Masonry Magazine April 2005 Page. 14
Contractor
to Contractor
MCAA member contractors respond to the industry issues of the day.
A Family Affair
For brothers Jerry and Jim Painter, masonry is a way of life.
Painter Masonry, Inc.
Gainesville, Fla.
For most people in the masonry business, the Painters need no introduction. An outspoken tour de force in the industry, they have been solid and constant "activists" on everything from apprenticeship training at the local level, all the way to legislation and standards at the national level. Off the beaten path from the usual Q&A style format that you're familiar with, this month's "Contractor-to-Contractor" article, courtesy of The Gainesville Sun, is a shining example of what just one masonry company can do to move the industry forward.
By Marina Blomberg
Gainesville Sun Staff Writer
For Jerry and Jim Painter, masonry is not just a business, it's been a way of life since the day they were born.
Their father, Abe, was a bricklayer in northern Alabama who was in such demand that he never had to ask for a job. At 77, he still shows up for work every day, even though he sold his interest in the business 15 years ago.
By the time his boys were old enough about 10-they were hauling, digging, measuring and doing odd jobs on construction sites all around the country. Now on their own as third-generation bricklayers, they are proud to say they had good training, an honest reputation and a passion for building buildings. Jerry's son and son-in-law follow his footsteps in the craft.
Now the co-owners of Painter Masonry, Inc., the two are working to maintain the standards of the industry as well as train another generation of masons to carry on what they consider a vital and noble pursuit.
"People have neglected to grow the work force properly. Most of the trades in the construction arena have had no proper training. They get on a job, and somehow get it done. But they come in with bad habits," Jerry says.
Jerry, former President and current board member of the Masonry Association of Florida (MAF), says he is a great supporter of apprenticeship programs that, for reasons he can't fathom, haven't attracted more takers than they have.
The MAF learn-while-you-earn program is operated through vocational schools and community colleges throughout the state. "We can take a kid out of high school with a good attitude and a good work ethic, and in three years, he could be making $45,000 or more a year," Jerry says.
The MAF also has a pre-apprentice program through the Department of Corrections. Inmates at all of the prisons can be trained in masonry, "and when they walk out the gate we make sure they have a job waiting for them," Jerry says.
As a member of the Greater Gainesville Area Association for Technical Training (GGAATT), he's had some success in recruiting apprentices from high schools in all the counties that touch Alachua County. GGAATT is made up of contractors, partnering businesses and individuals to promote training in the workplace for construction and maintenance tradespeople.
But Jerry says he is frustrated that more contractors don't take advantage of the program.
While they pay the apprentices' wages starting at about half the going journeyman's rate- there are few other costs involved in the four-year program.
He says he was also disappointed in students' lack of enthusiasm for masonry at the Academy of Construction Technology at Loften High School. "We talked to all the kids at the school and sent letters home to parents. The response? We got two people at a meeting. I guess some mothers don't want that for their kids, not construction, because they've got it in their mind it's not good."
Jim adds, "What other business can you start doing labor and end up owning your own company? You can be what you want to be if you apply yourself."
Jim notes that, as his company's workforce got older and retired, he discovered there were no replacements coming up through the ranks. In fact, "four or five of our retired masons got jobs working at the University of Florida" because no younger people could be found to do the work. "They ended up using these old guys."
The lack of trained tradespeople "is beginning to hurt the developers, municipalities, governmental agencies and the people who maintain buildings," Jerry adds.
He refers to the recent $2 million donation to [the University of Florida (UF)] by Charles Perry to fund a module of classes that will teach building construction students to recognize the quality of work done by plumbers, electricians, masons and other trades.