Chairman's Message: Starting 2021 On the Right Foot

Words: Paul Oldham

Paul Oldham, MCAA Chairman

  We hope everyone was able to enjoy the Christmas Holiday, even though I’m sure it was a little different than in the past. This year our holiday was really just focused on our family.  I know we get caught up in all the activities like most do today, but 2020 definitely provided a reset.    In our office, we have been focusing on bidding work, as well as balancing the backlogged work, which was definitely a challenge for us in 2020 and now heading into 2021. From talking to competitors and other trades, that seems to be a common issue the construction industry is facing in our area. Mid 2021 is looking up due to all the hard work we have put in with the design professionals this December. In these changing times, the MCAA is continuing to look for new ways to provide benefits and resources for our membership. One example is the rebuilding of the Foreman Development Course. In 2021, the first phase of the new Foreman Development Course is coming your way. Thank you to members Tom Vacala, Danks Burton, Donnie Williams, and Jameel Ervin. This group has worked closely with the MCAA staff to develop a new version of the course that has roots directly tied to actual in-field experiences. I have all the confidence that this team has added even more real-world information to adapt and cover the new challenges we have faced in the field. We are also looking into how we can offer this course along with others remotely. The Check-Off program is a big topic for our Industry in 2021. I’m not sure as I write this when the vote is happening but the goal is for it to happen. There are many different views on this program and whether or not a program should be mandatory or voluntary. The jury is still out on that. We have seen Florida lead the idea of a voluntary program and Arizona soon after that put theirs together and are seeing success. The MCAA has supported this from the beginning and continues to support the big picture idea that our Industry needs a Check-Off program. It is our hope that if the vote should fail that the producers can come together and find a common ground on making something work. We as contractors support something being put in place. I would like to remind everyone of our Annual Meeting that is coming up February 7th thru 10th in Captiva, Florida. The rebuilt Foreman Development Course will be offered, Committees will meet, we will hold our Annual Business Meeting, and Masonry Strong Live will be debuted. Additionally, there will be golfing, networking with fellow mason contractors and manufacturers, and great weather. So if you have not registered or booked your room, please do so and we will see you in just a few weeks.
About: Chairman’s Message
GEN NXT: Mason Paolini
May 2026

This month, the MCAA got to talk with Mason Paolini, a mason who has a clear passion and talent for the trade he has such high praise for. Read about Mason’s story and why he sees a future in this industry. Mason Paolini’s career began with a simple desi

Justin Stengel
GEN NXT
Read More
Marvelous Masonry: Tianjin Zhongshuge Library
May 2026

It is not unusual today for masonry to be treated as a surface decision rather than a structural one. Too often, brick enters a project late in the process, trimmed back by budgets or reduced to a veneer once the “real” building work is finished. The Tian

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More
Fechino Files: Concrete Pavers around a Pool
May 2026

Many folks over the years have placed concrete pavers around their pool as a nice form of decorative pool deck. Early in the 2000’s, I took a class held by the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute, then known as the ICPI. At the time I attended the class

Steven Fechino
Fechino Files
Read More
Chairman's Message: Staying the Course
May 2026

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. There’s energy in the air. Jobs are picking up. Crews are hitting their rhythm. Schedules are filling up. You can feel momentum building again. And every year around this time, I find myself thinking about con

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More
Interested in working with us? Learn about and join the Masonry Alliance Program →