Full Swing

Words: Bronzella Cleveland

Full Swing

Dan Kamys, Editor - dkamys@staging1.masonrymagazine.com

One of the things that’s fun about working on MASONRY is all the opportunities for content that are available. With our primary goal being to provide information contractors will actually find useful, Bronzella and I have had a plethora of ideas to draw from. In this issue, you’ll start to see some topics that we’ve touched on before, but these stories are always worth a read. Here, we’re proud of the stories in this issue. Following up our historic January 2018 issue wasn’t easy, but there’s a bunch of useful and entertaining stories in this issue. How about our cover shot? The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is our first American Treasure of the year, and is absolutely impressive. While I had the chance to visit and photograph the Washington National Cathedral in the summer of last year, it’s interesting to see how the same type of building can look so different. Arguably the largest Anglican cathedral and church, this Cathedral is also the fifth largest Christian church in the world. The photos taken by our photographer are absolutely amazing. Additionally, you’ll see an interesting story on workforce development in this issue. ProBlock, one of our advertisers, found an interesting way to work with other companies to leverage the power of the regional Fastest Trowel on the Block competition. By inviting high school students to spend a day immersed in masonry, it created a unique opportunity for the trades to be put on display. Workforce development is one of the advocacy areas that we aim to cover extensively with MASONRY, and events like this are paramount to the continued growth and success of the industry. We like to see that our advertisers are more than people just trying to sell their products or services. We like to see them involved in the trade’s future success as a whole. Frankly, it’s just good business. Our team’s goal for 2018 is to show that masonry isn’t divided into camps. This industry isn’t separated into designers, manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, masons, tenders, apprentices, and the potential workforce. Masonry is all one. It should all flow together in a way that makes it seamless. I view MASONRY’s role in all of this as being the one to explain and prove this theory. If we can get all the respective parties I listed above pushing with all their intensity in the same direction, we will hit critical mass in terms of moving things forward. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of work to make all of this happen. But again, the growing role of our magazine within the industry is one of the small keys to our collective success. I look forward to the continued ride and hope you enjoy this issue! dsig
Marvelous Masonry: Basílica de la Sagrada Família

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, one of the most renowned architectural landmarks in the world, stands as a masterpiece of Antoni Gaudí's vision and a remarkable example of how masonry techniques have evolved over time. The construct

By: Cassandra Shea
About: Spotlight
Read More
Contractor Tip of the Month: The Challenges of Leadership

If you read my columns regularly, you know I enjoy employing sports analogies. It is not just that I love sports, which I do—Go Bengals. The parallels between sports and business are very relatable and evident, whether I am watching or participating. Take

By: Damian Lang
About: Featured
Read More
Business Building: Slap Their Backs To Win!

My first year in high school, I went out for the water polo team. Our coach for the “B” team was also the head baseball coach who never played water polo and couldn't swim. As the season progressed, we learned the basics and began to gel as a team. I like

By: George Hedley
About: Featured
Read More
Fechino Files: Masonry Square

I hope this article finds you finally cooled down from this hot summer. Everywhere I went felt hot and sticky, well, except for Bozeman, MT. When you are in Bozeman, everything is cool. I have been working as a laborer, sawman, brick washer, and bricklaye

By: Steven Fechino
About: Featured
Read More