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-




ence working with Johnson Concrete Products/Car-
olina Stalite promoting and demonstrating patented
new masonry products across the entire nation. Ryan
chaired and coordinated Masonry Education Day for
the last two years at Gold Hill, which included the Car-
olina qualifier for Mason Contractors Association of
America “Fastest Trowel on the Block” competition
this past November. More than 400 students partici-
pated.” In his WDTC position, Shaver will serve as an om-
budsman for masonry training especially within public
education. He will maintain an extensive database of
instructors, school administrators, career and techni-
cal education directors, and other decision makers. He
will maintain regular contact with masonry classes and
coordinate the involvement of masonry contractors
and other masonry industry in local high school pro-
grams. Shaver will use his industry connections to re-
cruit instructors for new programs and his extensive
personal experience to help new and struggling in-
structors become successful masonry teachers.

He will also assume leadership responsibility for
NCMCA sponsored masonry competitions as well as
other competitions for which the masonry industry is
involved. He will take a significant role in the NC Skill-
sUSA Regional and State Masonry competition and
the Annual State Fair Masonry Apprentice Contest. He
serves as chairman of the SkillsUSA National Confer-
ence Annual Masonry Championship competition.

“I have spent my entire career in the masonry indus-
try and have been on all sides from a mason to educa-
tion to product development,” Shaver said in the
statement. “I have a huge passion for promoting the
masonry industry and for helping introduce young
people to the opportunity that they can have in the in-
dustry that has made me who I am today. I am looking
forward to working beside each and every one of you
and helping grow our workforce and keeping the ma-
sonry industry at the forefront of all the trades. The
NCMCA has been a leader nationwide and this is yet
another example of how we, North Carolina, are taking
the necessary steps to insure our future. Thank you for
giving me this opportunity.”
NCMCA president-elect Kent Huntley also serves as
chairman of the Apprenticeship and Training Commit-
tee and says: “I’ve worked with Ryan for years on the
job and with the competitions and young people. I
can’t imagine anyone that could be more suitable to
do this job for the masonry industry.”
Shaver will become fully involved with NCMCA and
the North Carolina masonry industry, attending local
chapter meetings, board meetings, the annual conven-
tion, and other industry events. As he becomes ori-
ented and settled in his new position, he will be
available to provide presentations to other groups with
an interest in masonry workforce development.

Ryan Shaver and wife Brandy have two sons and
live in Mount Pleasant.

Check out our
construction equipment at
www. jamesriversequipment .com
The North Carolina Construction News — March-April 2018 — 9