Chairman's Message: Mentoring Past and Future

Words: Dick Dentinger

My wife, Sheryl, walked from her office to mine and placed the September issue of Masonry Magazine on my desk. She opened it to page 52 and said, “Look at this picture and tell me the first thing you see.” I gave it a quick glance. The top half of the page had a bold heading that read “Our Greatest Focus Is Inspiring the Next Generation.” It was a quote from Rob Barnes, third-generation CEO of Dee Brown, Inc., an over 70-year-strong masonry company out of Dallas, Texas. The bottom half of the page had an early 1980s photo of a few dozen MCAA people sitting at banquet tables at an MCAA convention. The photo was doctored to give it a patina appearance. My first reaction was to comment on the great quote from Rob Barnes. Sheryl interrupted and insisted I actually look at the picture. “What’s the first thing you see?” she repeated. I followed my orders and actually looked at the picture. Then, I smiled. Right there, in the middle of the gaggle of MCAA folks from back in the early 1980s, and in the center of a table, sat my parents, Bill and Shirley Dentinger. They were surrounded by a group of giants from our industry’s history. They were all looking forward, toward the camera, toward the future, and toward all of us. They all offered satisfied smiles with a hint of exhaustion. They appeared proud, strong, and steady. My guess is, the picture was taken after several days of meetings, which, not unlike today’s MCAA conventions, would have focused on how to help ensure our industry remains vibrant for those who would come after them. Each and every one of those special people pictured in the old photo obviously succeeded in their efforts.

We’ll see lots of vintage photos at the MCAA 75th Anniversary Midyear Meeting next October on Mackinac Island, Michigan. As is the case with old pictures, and depending on how far back they go, many in the photos have declared victory and passed the baton to others or have moved on to more heavenly activities. My father, for instance, passed away a few years ago. Several of the others in that picture have passed as well. However, if you were at the recent midyear meeting in Utah, you likely saw my mother at the dinners and events. Remarkably, she fit in at the Utah MCAA events as effortlessly as she did back in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Even with my dad no longer at her side, Shirley Dentinger was working the MCAA convention like it was 1984. While Sheryl and I were visiting with old and new friends at the Hall of Fame Banquet, Mom rushed up to us and excitedly explained how she just saw a young couple standing all alone at one of the tables, and how she introduced herself and learned they have a masonry company in California. She also learned it was their first time attending an MCAA convention and didn’t know many people yet. So, my mother told them she would bring us over to introduce us to the contractors from California. What a hoot, my mother, churning away in her eighth decade, was still trying to help young contractors network and learn from each other. We, of course, quickly made our way across the hall and introduced ourselves. It’s opportunities like this that I enjoy most about MCAA events: meeting and networking with others. I guess I learned it from my mother and father.

So, it brought quite a smile to see the old photo with that group of movers and shakers from MCAA’s important past. Each in their prime, prize-fighting days, those in this picture earned the smiles they shared as they left the masonry industry in a good place. Most importantly, before they left, they each made certain to influence others and mentor younger newcomers. Without mentoring, our paths dam up or fizzle out.

Dad used to share with my brother Bill and me how much he valued his mentors at MCAA. He was a young and ambitious masonry contractor who went to MCAA functions to learn from others. It worked beyond expectation. Through participating on committees, he developed friendships with long-established contractors who took him under their wings. He became dear friends with Dee Brown, Dick Felice, Don Leonard, Don Grant, Gene George, and Paul Clements, to name a few. They were contractors from Texas, Iowa, St. Louis, Canada, and Kentucky. Each had uniquely different companies, from different parts of the country, some union, some non-union, and representing a wide range of revenue sizes. They all shared the goal to be successful at masonry. They mentored each other and did the same for others who showed up with a similar focus.

Fast forward several decades, and the sons, grandsons, and key employees of most of the MCAA people noted above are now managing those same businesses. This new generation of managers has been playing key roles at MCAA. The mentoring never stops. It goes on throughout these companies and all of the other companies we see actively participating at local and national levels within our industry. We each are tasked with mentoring the next generation of every position within our companies. So, remember, someday in the future, perhaps at the 100th MCAA Anniversary event, you may find yourself among others in an old picture taken way back in the 2020s. Let’s make sure we’ve earned that same smile on our faces in case the photo ends up on the desk of someone in the future who’s looking to be inspired.

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