The MCAA held its first Midyear Meeting with Chairman Paul Odom in Austin, Texas to a record turnout of over 160 attendees. This year’s hotel was the Archer Hotel, situated in the Domain NORTHSIDE district. Members, suppliers, and friends of the industry all gathered for a packed schedule that contained a lot of work and a little bit of fun.
Opening Dinner And Esther’s Follies
The opening dinner took place on Monday evening at the famous Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que. Attendees were treated to all the staples of Texas barbecue, including brisket, chicken, baked beans, cherry cobbler, potato salad, and all the fixings. Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que is the ‘Best Of The Best’ in the barbecue business and home of the original World Famous “Big Chop.” The Wootan & Cooper Family has provided its World-Famous Pit Barbecue to hundreds of thousands of hungry diners over the years at its family-owned and operated restaurant. 
After dinner, guests boarded the buses and headed to Esther’s Follies, a comedy club in the heart of Austin. For over 40 years, Esther’s Follies has been entertaining sold-out audiences with political satire, comedy sketches, Vegas-style magic and hilarious musical numbers. Esther’s has been hailed as “Austin’s answer to Saturday Night Live,” with sharp insightful comedy performed by talented actors, entertainers and musicians.
Golf Outing
The MCAA’s MAC PEC Golf Tournament was held Monday, September 24, 2018 at Teravista Golf Club during the MCAA Midyear Meeting in Austin, Texas.
Teravista is a Championship 18-hole golf club that captures the beauty of the Texas Hill Country with views that span for over 50 miles. The rolling terrain provided a 7,200-yard layout that challenged golfers of all abilities.
The results were:
First Place Team (-11)
Rudy Rizo, Oscar Trevino, Rudy Rodriguez, Hector Salazar
Second Place Team (-8)
James Hoskinson, Jon Nickolson, Lee Spino, John Storto
Most Honest Team (-1)
Danks Burton, Mason Hill, Shawn Nelson, Adam Slattery
Longest Drive
Kent Bounds
Kyle Weatherly
Closest to the Pin
John Jacob
Jacklyn Rudd Islas
All proceeds support the MCAA’s MAC PEC.
The next MCAA MAC PEC Golf Tournament will be held during the 2018 MCAA Midyear Meeting. Please visit www.masoncontractors.org/midyear for more information when available.
Speed Dating
One of the most popular events at every MCAA Midyear meeting is Speed Dating. A rapid series of short and concise business-to-business meetings between mason contractors and manufacturers/suppliers to openly discuss business needs and innovations. This year, Speed Dating groups donned festive hats as they went from room to room. Most featured animals as their mascots.
Contractors had the opportunity to meet with companies in a more intimate setting than a large gathering, and were presented the latest products and services. After one meeting concluded, groups were moved to the next appointment where they’d learn how to improve business and increase profitability.
As highlighted in the August Pre-Midyear article, the companies who participated in this year’s Speed Dating included Gold Sponsors STABILA and Husqvarna Construction Products N.A. STABILA took the opportunity to speak during the Speed Dating breakfast, and Husqvarna spoke during the Speed Dating lunch. 
Additional participating companies included: CAD BLOX, LLC, CrewTracks, Elite Distribution, Inc., Expanded Shale, Clay and Slate Institute (ESCSI), EZG Manufacturing, FRACO USA, Inc., Norton Clipper, Scanclimber, SPEC MIX LLC, and Xtreme Manufacturing.
As always, a raffle for Speed Dating attendees accompanied the lunch, and nearly everyone who made their way through the appointments walked away with a prize.
Kent Bounds and Paul Cantarella, Jr. Appointed To Membership Committee
During the Midyear’s Committee Meetings, two new appointments were made to the membership committee.
Kent Bounds, President of Brazos Masonry, Inc. (Waco, Texas), and Paul Cantarella, Jr., President of Cantarella & Son, Inc. (Pittsfield, Mass.), have been appointed to the position of MCAA Membership Committee Co-Chairs.
Mr. Bounds has essentially worked his entire life at Brazos Masonry. As a result of his family’s involvement, Mr. Bounds has been involved in the business from his youth. Mr. Bounds started at a young age counting anchors and banding boards during the hot days of summer in Texas. 
After he graduated from Hill County Junior College with an Associate Degree in Business Administration in 2002, he transitioned into a full-time Project Manager. Since 2002, Mr. Bounds has managed over $150 million dollars’ worth of masonry work. From his first project “Christian House of Prayer” with Drymalla Construction to the “Market Square Tower” – the largest & tallest burnished block project ever (42 Levels) with D.E. Harvey – Mr. Bounds has always strived to not only make the project successful for Brazos Masonry, but also for his customers and suppliers.
He has served on the Marketing Committee for the Texas Masonry Council and is a member of the MCAA’s South of 40 Committee on the national level. In addition, Mr. Bounds has served on the board for the Central Texas Masonry Council Association for the past 6 years, including as President from 2013-2015. He looks forward to his continued involvement within the masonry industry to assist with expansion of our market share and furthering general education of masonry constructability.
C&S Co. was started by John Cantarella in 1934 after coming here from Italy. The business was incorporated in the 1950s. C&S Co. Inc. was then taken over by his two sons, John Cantarella and Paul Cantarella, Sr. in the 60’s. As family businesses sometimes go, the company split in 2003 and Paul Sr. took over as sole proprietor of the business.
As C&S Co. had mostly worked in New York, Cantarella & Son, Inc. was started to handle the work load in Massachusetts, with 4th Generation Mason Paul Cantarella, Jr. leading the company. Today, the companies do business in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, and Connecticut.
“I eat, sleep, and live masonry. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” said Cantarella. “Joining the MCAA or your local chapter of the MCAA will pay off instantly as all their tools will be available to you.”
The Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) and our members welcome Kent and Paul to their new role.
Safety Advantage Awards
One highlight of every Midyear meeting is the presentation of the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards, which are sponsored by Federated Insurance. These awards were handed out on Wednesday, September 26. The awards are based on the incident rate of a mason contractor. They are designed to draw attention to the need and benefits of performing safely day-to-day.
Awards were presented to the top companies with greater than 100,000 hours worked by all employees, and then the top companies with less than 100,000 hours worked by all employees. This year, there were ties in both categories, including an 8-way tie in the “less than 100,000 hours worked” category.
The winning contractors were:
Greater Than 100,000 Hours (2-Way Tie)
Gates Construction Company, Inc.
Mooresville, NC
Lang Masonry & Restoration Contractors, Inc.
Waterford, OH
Less Than 100,000 Hours (8-Way Tie)
Cantarella & Son, Inc.
Pittsfield, MA
Carolina Masonry Unlimited, Inc.
Willow Spring, NC
East Coast Air Barrier & Restoration, Inc.
Pittsfield, MA
John D. Wait Masonry
Lodi, CA
Molter Corporation
Tinley Park, IL
Pinnacle Masonry, Inc.
Cary, NC
Stonelake Masonry, Inc.
Elk Grove, CA
Troianiello Masonry, Inc.
Scranton, PA
For more information, visit www.masoncontractors.org/awards.
Contractor Roundtables
A Taste Of Next Year
As part of the room drops that occurred throughout Midyear, Chairman Paul Odom and his wife, Susie, gave attendees a taste of next year’s Midyear meeting with some maple syrup from New Hampshire. We look forward to seeing everyone next year!