St. Louis Hosts MCAA Foreman Development Course

Words: Jeff Buczkiewicz

The MCAA's newly-redeveloped Foreman Development Course went on the road August 24th and 25th in St. Louis, MO. The course was developed and taught by Tom Vacala, Jameel Ervin, and Donnie Williams. The course was developed by masons, keeping masonry essentials at the forefront of the two-day class. Leadership skills, situational experiences, and more are covered throughout the class. 

The class has been developed for those who have the potential to become foremen and those who have been foremen within the industry for years. Everyone should leave with something new to implement at their respective organization. 

The program was created to be a continual development class, and to serve as a networking tool for foremen all over the country. A Foreman Development II Course is currently in development. Next, the class will be taught in conjunction with the Arizona Masonry Council on October 4th and 5th. After that, the class will make its World of Concrete debut in Last Vegas on January 16th and 17th. 

If you are interested in hosting the course for your company or in your area, please contact Jeff at the MCAA office by emailing jeffb@masoncontractors.org for more details. 

Managing the Mysterious Job Site Slowdown
August 2026

Every contractor knows the feeling. A job looks good on paper. The schedule makes sense. The crews are lined up. The material is supposed to be there. Then, for no obvious reason, the whole job starts crawling. That is what makes it so frustrating. Nobod

Sainte-Cécile Cathedral
August 2026

Imagine being handed a set of plans calling for the largest brick cathedral in the world. Now imagine building it without modern cranes, engineered scaffolding, forklifts, power tools, or structural analysis software. That was the challenge facing medie

Why SkillsUSA is the Keystone to MCAA’s Outreach
August 2026

When I stepped into the role of the MCAA’s first Director of Youth Outreach and Education, I knew we had a massive job ahead of us. I am a fourth-generation brick mason, and I have spent over two decades teaching the trade, from working with apprentices a

The First Paycheck
August 2026

Several years ago, Huntley Brothers hired a young apprentice. It was his first real job, and he had never had a paycheck before. Friday rolled around, and he got paid just like everyone else. Later that day, one of the guys told me something I have never