CalStar, manufacturer of sustainable masonry products, has appointed Mike Lemberg as its CFO. Lemberg has spent the last 15 years helping grow and scale early-stage companies, including the last six years in the sustainable products industry.
Lemberg brings a broad set of skills to the CFO position, including strategic planning, supply chain management, and corporate development in addition to the more traditional roles of the CFO.
“Mike brings tremendous strategic insight and financial experience along with his passion to help high-growth companies succeed,” says CalStar CEO Joel Rood. “His strong track record overseeing financial strategy and executing growth strategies at many emerging companies makes him a great choice for CalStar as we focus on rapidly expanding our share of the $12 billion U.S. masonry market.”
Lemberg most recently served as CFO for EcoSMART Technologies, a brand of safe and effective pesticides sold through retailers such as The Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Walmart. Previous experience includes serving as VP of financial planning and analysis for UNICA (acquired by IBM), a global provider of enterprise marketing management software, and VP of corporate development and treasurer of Arbinet (2004 IPO), a leader in the electronics trading, routing and settling communications capacity market.
“I am excited to join such a fantastic team and investor group,” says Lemberg. “CalStar’s sustainable products have all the characteristics I seek in green solutions: They work as well as the traditional technology, have added benefits of sustainability and improved aesthetics, and do not carry a green price premium.”
Showing posts with label masonry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label masonry. Show all posts
Monday, July 22, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Masons: Reasons for Fireworks!
By “Coach Gary” Micheloni
July and fireworks: Well, it is sort of a tradition around
here, whether that be on the pages of this column, the views and ideas of the
MCAA staff, or the deeply held beliefs of the men and women of the masonry industry:
Independence Day is huge for all of us. The reasons may be varied, but they all
tend to be related and amazingly similar!
The American Fourth of July celebration does tend to focus
on the patriotism and desire for freedom boiling up in the 1770s and before.
Rightly so. If not for then, the today would be completely different. We’d be
talking about our royal family, and
not our current concept of a republican form of government, coupled with the
rights of the people. Amazingly enough, that truly American ideal has
persevered for some 237 years – unprecedented in the history of this world.
Our main battle, back then, was with the British Crown. Many
thought is simply to be foolish. And those naysayers were close to being
correct. If not for a little luck now and then – some would say divine
intervention – the uprising would have been short lived.
A saying we are familiar with is that “freedom is not free.”
Our freedoms only began in 1776. The
battle to preserve and guarantee them continues to this day. As I write this,
people we all know personally are either deployed or serving in the military at
this minute, getting ready to go (again?) or are just returning. They are people
in our neighborhoods, churches and synagogues, community service clubs, recent
graduates from high school and college – carrying that same torch of freedom
and ensuring our liberties.
American history is filled to overflowing with accounts of
the heroism and valor, which have saved and preserved this nation, along with
her traditions and values. Let me share the names of just a few. Our freedoms
of today can be traced directly to the battlefields at Lexington and Concord,
Gettysburg, the Western Front, from the sands of Iwo Jima to the Battle of the
Bulge, the Chosin Reservoir, Khe Sanh and so many others. It is almost a sin to
not list more.
I’m recently reminded that some 69 years ago, the landing of
Allied troops at Normandy (D-Day) occurred. An important part of this was the
mission of a company of U.S. Army Rangers to take over a position currently
held by a German machine gun and artillery emplacement. Their guns would be
trained on the troops coming ashore, so their removal was mandatory.
Please realize that this group of about 225 Rangers was to
attack these guns at a place called Pointe du Hoc. If you Google this term, you
will see the enormity of the task, because the Pointe was protected by 100-foot-high,
vertical cliffs, just off of a short beach. You’ve just gotta see the picture.
So, their mission was to come ashore, scale these cliffs in
the face of overwhelming machine gun and rifle fire, down the cliffs and at the
Rangers, as they climbed up. About 100 of the Rangers actually survived and
went on to complete the mission. Over half were lost. And let’s not forget
this: Every Ranger was a volunteer. Such is the heritage of our country.
Bringing this back to the present day, compare your lot in
life to that of a young, Army Ranger, while he is contemplating the enormity of
the task before him. Sometimes it feels like the competition is playing dirty;
things are not fair; the economy sucks; your business is just hanging on by a
thread; life is tough! You finish the sentence – because it’s your life.
How did those Rangers get to the top? They wanted their goal
more than the enemy wanted to deny them. And that’s a big part of the secret of
life, isn’t it? Plus, the Rangers had a secret weapon. They had artillery of
their own. Offshore lay the U.S. Navy, which could deliver a barrage of its
own. They had plenty of ammo, the best guns, and more experienced people. The
Rangers had the Navy in their corner of the ring. Just had to make the call and
ask for the help.
So here’s the thing. For us in the masonry industry, we’ve
got our own version of the Navy. We happen to call it the MCAA. They’ve got
plenty of ammo, know how to deliver it, and have the best people around to make
it all happen. These days, it’s a much easier call to make than the one that
the Rangers’ radio man made.
Let’s face facts: Even with the Navy’s help, the task before
the Rangers was daunting and not likely to succeed. But it had to succeed.
There was no Plan B. This made their accomplishment all the more remarkable.
Actually, the enormity of the mission probably helped the Rangers, as the German
artillery overlooked this possibility, at first, thinking it impossible, until
they were completely overrun.
You have got to believe that you make it. To help you with
that, remember where you came from, everything that your country has gone
through, and the paths laid out by the pioneers ahead of you. Happy Independence Day,
America!
Coach Gary’s Corner: What’s your plan
for Independence in 2013…and
beyond? Coaching will help you get there in less time, and with more success.
Ask Coach Gary to speak for your group, association or convention, or even to coach
your company. You can at least ask! Coach Gary’s first book, “Get Paid for
a Change!” is available at Amazon.com. Pick it up there; change your business.
Gary
Micheloni is a working project manager, speaker, author, consultant and coach.
Write him at FullContactTeam@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013 Gary Micheloni
Monday, July 8, 2013
2013 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Regional Competition Schedule
SPECMIX Inc., announces the 2013 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500
Regional Competition Schedule. The SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Regionals are a
series of 16 qualifying events taking place throughout North America that draws
the area’s best masons possessing the skill, speed and stamina required to
qualify for the chance to win a new FORD F-250 XLT 4X4 truck and nearly
$100,000 in cash and prizes at the national competition held once a year.
As a bricklaying competition that provides a large winner’s purse, the winners of each regional
will go on to compete at the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 National Event during the
World of Concrete/World of Masonry trade show at the Las Vegas Convention
Center’s Gold Lot.
At Nationals, more than 3,500 spectators and masonry enthusiasts
cheer, while 20 bricklayers battle for the highly coveted title and answer to
the question: “Who is the World’s Best Bricklayer?”
Established in 2003 to showcase
the skill and craftsmanship of professional masons, the general description of
the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Regional events is as follows: a two-man team,
consisting of a mason and a mason tender, are given 60 minutes to complete a 26-foot, eight-inch, double-wythe brick wall, while meeting strict quality standards
enforced by a panel of industry expert judges.
The winner of each regional
competition will advance to the National Event in on Jan. 22,
2014. Award places are based on the highest brick counts meeting the
quality standards and competition rules. The second most coveted award at both
National and Regional events, The SPEC MIX TOP CRAFTSMAN Award, is judged as
the most sellable wall meeting a qualifying brick count. While this award consists of
substantial cash, prizes, and industry recognition, this title does not provide
a spot to compete with the other 19 teams shooting for the championship.
To
register to compete in your area’s Regional Competition or for more information
on the event, please contact the local representative listed for your closest
competition. The 2014 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 National event will be held at
the Masonry Madness Arena during the 2014 World of Concrete/World of Masonry
trade show and is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2014.
2013 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Regional
Schedule
1. SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500
Regional – Ohio
·
Date: Saturday, August 3, 2013
·
Location: St. Mary’s Cement
Terminal – 250 Jefferson Ave. S. – Cleveland, OH 44113
·
Contact: Brian Tillett (513)
615-4986 or Patrick O’Toole (216) 513-9502
·
Time: 11:00 AM
·
SPEC MIX Manager: Nick Blohowiak
(920) 737-3856
2. SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500
Regional – Washington
·
Date: Saturday, August 10, 2013
·
Location: International Masonry Institute – Washington – 6737 Corson Ave S – Seattle, WA 98108
·
Contact: Don Dodroe (206) 718-2632
·
Time: 11:00 AM
·
SPEC MIX Manager: Tom Peterson
(612) 750-8653
3. SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500
Regional – Illinois
·
Date: Friday, August 16, 2013
·
Location: Illinois Brick Company –
7542 W. 73rd Street – Bridgeview, IL 60455
·
Contact: Mike Rolf (414) 640-1373 –
Shawn O’Malley (708) 476-3486 – Matt Pfotenhauer (630) 707-8200
·
Time: 11:00 AM
· SPEC MIX Manager: Nick Blohowiak (920) 737-3856
4. SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500
Regional – Utah
·
Date: Friday, August 23, 2013
·
Location: QUIKRETE Utah – 550 West
33rd South – Salt Lake City, UT
84115
·
Contact: Tyler Clark (801) 809-9506
·
Time: 11:00 AM
·
SPEC MIX Manager: Tom Peterson
(612) 750-8653
5. SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Regional – East Tennessee
·
Date: Saturday, September 14, 2013
·
Location: Greene County Fairgrounds
– 123 Fairgrounds Rd – Greeneville, TN 37745
·
Contact: Ryan Coyne (404) 702-5944
– Troy Crosby (864) 414-0461
·
Time: 11:00 AM
·
SPEC MIX Manager: Nick Blohowiak
(920) 737-3856
6. SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500
Regional – Wisconsin
·
Date: Saturday, September 21, 2013
·
Location: The Brick Yard – 3352 S.
Clement Ave. – Milwaukee, WI 53207
·
Contact: Mike Rolf (414) 640-1373
·
Time: 11:00 AM
·
SPEC MIX Manager: Nick Blohowiak
(920) 737-3856
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