| In Memoriam |
 Mike Faulconer, Sr. 1941 - 2009 |
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Mike "Ironman" Faulconer Sr. passed away on Sunday February 8, 2009 while fishing off Marco Island. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Services will be held on February 17, 2009 at the Grace Lutheran 860 Banyan, Naples, FL at 4:00 PM.
A memorial fund has been set up for his family.
Please make checks payable to:
Mike Faulconer Sr
Memorial Account
Fifth Third Bank
15221 Tamiami Trail South
Fort Myers, FL 33908
Acct. # 7432311285
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| Congratulations! |
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Pascal Robertson won the Fastest Trowel on the Block Competition in Las Vegas. A huge CONGRATULATIONS to Pascal for his stellar representation for Florida masonry. Wrapping up a top finish sweep of Second place Ray Robinson from Gainesville puts Florida atop the leader board.
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Join the "Heartbeat" Team |
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We are proud to introduce the NEW and IMPROVED web site for the member Masonry Association of Florida - www.mafl.org -your instant connection to the MAF for information on local meetings, benefits, education material and news that concerns our business. The website needs to not only be a place for people in our industry to use but a promotional tool to promote the masonry trade. Please check out what we have built so far and send us your feedback. We're busy forming a 'heartbeat' team comprised of members from each of the local areas around the state who will be actively involved in getting local information placed on the website. If you are a willing volunteer, be sure to e-mail either John or Lisa to participate in this rewarding statewide project.
Email John
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| eNews Calendar |
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| Please visit www.mafl.org to see events around the state or add YOUR local area events! |
| Codes Questions & Answers |
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| Beginning March 1, 2009 there will be an active message board for questions, answers and discussion of codes and engineering questions.
State Code Specialist
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Executive Director |
Pat McLaughlin
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MAF Membership |
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| Joyce Rivas
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MAF Marketing |
Deb Bartolucci |
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Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! |
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| A HUGE thank you to everyone that has been working hard to get local area communications and activities in place for the membership drives. There were unbelievable turn-outs in local areas! | |
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Chairman's Comments
Have you caught up with the 'NEW' MAF, or attended one of the membership drives that have happened around the state in January and February or participated in the ProMasonry meeting in Orlando at the FC&PA building on February 4th? If not, be sure to visit www.mafl.org and get involved in the NEW MAF activities. The members page has copies of the new state by-laws and anti trust policy, state pledge forms, a membership packet and a copy of the powerpoint presentation showing the goals and objectives of the NEW Masonry Association of Florida. If you haven't heard Pat McLaughlin's presentation, the goal is to "SELL masonry systems in Florida"....nothing more, nothing less.
Keith Sommer
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Director's Diary
Patrick J. McLaughlin - Executive Director - Masonry Associaiton of Florida, Inc. - [email protected]
WHO is the new MAF?
Well, we are off to a great start! Who would have thought a year ago that by January 2009 we would have a "re-born" Masonry Association of Florida? I must admit, I was a bit skeptical at first - but here we are! The NEW Masonry Association of Florida has an in-house Engineer, Marketing and Membership departments and an Executive Director, with additional benefits of Codes representation by Joe Belcher and Masonry Information education and support by Jim Gulde.
First, a word of thanks to the many people and companies who have supported - may I say pushed - this transformation along. They include (and please don't be offended if I left your name out) - Karl Watson, who apppointed Don Beers and Joe Lesstino on the project (what dogs!); Keith Sommer, Devon Brookshire, and the rest of the Board who stepped up to the plate. Also, the previous MAF Board who went through the by-law and article changes, revision after revision. Thanks to our legal beagle, Abigail (Abby) C. Watts-FitzGerald, for all her help, coaching and psychological counseling to get us through the process - WOW. Thanks to everyone who attended the strategic retreat in Mt. Dora, and thanks to John Ambach who suggested Mt. Dora to begin with! And thanks to all the people at the chapter level who arranged and attended meeting after meeting to approve by-laws and arrange "kick-off" meetings! What a crew! And we think we don't have anyone who wants to do anything in this industry?!
A very special and sincere thanks to Sam Anastasi who has held this association together the past five years. See this issue's feature about Sam receiving his appreciation plaque from Joe Lesstino.
Now, the work begins - and there is a lot of work to do. No doubt, we must get our masonry market share back. Our livelihoods and future depends on this one function! Your "staff" is up to the task. On a personal note - I am not fond of the word "staff," but more about that in another article.
As Joyce has limited me to a few words, I need to wrap this up. I was extremely encouraged by the enthusiasm and commitment of the folks who attended the ProMasonry meeting last Wednesday. Mike Ryan is a great leader and with the support of everyone, including "staff", we will achieve our primary purpose "to sell masonry systems in Florida." Make no mistake about it!
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| MAF Board Honors Salvatore F. Anastasi, II |
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At the MAF Southeast Chapter Membership Meeting, Joe Lesstino presented Salvatore "Sam" Anastasi, Past Chairman of the Masonry Association of Florida, Inc. with a plaque honoring Sam for his years of service and dedication to the Association. Congratulations Sam!
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Founding Members Drive
Who are the founding members to date? How do I become a Founding Member? What is a Founding Member?
Founding Members are those completing a pledge form before March 31st and faxing it in to your local area or state association office (Fax to 561-368-4838). Founding members will receive an honorary plaque and will be listed FOREVER as a founding member on the mafl.org website and applicable print publications. You will find the Founding Members to date on the Members page of www.mafl.org . If you haven't attended one of the membership drives going on around the state and received a membership packet with the comprehensive information about the new association in both powerpoint and booklet form, links to this information is included below for your convenience.
Our goal is to initially have 200 contractor members in the association in 2009, out of approximately 1500 in Florida, we'll be recognizing the 200th member to join with a 'free' 1st year membership and the person that sponsors them will get a 'special' acknowledgment. So, please invite every masonry contractor you know to get involved!
There is only ONE membership drive left...March 25, 2009 in the Treasure Coast. For more information, please contact Dave Pfeffer at [email protected] . |
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ProMasonry Propaganda
The first meeting of the ProMasonry Committee for 2009 was held on February 4, 2009 at the FC&PA office in Orlando, FL. Thirty-nine representatives of the masonry industry convened from across the state. The meeting began with an update on the new MAF State organization, MAF Staff and the status of the Florida Masonry Foundation and then focused on the budget and revised marketing plan/platform for 2009. The meeting minutes and new marketing plan will be available on the ProMasonry page of www.mafl.org . The next meeting of the ProMasonry Committee will be held on April 1, 2009 in the same location. Everyone is welcome and invited to attend - get involved! |
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Member Benefits |
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It has been a sincere pleasure to be included in your NEW Masonry Association Membership Drives. By mid-March, Pat and I will have traveled the state, and I will have presented in about 7 different areas; introducing the infrastructure of your NEW MAF benefits plan. Learning more about your organization and your new platform, I continue to be impressed by your focus and drive to regain your market share in Florida. Having the opportunity to begin relationships with many of you either on a business or personal level to help you achieve your financial goals is very rewarding and I appreciate the opportunity. As the year progresses, I look forward to visiting your areas again with some of the innovative benefit partners introducing cost savings programs that can enhance your company's bottom line. I look forward to the opportunity to meet or speak with each of you. Please do not hesitate to contact me either through www.mafl.org from the Member Benefits section or call me with any financial questions or challenges. There is absolutely no charge or obligation for consultation for Masonry Association member companies, employees or families |
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Engineering Elements
There will be a webinar Friday, Feb 13,11:30 am eastern standard time for 1-1/2 hours. This is a Train the Trainer workshop to teach Masonry Executives Council members how to use the new MasonrySystems.Org website and present it to their own association members and to area design professionals. The conferecne call instructions are available online: Click here. There will be additional webinars in the future for masonry sales reps and others who want to enhance their understanding of the site. Participants in Friday's call should plan to be at their computers during the webinar. They will navigate the site with instruction from the webinar presenters. Questions Contact: [email protected] . The ProMasonry committee is spearheading a 2009 Architectural Seminar initiative headed by Chris Bettinger and supported by Don Beers and local teams. Get involved by contacting [email protected] .
Beginning in March the Masonry Certification class will begin in Jacksonville and throughout the state during the remainder of the year. Dates will be posted on the MAF website with registration opening in March for all classes.
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Foundation Footnotes
Jerry Painter - Chairman Florida Masonry Apprentice & Educational Foundation - [email protected]
The Foundation in 2009 is alive and strong, however continues to search for students to fill the programs in most areas . The new year has brought some realignment of territories for the Foundation territory reps. Al Herndon is now covering North Florida and the West Coast [email protected] . Mary Jane Mueller is covering Central Florida and the East Coast [email protected] . There are some exciting education programs that are continuing in addition to Apprenticeship and Pre-apprenticeship training. For more information on the OSHA training programs that are growing go to www.safemasonry.org .
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| Structural Masonry Design Seminar
Date: February 26, 2009
Time: 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM (Lunch Served)
Location: Treasure Coast Builders Association
6560 South Federal Highway, Port St. Lucie, FL 34952
Price: $299.00
Additional Class Dates & Locations:
March 25, 2009 / Fort Myers, FL
April 22, 2009 / Fort Lauderdale, FL
May 13, 2009 / Jacksonville, FL
June 24, 2009 / Orlando, FL
July 22, 2009 / Gainesville, FL
August 7, 2009 / Stuart, FL
September 16, 2009 / Pensacola, FL
October 14, 2009 / Tampa, FL
December 3, 2009 / Miami, FL
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| HELP WANTED |
| The Southeast chapter is searching for an apprentice instructor for the program at Turner Tech in North Miami. Classes start the last week of April 2009. There are 2 classes each week to make up the 144 hours of related training held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for approximately 41/2 to 5 hours each.
To apply call 321-286-6560 or [email protected].
All Applicants must have 6 years of experience as a journeyman mason.
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| If you have information you would like included in an upcoming newsletter, please contact
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