October 2009: President's Message

Words: Dan Kamys President's Message Tom Daniel

A Successful Mid-Year Meeting

We just completed our 2009 Mid-Year Meeting held at the Hyatt Manchester on the waterfront in San Diego. Our meeting was also held in conjunction with the California Conference of Mason Contractors Association. Both of our groups had excellent attendance. For those of you who were not able to attend, we had a great time. We were able to network and discuss the current economic situation in everyone’s respective areas. Coming to the MCAA meetings lets you recharge your batteries while learning something new. There was no better place to do this than San Diego. This year, we were very fortunate to have four excellent educational presentations added to our regular program. If you are a member of the MCAA and did not get a chance to attend, you are able to view two of these four programs in the Member’s Only section of the MCAA Web site, free of charge. The programs that will be available are:
  • Family Succession (passing on the family business) and

  • Immigration/E-Verify Update.
We had a fantastic final evening in PETCO Park watching the San Diego Padres take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Unfortunately for us from San Diego, Arizona got the best of us that evening. Check out a picture summary of the event at the MCAA Facebook page. I am sure that the other attendees of the program feel as re-charged as I do and are looking forward to February, when we will once again have the opportunity to attend the MCAA Convention in Las Vegas, held in conjunction with World of Masonry. The MCAA will be at the Venetian Hotel, and registration for the program is currently open online. Go to convention.masoncontractors.org to make your plans today. I look forward to seeing you there!
About: President's Message
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