Report of the MCAA Marketing Committee

Vision 2020

The MCAA Marketing Committee continues to play an important role in funding and assisting the Vision 2020 program to ensure its success. The MCAA is working closely with the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) and other industry partners to form teams of contractors, laborers, suppliers and other affiliated industry representatives that will work with community planners to convince decision makers to utilize masonry and implement masonry ordinances.

Marketing Committee members are encouraged to join or establish teams in their areas.

New Logo and Mission Statement

The Marketing Committee formed a task group at the 2010 MCAA Convention in Las Vegas to develop a new logo for the association. The task group is pleased to announce that a new logo was created and unveiled in late April of this year.

MCAA’s redesigned logo gives a modern look to an iconic masonry figure: the pyramid. The pyramid symbolizes the strength and longevity of masonry building products; an image that represents both the Association and the masonry industry well.

The task group was also asked to craft a new mission statement for the association, and would like to present the following statement for consideration:

The Mason Contractors Association of America is committed to preserving and promoting the masonry industry by providing continuing education, advocating fair codes and standards, and marketing the benefits of masonry materials.

Committee chairman Damian Lang and the entire MCAA would like to thank everyone who has volunteered time toward the new logo and mission statement creation process.

Rebuilding Haiti

The MCAA has been working with the Dominican Republic to develop a program where members of the MCAA will be invited to open contracting companies in the Dominican Republic with training support of the domestic employees from the government and the MCAA. The Dominican Republic currently has some very enticing tax free incentives and the opportunities are plentiful in the country.

Military Construction

The Mason Contractors Association of America has teamed up with the Masonry Institute of Michigan (MIM) to promote the use of masonry in military construction.

MCAA Executive Director, Jeff Buczkiewicz, MCAA members Mackie Bounds, Paul Odom, and Steve Borman, and Masonry Institute of Michigan Executive Director, Dan Zechmeister, recently met with Pentagon officials to present the valuable benefits the military would reap by taking advantage of the masonry building system. While the meeting was encouraging, there is still a long way to go.

The MCAA hopes to continue to develop a relationship with the military and is hopeful for increased use of masonry in military structures.

Market Expansion

A task group within the Marketing Committee has been formed to study new ways mason contractors can expand our markets and evaluate how to impact construction managers. Ed Davenport of Davenport Masonry agreed to lead this task group.

Members attending the 2010 Midyear Meeting are encouraged to attend the Expanding Your Markets education programs. Two programs will be offered - one covering pavers and another about segmental retaining walls.

Green Building

It is the opinion of the Committee members that green building is the next big wave of building practices and that the MCAA must educate owners and architects about the green values masonry has to offer.

The Marketing Committee is looking for an individual to head a task group focused on researching green building and the benefits of using masonry in environmentally focused and LEED construction projects. If you are interested in leading this task group, please contact Committee chairman, Damian Lang.

MCAA Website

The Association’s website, www.masoncontractors.org, continues to grow on a daily basis. Our site is viewed by thousands of unique visitors each day, and millions across the globe search for news and information regarding the best building system on the market: masonry. The site has grown significantly over the past seven years and has become a hub of resources for contractors and suppliers and is an important promotional tool for architects, specifiers, officials and other potential customers. We are proud that the website is the best site in the masonry industry.

The Year Ahead

The Marketing Committee continues to look into and develop a wide range of programs focusing on educating the design professionals in our industry and recapturing lost market share. By continuing a strong and effective contractor driven marketing effort our industry will flourish.