MCAA Regional Report, Region E

Words: Robert Campbell, Mike Cook, Dick Dentinger, Ted Erickson, Jason Thompson, Dan Johnson, Elena Peltsman, Christine Subasic, Lynn Vasquez, Scott Walkowicz, Sam Rubenzer, John Smith, Josh Jackson, Max Porter, Greg Jackson, Jody Paulson, Richard Bennet, Dan Helms, Chris Kane, Braden PalmerIowa - Ted Erickson
Kansas - No State Chair
Minnesota - Dick Dentinger
Missouri - No State Chair
Nebraska - No State Chair
North Dakota - No State Chair
South Dakota - No State Chair

Workforce Development Activities

Minnesota

The total bricklayer hours worked in the first 11 months of 2016 total 2,238,616 compared to 2,162,324 for the first 11 months in 2015. That is an increase of 3.53%. Per Mike Cook, President of the Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local Union 1 MN/ND, the number of bricklayers working totaled 1409 per month an increase of 2.47% over 2015.

Jody Paulson. Director of Recruiting and Administration for the Bricklayers Local 1 MN/ND, oversees organizing and managing the apprenticeship training center in a western suburb of Minneapolis. The new facility offers Apprentice and Journeymen level classes as well as hosts workshops for architects, engineers, high school and college students, and community non-profit groups. The BAC Outreach Programs serve high school youth including general student population and at-risk youth.

Journey level and Outreach Classes total 279 apprentices. 213 apprentices are actively participating at the New Hope Training Center. The remaining 64 are working towards completing their apprenticeship hours out of greater Minnesota sites in Rochester and Duluth.

Missouri

The 2016 bricklayers’ apprentice program has approximately 170 apprentices in the state of MO with approximately 50 Mason Tender apprentices as well.

The St. Louis area continues to participate in a pre-apprentice program called Building Union Diversity (“BUD”). BUD provides pre-apprenticeship skills training for minorities, women, and the long-term unemployed residents of the St. Louis region interested in pursuing one of the many available careers in construction. Training includes both classroom and shop training. Students spend a week in each of the participating union apprenticeship programs: bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, iron workers, laborers, operating engineers and the plumbers and pipefitters. The BUD program brings together a comprehensive network of participating joint labor-management construction skills training providers, St. Louis Agency of Training and Employment (“SLATE”), the St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council and the Missouri Division of Workforce Development.

Economic Conditions / Forecasts

Minnesota

Based on bricklayer hours reported, masonry construction was strong in 2016. Business opportunities look to continue strong through 2017 as the architects indicate there is much work on the table.

The MC&MCA and the Bricklayers Local # of MN/ND agreed to include a mandatory five cents per hour bricklayer hours worked in the 11 metro counties of the state to be collected from the contractor using union bricklayers. Since May 1 these funds are being collected, along with fringe funds by a hired third party, with a monthly electronic transfer to the MC&MCA bank.

Major remodeling of the State Capitol is just about done and ready for Legislative use in January 2017. A new state office building next to the Capitol, a new St. Paul Saints baseball stadium opened in May, and the new US Bank Vikings stadium in downtown Minneapolis is open for football and other events. These four projects fueled hundreds of jobs for bricklayers, cement masons, and laborers. MC&MCA contractor members, both generals and specialty contractor conducted work on all four major projects! We have one more stadium to build! This one–for soccer–will be managed by Mortenson. The $120 million stadium will seat 20,000 people and be located on a 10-acre site in St. Paul. It is expected to be ready in 2018.

The Legislature failed to pass a bonding bill in 2016 providing additional dollars for schools, public buildings, roads, bridges, and light rail transit lines. The elections in November produced a Republican House and Senate and they must work with Democrat Governor Mark Dayton over the next two years on bonding, budget, and policy issues.

Residential construction in Minnesota for 2016 remained strong with significant activity in the two downtown areas and along light rail lines. New and remodeled residential construction in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul are fueling urban growth and vitality!

Missouri

As of September 2016, Missouri’s unemployment rate was at 5.2 percent which is higher than the nation’s rate at 4.9 percent. Missouri is also above the Midwest regional unemployment rate of 4.6 percent also, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Bricklayer hours for the St. Louis area are 16.15% higher than they were last year at this same time.

Both commercial and residential contractors are seeing an increased backlog of work.

St. Louis City is currently benefiting from a multi-year and billion-dollar renewal project by BJC Hospital and the Washington University School of Medicine, who are jointly remaking much of the 16-block campus. Both private and public money is being spent for these projects.

St. Louis City was also recently chosen as the site for the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) West project. The NGA is the nation’s primary source of geospatial intelligence for the Dept. of Defense and the U.S. Intelligence Community. The new $1.6 billion dollar facility will provide 1,350 construction jobs and employ 3,100 persons. Construction is set to begin in 2018 with a completion date in 2022.

Masonry Marketing Activities

Minnesota

The MC&MCA continued its strong marketing efforts in 2016. Marketing Director Elena Peltsman, an architect by training and experience, made over 60 presentations promoting masonry products and workmanship to architectural firms across the state. We are offering our seventh different masonry promotion presentation. The current topic is “What architects need to know about Masonry Preservation and Restoration.” Peltsman contacts architectural firms statewide, sets up the lunch seminars, brings lunch for attendees, does the presentation, and offers AIA continuing education credits. Additional presentations are also being made to owners, developers, general contractors, schools, and other public owners to promote masonry construction industry in Minnesota. These efforts are paid for by member dues and marketing contributions.

The MC&MCA hosted a “Masonry Street” project at the Minnesota AIA convention held in mid-November in Minneapolis. MC&MCA sponsored two booths and organized 14 MC&MCA contractor and supplier companies to “person” booths on Masonry Street in the exhibit hall. Over three days’ hundreds of architects and other attendees were treated to masonry magic including hand-on presentations lead by the Bricklayers Local #1 of MN and ND.

The MC&MCA remains active in the structural masonry promotional effort working with the BAC bricklayer’s union, the IMI, Laborers, and LECET. This effort targets structural masonry engineers and engineering firms. MC&MCA Marketing Director Elena Peltsman and Mark Swanson of IMI work together and retain the services of IMI structural consultant Sam Rubenzer-winner of the 2016 Halter Award!

The MC&MCA once again (over 35 years in a row now) sponsored the Excellence in Concrete & Masonry Design and Construction Awards contest. MC&MCA contractor members entered over 40 projects in nine categories. On site judging took place in September and was done by invited architects! They enjoy the experience of seeing first hand some of the best masonry buildings in the state. The nine winners have been notified and are encouraged to invite owners, architects, and company leaders to the awards banquet to be held in February 2017. Our award dinner features leadership awards and a large silent auction.

MC&MCA and other industry organizations feel strongly that the marketing and promotional efforts need to occur during both a strong building market and during slow economic times.

Missouri

Indirect
The University of Illinois’, Dr. Mark McGinley, kicked off the 2016-2017 Masonry Institute of St. Louis (“MISL”) seminar series on September 20, 2016 with a presentation on “Rational Design of Masonry Veneers” and then followed up with another presentation on September 21, 2016 with “Masonry and Energy Codes — Effective Compliance Methods”. These informative discussions gave overviews of the new
alternative rational design provisions for veneer wall systems and energy code provisions using whole building analysis.

MISL’s 2016-2017 schedule includes:

Scott Walkowicz (Walkowicz Consulting Engineers): Concrete Masonry Storm Shelter Design: Lessons Learned
Jason Thompson (National Concrete Masonry Association): New TMS Cast Stone Standards
Robert Campbell (International Masonry Institute) & Sam Rubenzer (FORSE Consulting): What Non-Engineers Need to Know About Structural Masonry
Sam Rubenzer (FORSE Consulting): Finite Element Software for Masonry Design
Darrell McMillian (MISL): Anchored Veneer and Mid-Rise Wood Stud Buildings
John Chrysler (Masonry Institute of America): 2015 IBC Masonry Special Inspections
Christine Subasic (C. Callista Subasic): Role of Masonry in Sustainable Design and LEED V4
David Biggs (Biggs Consulting Engineering): Thomas F. Walsh Memorial Lecture: ”Conserving Ancient Sites From the Empire of Alexander the Great”
Richard Bennet (University of Tennessee): ASD vs SD — A Masonry Cage Fight
Max Porter (Iowa State University): Using Joint Reinforcement as Primary Shear Reinforcement
Darrell McMillian (MISL): Minimum Seismic Reinforcing for Residential Masonry Fireplaces

While these experts are in town, we utilize their expertise as well to present small educational presentations to our membership of contractors and suppliers.

MISL reported that sponsorship of these weekly seminars were quickly snapped up by local mason contractors and area suppliers, since it provides affordable promotional exposure to 150-200 design professionals per session. Attendance for the seminars has continually increased.

The MISL’s 19thth Annual Masonry New Products Show will be held at the St. Louis Masonry Center on February 8, 2017 with an early morning breakfast session scheduled for the contractors. The exhibitors’ focus then turns to the design professionals later that day.

McMillian continues his trifecta of masonry marketing duties: in addition to providing technical assistance to contractors and design professionals and conducting educational programs on and off site, he serves on the National BIM-M Initiative Executive Committee and serves on numerous industry committees such as The Masonry Society, where he is currently President-Elect and will transition to President in October of 2017, the Masonry Alliance for Codes and Standards, and Structural Engineers Association of Kansas and Missouri, etc.

The Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (“SIU-E”) Structural Masonry Course was offered again during the Fall 2016 semester as well as the 2017 Fall semester. The MISL and the Masonry Institute of Southern Illinois helped finance the initial 2009 course offering and it was so successful that the university was able to provide funding going forward. The current semester enrollment has 38 students and marks the fifth time it has been offered since 2009.

McMillian was also proud to announce that the structural masonry course he pioneered over the last few years at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla) has been added to the permanent course catalog and will be offered again in January 2017. The course, in its fifth year, had an enrollment of 25 students. Rolla has also added an advanced structural masonry course.

St. Louis hosted its first regional SpecMix Bricklayer 500 competition on June 15, 2016. Ten teams from both MO and IL consisting of a Bricklayer and Mason Tender competed in the very humid 99 degree heat for the chance to win an all-expense paid trip to the World of Masonry / World of Concrete SpecMix Bricklayer 500 competition in Las Vegas in January 2017. First Place winners were Josh and Greg Jackson of Jackson Masonry, second place winners Dan Helms and Dan Johnson of Heitkamp Masonry, and third place winners Chris Kane and Braden Palmer of John J. Smith Masonry Co. Chris Kane of John J. Smith Co., also won the Craftsman Award.

The MCA/OSHA Partnership continues to flourish, commencing its 12th year of existence. The 9 contractors in the partnership reach over 65% of all industry hours. The partnership’s DART (Days Away Restricted /Transferred Duties) has decreased from its revised baseline of 1.2 to 0.4 as of September 30, 2016, which easily beats the 1.9 national DART for the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Masonry NAICS Code 23814. The partners meet once a quarter with the OSHA Area Director and general contractor safety professionals to discuss best practices.

Direct
The newly formed Masonry Structural Coalition continues to focus on builders, owners and designers in the Missouri and Illinois region to convince them that load-bearing masonry can meet their budgets and schedules, all while providing energy efficiency, durability, safety and aesthetic value to their projects. Some recent successes are a $15 million dollar hospital, car dealerships in both Kansas City and St. Louis, and a school in Central IL among others. Masonry Institute of Southern Illinois Executive Director Lynn Vasquez, area mason contractors and suppliers participate in these business development meetings.

Competitors / Trends

Minnesota

Our competition continues to be precast. The battle grounds continue to be in big box stores and commercial buildings. Our masonry promotions efforts in Minnesota of working with architects, engineers, developers, and owners is to educate and inform decision makers as to the long-term benefits of masonry products and quality workmanship.

Missouri

Open Shop contractors continue to grow. To compete with these, the Bricklayers’ Union Local No. 1 of Missouri and the Eastern Missouri Laborers’ District Council offer market recovery programs, funded by increased union membership dues. Contractors must apply for these grants, subject to approval by the unions’ executive committees, and they can be applied to the hourly wage, material expenses or fringe benefit obligations.

Work continues to be lost to competing trades and steel stud structures have increased. Our agreement with Bricklayers’ Local Union No.1 was renegotiated in July 2015 with a 6-year agreement.

MCAA Regional Report, Region E

Workforce Development Activities

Minnesota

Missouri

Economic Conditions / Forecasts

Minnesota

Missouri

Masonry Marketing Activities

Minnesota

Missouri

Competitors / Trends

Minnesota

Missouri

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