA member chair the Construction Industry Silica Task Force, which includes several other national contractors' associations.
"The Silica Task Force gives MCAA added creditability as the industry watch dog for the masonry industry and its mason contractor members," says Kemp. "The task force has been able to head off a new OSHA program before it got started. The OSHA