December 03, 2003 10:37 AM CST

Where Does Your State Rank? The High School Sponsorship Program Race Heats Up

By Melissa Polivka

Congratulations and thank you to our members in Delaware, Hawaii, Missouri, New Hampshire, Texas, Utah, and Vermont. In those states, all the high schools that requested the "Check Out a Career in Masonry" recruitment campaign have been sponsored and shipped. Iowa, Indiana and Arizona are very close to achieving this status, too. This represents over 200 schools that now have materials for their students to discover a career in masonry.

What an impact this program is making! Counselors and school officials are giving great feedback about the materials, and are eagerly requesting career day presentations to meet their students' desires to learn more about the industry.

The MCAA members of these states (and many others) have done a fantastic job of rallying their suppliers and associations to support this much needed workforce development initiative. We give special thanks to those contractor members that donated to this program and sponsored schools themselves: John Spencer, Wilson Eshbach, Buddie Barnes, Paul Hoggatt , Mackie Bounds, Mike Sutter , Paul Odom , Dick Felice, Glenn Hottmann, Bill McConnell, John Smith Jr, Michael DeBlasio, Bill Singleton, Bob Alhers, Kerry Gagnon, Ed West, Stan Szetela, Neil Schiavi, Fred Minahan, Robert Gladu, Trent Gay, Harry McGraw, Charles Morgan, Nick Page, CJ Pryor, Lynn Skinner, Melvin Smith, Dwight Davis, Dwayne Vernon, Kent Whitaker, and Mike Massie.

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About the Author

Melissa Polivka spent time as the Director of Marketing, Director of Membership, and Director of Workforce Development for the Mason Contractors Association of America.