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VOLUME
42 NO. 3, March / April 2008
| PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
TO: THE MICA MEMBERSHIP
Dear MICA Members and Industry Professionals;
Did I do enough? These were the words Rich O'Heir spoke to his priest just prior to his death. Rich was one of the founders of M & O Insulation Company, the largest employer of insulators in the Chicago market. Rich died of mesotheleoma almost two years ago. Those words, "did I do enough", seem odd coming from Rich. He was always giving back to the insulation industry in Chicago, to people less fortunate than him, to friends in need, to the small contractors who may need some advice, to anyone who came to him for assistance. He always had a smile for you and a joke. He could make you laugh. He never forgot where he came from. He was an insulator first and foremost. Those words really speak to the humility of the person. After all he did for the sixty-seven or so years he was on this earth he worried that he may not have done enough. As I heard the priest say this at Rich's funeral I smiled and thought to myself; "yes Rich, you did enough".
This story gets to the issue of what we can do as MICA members. Are we doing enough? Could we be giving more time or talent to MICA? Could we step up to the plate and help the Board of Directors with the planning and direction of MICA for the next fifty years? I would ask each member to think about his or her situation. Think about what you might do to help MICA move into the next fifty years. Every MICA member's situation is different. Perhaps you can find some time to become more active on one of MICA's standing committees. The most rewarding thing you can do as a MICA member is become a member of the Board of Directors. It is through this process you will really get to know some of your fellow MICA members. It is through this process that I have become friends with Paul Sawatzke, Pete Gauchel, Gary Auman, and many other wonderful MICA members. It is kind of selfish in a way, we seem to get much more out of MICA than we put in.
Your MICA Board of Directors and committee members have created a wonderful program for the June convention at the Osthoff Resort. We will have our committee meetings on Sunday morning and our associate members will sponsor a welcome reception on Sunday evening. Monday morning will bring our plated breakfast with Robert Ian as the keynote speaker. Dale Hayden will give a presentation on safety. Dale has been living safety with PCI for many years. Monday afternoon we will play the Bull. If you like golf, this course is for you. Tuesday morning will bring the safety and environmental committee roundtable discussion on best practices followed by the NIA update given by NIA President Charles Schattgen. Richard Carr will give a presentation on the new contract documents followed by a demonstration on MIDG presented by Ron King. We will have a presentation on building green from representatives of the University of Wisconsin. The University is a leader in the green building movement. Gary Auman will give a presentation on OSHA and safety issues. The spouses program will feature a French cooking demonstration from Jill Prescott. You will be immersed in the true quality and ambiance of a French culinary school. Jeannie attended one of Jill's classes and said it is fantastic. I wish I could attend.
Jeannie and I look forward to seeing you all in June. Until then be safe, and at the risk of sounding like a preacher, are you doing enough?
Sincerely,
Alec Rexroat
MICA President
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