Masonry Magazine April 1980 Page. 10
MCAA CONFERENCE REPORT
continued from page 9
ings were staggered to allow members to sit in on any or all of the discussions.
That afternoon, MCAA's 10 regional vice presidents conferred in separate meetings to discuss the various industry developments in their respective geographical regions covering the U.S. and Canada. The first of two MCAA Executive Board meetings during the Conference followed the vice presidents' conferences and concluded the business deliberations for the day.
Continuing education was the order of the day for Saturday, February 23, when six separate workshops were presented. Each of the sessions ran for 45 minutes, with starting times 15 minutes apart. This again permitted individuals to listen in on a variety of topics best suited to their needs. Many of the workshops were filled to overflowing. Some of the sessions attracted over 200 persons.
The subject areas covered (the names of the lecturers are in parentheses) included: The Pros and Cons of ASTM C-270 vs. C-780 (Paul Rosensteel Arizona Masonry Guild, Phoenix); The Basic Computer-How It Can Help the Mason Contractor (Mark Bradt, computer specialist, Atlanta, Ga.); Contract Research (George Plumb, MCAA legal counsel, Chicago, III., and Robert Hatch, MCAA Contract Research Committee chairman, South El Monte, Calif.); Industry Jurisdiction (James Richardson, vice president, International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftsmen, and Leo Nazdin, director of jurisdiction, Laborers International Union of North America, both of Washington, D.C.): Masonry Management For a Profit (Jerry Pope, consultant to Hensel-Phelps Construction Co., Greeley, Colo.), and Promotion-Its Impact on the Construction Industry (Ray Lackey, executive director, International Masonry Institute, Washington, D.C., and Bill Pautler, executive director, Masonry Institute of St. Louis).
At 2 p.m. on Saturday, MCAA members and their wives, Trade Show exhibitors and Conference guests gathered for the annual President's Reception in the Monte Carlo Room of The Anatole. Each was greeted in an impressive reception line composed of MCAA officers and their wives.
MCAA Educational Trade Show
The relaxing social hour again served as a welcome prelude to the official opening of the '80 MCAA Educational Trade Show in The Anatole's Grand Ballroom. President and Mrs. Eugene George handled the traditional ribbon-cutting that opened the doors to the Show and allowed visitors to tour the equipment/product displays by the nation's leading manufacturers.
The Show featured abbreviated visiting hours (four hours or less daily) during its three-day run, February 23-25. This schedule permitted the exhibitors to more effectively staff their displays as well as to have ample time afterward for individual discussions with interested parties who were seeking advice and/or solutions to specific situations.
A new and more convenient time slot-11 a.m. on Sunday, February 24 also enabled most of the conferees to attend the Masonry Industry Showcase that featured live demonstrations of material handling equipment. The event, which was presented by the MCAA Material Handling and Safety Committees, was staged outdoors in the parking area of The Anatole under cloudless skies and mild temperatures. Acting as program moderators were Jerry Dufour, Material Handling Committee chairman, and W.C. Dentinger, Jr., MCAA regional vice president.
Nine Leading Firms Participate
Nine companies, principally rough terrain forklift manufacturers, participated in the Showcase, which ran a brisk 75 minutes. Participating in the forklift demonstrations were: Dynamic Industries, Barnesville, Minn.; The General, Inc., Wichita, Kan.; Koehring Compaction & General Equipment Group, Dayton, Ohio; Loed Corp., Wausau, Wis.; Lull Engineering Co., Inc., St. Paul, Minn.; Pettibone Corp., Chicago, III., and The Prime-Mover Co., Muscatine, la.
George Mayer Manufacturing Inc., Miami, Okla., fired up its innovative Queen Air Forced Air Fireplace Furnace and demonstrated it in a specially constructed mobile unit which was parked on the periphery of the Showcase area. The fast-paced Showcase was rounded out by Morgen Manufacturing Co., Yankton, S.D., which displayed its well-known tower type, elevating scaffolding system.
At 9:30 a.m. on Monday, February 25, the 30th Annual MCAA International Masonry Conference was declared officially in session by President George. The house lights then were dimmed in the huge, amphitheater-like Stemmons Auditorium of The Anatole and, in MCAA's traditionally impressive ceremony, the nation's colors were presented by the Color Guard of the 14th Marine Regiment from the U.S. Naval Air Station at Hensley Field. The presentation was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the invocation, which was given by the Rev. J. Robert Maceo of St. John Episcopal Church in Dallas.
A brief welcome was extended by Judge Gary Weber of the Dallas County Justice Center, who serves as titular head of the county. The official MCAA welcome was presented by Conference chairman Dee Brown. He read two proclamations-one from Dallas Mayor Robert S. Folsom, designating the week of February 25-March 2, 1980, as
An absorbed audience hears Robert Esperti and...
10 MASONRY/APRIL, 1980
Dennis Bersch discuss the family-owned corporation.