Masonry Magazine April 2004 Page. 80
MCAA News
# Regional News continued from page 77
The next scheduled event is the spring golf outing in Webberville, which will take place in early May.
# New York
Reported by the Albany Business Review, "Insurance agents lobby for anti-fraud legislation," February 3, 2004:
Insurance agents from around New York gathered at the State Capitol Feb. 3 to make their case to lawmakers for passing tough anti-fraud legislation, changing New York's "scaffolding law." Agents also argued against a bill requiring contractors working on a public project to buy insurance from the same source... Modifying Sections 240 and 241 of the state Labor Law, collectively known as the "scaffolding law," is necessary to keep insurance affordable for contractors, said James McCampbell, spokesman for the Independent Insurance Agents. Existing law makes contractors and building owners absolutely liable when a worker is injured in a fall. The law should be changed to eliminate the absolute liability standard, he said. Finally, contractors should be able to buy the insurance coverage they want and not be mandated to buy from a single source, McCampbell said.
# North Carolina
Celebrating its 30 year, The North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association (NCMCA) will hold their annual convention and business meeting April 22-25, 2004, at the historic Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa in Asheville, N.C.
NCMCA members will hear keynote addresses by: Christopher Huckabee, AIA, an architect from Fort Worth, Texas, who has developed a reputation as one of masonry's most dedicated proponents (made possible by Adams Products Company); and G. Allan Griffin, the new President of the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA), and the first MCAA President ever from the Carolinas. McMahan Insurance and Employee Benefits will sponsor a "President's Reception" on Friday evening of the convention as NCMCA President James "Red" McAdams recognizes the Association's 30 Anniversary (1974-2004) and introduces NCMCA's past leadership.
Looking toward the future, delegates will elect new officers for two-year terms at the Association annual business meeting. The convention will also feature a workshop, "OSHA, Insurance and Your Billfold," conducted by Robert Parrish, a former OSHA compliance officer, now Safety Coordinator for McGee Brother's Company, the nation's largest masonry contractor. The convention agenda will have numerous social activities, including the annual EZ Grout convention golf tournament; a "Welcome to the Convention" old-time bluegrass hoedown, sponsored by Amerisure Insurance, and awards banquet entertainment, featuring Royce Elliot, billed as "the cleanest comedian this side of heaven," sponsored by RMC Metromont Materials.
Two hundred firms make up NCMCA's current membership and participate in nine local chapters around North Carolina. All masonry professionals in the Carolinas are welcomed and encouraged to participate. For more information, contact NCMCA Director Lynn Nash at (828) 324-1564, e-mail Nash@ncmca.com, or visit the Association's web site at www.ncmca.com.
# Texas
The future of Texas schools is in the hands of school districts and their school board members, architects and the construction industry. The Texas Masonry Council has released the much-anticipated guide, Are You Building a School or a
# New MCA of St. Louis Board
The new Board for the Mason Contractors Association of St. Louis was installed during the Jan. 24, 2004, dinner at the Ritz Carlton. The theme for the dinner was the 1904 World's Fair, as the Association was chartered in 1896 and participated in the 1904 event. Seated, from left to right: Robert M. Heitkamp, Jr. (President) and Brian J. Grant (Vice-President). Standing, from left to right: Jeffrey D. Schmidt (Trustee); Richard K. Swanson (Trustee); Thomas A. Davis (Secretary); John J. Jahnsen (Trustee); Marvin E. Peebles (Trustee); and Richard E. Frisch (Treasurer). Missing from the picture is Free Daues, Jr. (Trustee).