MIA Honors O’Neill, Schumacher with 2009 Awards
Terry O’Neill of Columbia Marble Co. in Pittsburgh received the MIA’s 2009 Migliore Award for Lifetime Achievement for his long-time service to the group, including a key merger in the 1990s.
And, Michael Schumacher, a sales and business-development specialist for Valders Stone & Marble Inc. who’s spearheading efforts to promote natural-stone use in the green building movement, is the 2009 recipient of the MIA Natural Stone Scholarship Award.
The MIA cited O’Neill for his work with the industry group, especially with his presidency in 1995-1996.
O’Neill became involved with the stone trade some two decades earlier, initially as some interim while waiting for an offer from Westinghouse Electric Corp. He began working for his father-in-law, then the owner of Columbia Marble, and decided to stay with the business – even, after two years on the job, when Westinghouse finally offered him a position.
O’Neill served as vice president and president of the MIA in1995-96, becoming president six months early when the then-incumbent took an early retirement due to illness. He helped negotiate a merger of the MIA’s annual convention and StonExpo, which included a profit-sharing agreement.
“Throughout the MIA’s 65-year history, there have been a handful of times when one could look back and say there would be no MIA today if someone hadn’t committed critical time and energy to the association and the industry,” said MIA Executive Vice President Gary Distelhorst. “During the mid-1990s, the Marble Institute of America was struggling financially with a meager bank balance, and deeply in debt when Terry O’Neill stepped up to provide outstanding and brave leadership during some very trying times.
“His leadership was evident first-and-foremost in restoring the financial underpinning of the association.”
The modest O’Neill credited his success on the fact that Columbia Marble was a “mom-and-pop” business where hands-on experience was vital in handling virtually any problems. He also noted that the recovery of the MIA was helped by what he called the “second stone revolution,” when natural stone became very popular and many newcomers joined the association.
“Terry led the MIA through its most perilous years and at a sacrifice to his own business spent countless hours in moving the MIA through major financial troubles and toward the future,” noted Joe Kapcheck, a past Migliore recipient, in a letter of recommendation. “Terry has continued to be deeply committed to the MIA and the industry by attending board meetings in an advisory capacity as well as being called upon for advice on technical inquiries.”
The Migliore Award for Lifetime Achievement is named for the late Vincent Migliore, long-time MIA technical director and the first winner of the award. Previous winners also Malcolm Cohen, Bernie Polak, Vic Green and Louie Carnevale.
The MIA also honored Schumacher, a a LEED® AP/sales/business development specialist at the Valders, Wis. stone company, with its annual scholarship.
Shortly after joining Valders Stone and Marble, Schumacher became a LEED Accredited Professional and he is one of only a few stone representatives with this credential. Since passing the LEED exam, he has been busy carving a niche for natural stone in the LEED process.
In a 500-word essay in applying for the scholarship, Schumacher noted that, “People will be using stone long after I’m gone. Stone has such a rich legacy that I cannot let it stop with my generation.
“I’m fortunate to work where I do, and I will be taking advantage of every chance I can to perpetuate the natural-stone movement. We all carry a message…I say, “Let’s Rock!”
O’Neill and Schumacher received their honors during the MIA’s annual awards luncheon at StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas in Las Vegas on Oct. 23.