NCMCA takes financial “leap of faith”
in hiring new Workforce Development
and Training Coordinator
North Carolina Construction News staff writer
The North Carolina Masonry Contractor’s Associa-
tion (NCMCA) has appointed former high school ma-
sonry instructor Ryan Shaver to fill the newly created
position of workforce development and training coordi-
nator (WDTC).
“Creating this position is one of the most significant
initiatives ever attempted by the association,” NCMCA
president Bob Gates said in a statement.
“Ryan’s work will positively in-
fluence our future masonry work-
force. Of that, I have no doubt.
This board can be very proud that
we are making this happen.”
The new position fulfills a need
observed by various Carolinas’
masonry promotional groups for
almost 20 years, the NCMCA
statement says.
Creating the new position is somewhat of a financial
“leap of faith” for the organization, considering that the
expense of maintaining the WDTC will almost double
the association’s annual operating budget. But the
move is not unprecedented. Some 20 years ago, the
NCMCA board hired its first executive manager without
enough money in the bank to pay the new manager for
even six months.
That executive director is still here. Back then,
NCMCA members stepped up to ensure that a critical
step in the association’s evolution would be success-
ful. In the coming months, NCMCA leadership will
once again ask members to step up to support this im-
portant NCMCA initiative, the association statement
said. Much of the credit for North Carolina’s traditionally
strong high school masonry instruction programs goes
to the old Brick Association of North Carolina, who for
many years, even after expanding to both Carolinas,
maintained staff dedicated to calling on high school
and other masonry training programs.
Changes in the industry and in the economy eventu-
ally ended those staff positions. In recent years, the in-
dustry has continued to support training programs in
the state, but not in a coordinated and systematic fash-
ion that ensures adequate connections between indus-
try and the training programs.
8 — March-April 2018 — The North Carolina Construction News
Representatives of the NCMCA Eastern Carolina Chapter spent
a day in February visiting with local high school masonry
classes introducing themselves and masonry industry
career possibilities. (NCMCA website)
To finally address the issue, the NCMCA board of di-
rectors appointed a committee, chaired by president-
elect Kent Huntley to define and fill the WDTC position.
Serving on the committee with Huntley are NCMCA
past presidents Doug Burton, Calvin Brodie, and Gary
Joyner, along with past-president and present NCMCA
secretary-treasurer Danks Burton. Also serving are
Gates, NCMCA executive vice-president Lynn Nash,
Greg Huntley and Cliff McGee.
The committee advertised the opening nationally
and received numerous résumés. Several outstanding
interviews were conducted in mid-February, the
NCMCA reported.
“Ryan Shaver clearly stood out to the committee as
someone extraordinarily qualified to take on the new
position,” the association said in its statement.
“Ryan was a national masonry champion (1993) as a
student of award-winning instructor Doug Drye at
Mount Pleasant High School in Cabarrus County. He
was a successful young journeyman mason at McGee
Brothers Company and later managed his own ma-
sonry company. He was drawn to teaching and proved
to be very successful in attracting and training young
folks for masonry careers at Mount Pleasant High
School. During his teaching career, he produced state
and national masonry champions. He was Mount
Pleasant High School Teacher-of-the-Year and a finalist
for Cabarrus County Teacher-of-the-Year in 2014.
“Most recently, Ryan has gained invaluable experi-