Masonry Magazine April 1977 Page. 9
Mason Contractor News...
Course in Structural Masonry Begun In N.E.
The Massachusetts Construction Industry Board is presenting "A Practical Course in Structural Masonry, Steel and Timber." The six-session course is planned specifically for job superintendents but is open to all interested persons.
Meetings, which were begun on March 29 and will run through May 3, are being held on consecutive Tuesdays from 6-8:00 p.m. in Room 8426, Beatty Hall, Wentworth Institute, Boston.
Speakers include Robert J. Joyce, executive director, Massachusetts Masonry Institute, and Orlando S. Grande, partner, Grande Brothers Corp. (MCAA), Sudbury, Mass.
Tuition for the course is $30 for MCIB members and $40 for non-members. For an application form call Mrs. Joanne Bavaro, A. O. Wilson Structural Co., Cambridge, Mass. (617) 547-2450.
New York Youngsters Get Bricklaying Lesson
Tomorrow's architects, engineers and builders received an early lesson on building a brick wall recently from Ralph Perri, Jr. of the New York City based mason contracting firm of Athony Perri, Inc. The young mason contractor appeared on WOR-TV's "Romper Room" show in New York in March. His live audience consisted of children aged 3 to 6 plus a TV audience of thousands of kids of similar ages. During the show Perri handed his mason's trowel to one youngster, who happily donned Perri's hard hat and began plopping mortar on a new course of brick.
Free Booklet on Masonry Construction Outlook
A 1977 national construction market outlook for mason contractors is the subject of a free booklet available from F. W. Dodge Division of McGraw-Hill Information Systems Co.
Statistics for different size contractors in the market provide a basis for individual firms to compare themselves to others in terms of sales, number of employees, payroll, material purchases, subcontractor payments, value added to materials, and capital expenditures. Primary sources for the study are Dodge economic analyses and forecasts and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Census of Construction.
The 24-page booklet, The Masonry Contractor: 1977 New Construction Profile & Estimating Guide, also contains a review of techniques and discussion of concepts for managing bid estimating activities for increased profits.
Copies are available from H. J. Newbauer, F. W. Dodge Division, McGraw-Hill Information Systems Co., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Υ. 10020.
MF to Introduce 29 New Construction Machines
Massey-Ferguson, Des Moines, Ia., expects to introduce 29 new machines in its industrial and construction machinery range over the next three years, Albert A. Thornbrough, president of Massey-Ferguson Ltd., told a press conference at the Bauma construction machinery exhibit in Hanover, West Germany.
By 1981, he said, MF's worldwide sales of this product group are likely to approach $750 million, almost twice the level achieved in 1976. The company has experienced a sales growth of 220 percent in the developing world and 140 percent in Europe over the past five years, compared to more modest gains of 35 percent in North America, Thornbrough said.
MCAA Summer Executive Board Meeting, Boyne Mountain Lodge, Boyne Falls, Michigan, June 16-19. For information, contact the MCAA Executive Office.
Toronto Safety Award
Richard Martini (right) of Twin Masonry Ltd. presents the Romano Martini Memorial Safety Award on behalf of the Metro Mason Contractors, Inc., Toronto, Ont., Canada, to Tom Filipowich of Filipowich Masonry Contractors Ltd. The award is given annually to the member firm with the best safety record. Filipowich Masonry has won it for the second time in the four-year history of the award.
Wis. Masonry Institute Names Exec. Director
The newly formed Masonry Institute of Wisconsin, a joint effort of 200 mason contractors and 900 masonry tradesmen and suppliers, has appointed Norbert J. Hynek as executive director. Hynek is an associate member of the American Institute of Architects.
The institute's program will be coordinated with the International Masonry Institute, Washington, D.C., which has developed a broad-based promotion program at the national and international levels.
The MIW office is at 2733 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee.
Building Materials Make Strong Rebound
In the face of an otherwise sluggish recovery, the building materials industry made a strong rebound in 1976 and posted an after-tax profit gain of 36 percent, reports the F. W. Dodge Division of McGraw-Hill Information Systems Co.
The latest report, based on the Dodge Division's periodic review of a group of 51 building products firms in 14 different product categories, showed a 16 percent sales growth for the year.