A Fond Farewell

Words: Tommy Daniel

“This is an opportunity for you to be a representative for all of the mason contractors in the country. To insure the association is financially stable, to continually grow and maintain its position of leadership in the industry.”

These were the words of wisdom that I have tried to lead by.

At the start of my term, I met with the MCAA’s senior officers and our executive director. We agreed on four primary goals. The first was to stabilize our annual convention and its activities. The second was to keep our financials in the black and create a cash reserve. The third, to reestablish strong ties with our other industry partners, NCMA, BIA, BSI and IMI. Lastly, to relocate the MCAA headquarters to a new facility that would be more cost effective for the association.

The MCAA would like to thank Tom Daniel for his strong leadership over the past two years.
The MCAA would like to thank Tom Daniel for his strong leadership over the past two years.

I feel we have accomplished these goals, and when I say “we,” I mean all of us as a great team — the committee chairs, the regional vice presidents, the senior officers and the MCAA staff. Our association would not be as successful as it is today without all of the efforts of these individuals committing their valuable time, experience and expertise to our industry.

In closing, it is hard to express the deep honor and gratitude I feel having had the opportunity to serve as President of the MCAA. Thank you for your support, and I look forward to being an active participant in the association for years to come.

About: Chairman’s Message
PPE That Workers Actually Wear: Building Buy-In Through Education and Smart Selection
August 2026

In masonry construction, personal protective equipment (PPE) is often the last line of defense between a worker and an injury. Yet despite its importance, PPE compliance remains one of the most common challenges on jobsites across the country. The realit

Zero Laydown: Navigating the Logistics of Tight Urban Job Sites
August 2026

In modern commercial construction, spatial real estate has become just as valuable as the materials themselves. The industry shift toward high-density, urban projects means that the sprawling job sites of the past have been replaced by tight footprints wh

Why "The Software Can't Track That" Is Finally Going Away
August 2026

For as long as specialty contractors have used field software, most of them have kept a workaround somewhere: a spreadsheet on a foreman's laptop, a whiteboard in the trailer, or a text thread where crew leads send block counts at the end of the day becau

Monadnock Building
August 2026

Chicago’s Monadnock Building doesn’t dominate the skyline the way it once did. Surrounded by steel-and-glass towers, the dark brick structure can seem almost understated. But for anyone in the masonry industry, it remains one of the most important buildin