MasonrySystems.org

These rough ideas have blossomed into the 16-organization Executive Director Council's new multi-stage marketing campaign for the industry.

This new marketing campaign is spearheaded by the first stage: the MasonrySystems.org web site. The main focus of the site is not only to create a unified source for information on masonry, but also to engage the idea in people's minds that masonry is an entire structural system.

"The endorsement of masonry as a system includes all phases and segments of our industry," says Kyle Montgomery, Executive Director of the Texas Masonry Council and President of the Executive's Council. "With the goal of gaining market share, every mason contractor in the U.S. will benefit from these pro-masonry promotions."

The second stage of this new initiative is to distribute promotional advertising throughout more than a dozen architectural, construction and school-based magazines.

"The new print ads are different because we use humor to articulate a single thought ? masonry is more than an envelope, it is the entire package," says Montgomery. "Then our call to action is for readers to visit the web site for more information."

Up until this point, the marketing campaign has relied on the dedicated volunteer efforts of the Council members. They are in need of your help and financial assistance to move forward, though.

Lynn Nash, Executive Director of the North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association and Treasurer of the Executive Council, had this to say about what the coalition needs to move forward.

"Besides the most obvious way to help the campaign succeed ? that is, making an individual company monetary contribution ? mason contractors must strongly encourage their local and state promotional groups to participate by contributing funds and making available local promotional resources that can be incorporated into the web site reference base," says Nash. "Local groups must take ownership in this project. Thus far there is no source of funding except what comes from individual companies and local groups. When the MasonrySystems.org web site is ready to go public, I'd like to see mason contractors, as well as local promotional groups, incorporate the logo into their stationary and printed material. A link on company web sites would be a great way to promote the new program."

Once the web site and advertisements begin in the fall, it will take approximately $250,000 to promote MasonrySystems.org for one year. After the Executive's Council finished their presentation at the Annual Meeting, Jim O'Connor, MCA-Chicago, presented the first contribution toward the campaign. It's time for others to join in and do the same.

To make a contribution to the Executive Directors Council national marketing campaign, please contact Lynn Nash at (828) 324-1564 or LNash@ncmca.com.

Members of the Executive Council
Michael Adelizzi, Mason Contractors Association of America
Dennis Augustine, Washington State Conference of Mason Contractors
Aleta Fairbanks, Utah Masonry Council
David Gillick, Mason Contractors Association of St. Louis
Joyce Greer, Masonry Institute
Barbara Headrick, Masonry Institute of Washington
Steve Hubbard, Masonry Institute of Oregon
Kimberly Kahl, Arizona Masonry Contractors Association
Kevin Krebs, Masonry Promotion Group
Kyle Montgomery, Texas Masonry Council
Lynn Nash, North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association
Michelle Notebaert, Michigan Mason Contractors Association
Jim O'Connor, Mason Contractors Association of Greater Chicago
Ann Sullivan Wolter, Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute
Julie Trost, California Conference of Mason Contractors Association, Inc.
Amy Vasquez, Masonry Industry Training Association