For those of you who had the pleasure of attending our 50th anniversary celebration at this past year’s annual conference, you heard me speak about the history of the Metal Building Contractors & Erectors Association. Since 1968, we have held a unique place in the metal building industry. We develop programs that highlight our contractors’ and erectors’ commitment to quality projects that are assembled as safely and efficiently as possible. We develop, produce and offer training that is unique to the metal building industry to ensure the continued success of our contractors and erectors.
The value of our association is our associations with each other and the rest of the industry
Our members are committed to quality and excellence. As an association, we do a great job of capitalizing on this knowledge and experience. Our website is chock full of shared members templates and tools. Our conference educational sessions are taught by the best of our association, sharing their unique tips and tools. (As an aside, if you have an idea for a class or a tip you wish to share at next year’s conference, now is the time to pitch it to executive director, Sasha Demyan. We regularly have more speakers than slots.)
We also continue to strengthen our relationships with other associations such as the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA), Ironworkers Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust (IMPACT) and the Metal Construction Association (MCA). Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of participating in a welcome call to Tony Bouquot, MBMA’s new general manager. The fact that this call was organized speaks volumes to the strength of our relationship. On behalf of the entire MBCEA, I welcome Tony and look forward to working with him.
On a related note, we also recently learned of the pending retirement of Chuck Haslebacher, president, Varco Pruden Buildings, Memphis, Tenn. Chuck has been a dear friend to MBCEA, participating these last few years as our industry liaison to the MBMA. We thank him for his service and wish him a very happy retirement.
Unfortunately, there are still too many that are not familiar with what we do, the difference we make and the benefits we offer. The MBCEA board is working hard to overcome this obstacle. For the last 10 years or so, our administrative function has been a one-woman show, with Sasha working from a home office. Late last month I had the pleasure to cut a ribbon on our new office. MBCEA now has a corporate headquarters with plenty of room for Sasha and our growth.
We have also formed a marketing committee to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses and identify areas for improvement. First up is an overhaul of our website. Expect to see a new, cleaner, easier-to-read site by early fall. We have also committed to use social media. Our Facebook page is active and growing followers every day.
But changing this perception and growing industry awareness is not just a responsibility for the MBCEA board. I call on all members to help share our good news. Show your pride in our association by proudly sporting the MBCEA logo on your webpage. Link, like and follow our Facebook page. Ask your manufacturers to include MBCEA in their events and sales meetings, invite a friend or colleague to a chapter meeting, and forward our monthly newsletter to your colleagues and associates. Our growth and continued success is dependent on all of these things. We all share in our strength, pride and success.
As our marketing committee continues to review ways to strengthen our association, we did an exercise that reviewed our strengths, weaknesses, etc. There were many key words that kept popping out, not least of which is the power of our network and relationships. Our association is truly our strength. As we bid farewell to Chuck and welcome Tony, we look to continue to grow our shared success, our knowledge and experience, and our pride in what we do, which is erect quality metal buildings safely and efficiently, and train new erectors and workers to that same high standard.
Save the date for conference 2019: May 1-3 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.!
Keith Wentworth is president of the Metal Building Contractors & Erectors Association and vice president of Dutton & Garfield Inc., Hampstead, N.H. Wentworth holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Merrimack College, and has more than 20 years of experience in commercial and industrial metal building design-build construction. He is proud to be a third-generation Butler builder. Wentworth also serves on the board of directors of the Metal Building Institute and is a past president of the New England Chapter of the MBCEA. To learn more about the MBCEA, visit www.mbcea.org.
