Jeff Leonard at Washington University in St. Louis, MO.

"The more you give of yourself, the more you will get."

Just one of many qualities Don Leonard instilled in his son Jeff, but this maxim has benefited the Building Stone Institute most during the past year. With Jeff at the helm, giving his time, sharing his skills and experience, BSI has continued to take great strides forward, making progress across all fronts.

Jeff has been a member of Building Stone Institute since 1991 and was elected to the Board of Governors at BSI's 83rd annual convention in Palm Springs, California, in 2002. As a member of the board, Jeff promoted the goals of BSI by serving on the Stone Fund Committee. He took over as President of BSI in February of 2004.

On the financial front, under Jeff's leadership the organization has progressed to the point of investing a portion of provisional funds in bonds, an accomplishment important to insuring its future. At the same time, BSI has significantly advanced the two major goals of the organization, education and the promotion of natural stone.

Jeff Leonard accepting the Man of the Year award from Joe Dellacroce (2004 recipient) at the 2005 BSI convention.

In 2004 BSI became a member of the Stonexpo Federation and an active supporter of the Natural Stone Council, contributing $20,000 to the Council through the generous donations of members. By working together with these organizations, BSI is becoming a valuable resource to the architectural community. In 2004 BSI also distributed copies of "Who's Who in the Stone Industry" to more than 14,000 companies, most of which were design firms, produced the first Buyer's Guide featuring member firms, and upgraded the newsletter, adding a regular feature on safety and another that focuses on members.

In May of 2004, the organization held the extremely successful Tucker Award Program, honoring Cesar Pelli with the coveted Bybee Prize. Under the direction of Gerald Gallegos the awards ceremony was hailed the best ever by the members and architects who attended, with Pelli's presentation a highlight of the afternoon.

While achieving all these goals to promote the use of natural stone, the BSI also advanced its educational program. Under Jeff, and with the guidance of Joe Dellacroce and the Education Committee, the organization held its first Designer Education Program in Chicago, Illinois, focusing on limestone; over 120 people from the design community attended. BSI hopes to host the same program in different cities around the country and to develop other topics for additional programs. BSI is a registered provider for the AIA and offers continuing education units for all educational programs.

	Jeff with his wife Carmella Leonard.

Jeff accomplished all this and at the same time managed to hold down the fort as President of an award-winning, family-owned business, Leonard Masonry, Inc., that was started by his father in 1959. His approach to business demonstrates the same initiative, foresight and detailed planning witnessed by the BSI. He has built a company that is always willing to take that extra step, make an extra effort.

Jeff was introduced to masonry by his father, who considered it 'the Cadillac of building skin materials'; he spent the summers of his youth working on jobsites. Focused on the industry, he graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, one of the few universities to offer a dual degree in business and engineering. While in Colorado he worked for Helbert Masonry, a large commercial construction firm; his education and the experience at Helbert broadened his business perspective. When he returned to St. Louis to join Leonard Masonry, he immediately initiated plans to expand the business base, introducing equipment and innovations he had seen at Helbert. Don Leonard embraced his son's ambition. He stressed the need to control costs, emphasize quality, work with suppliers and fellow contractors, and educate architects, designers and owners. Then, in Jeff's words, "He gave me a long rope."

With his father Jeff has built Leonard Masonry, Inc. into the largest mason contractor in St. Louis, a company that is ranked as the sixth-largest mason contractor in the United States by Engineering News-Record, with 160 full-time employees and the largest contingent of journeyman bricklayers and stone craftsmen in St. Louis. Leonard Masonry, Inc. has constructed many of St. Louis' high rise buildings and has been the mason contractor on many of St. Louis' landmark structures. The firm was honored at the 2002 Tucker Architectural Awards program for its masonry work on the Washington University Graham Chapel addition. It is important to note that Tucker Award entries are judged by an independent panel of architects without the participation of any member of the stone industry.

Jeff addresses the 2004 Study Tour audience.

One of Jeff's goals as a mason contractor has been to bridge the gap between traditional brick and block contractors and those who work in natural stone. He is also a strong proponent of safety conditions for masons. In 2005, Jeff Leonard was chosen to be Masonry Construction's Industry Leader of the Year.

The BSI has gone through many changes in the past two years and Jeff is proud to report that the organization has become stronger because of them. He sees the future in terms of furthering its goals within the industry and the architectural community. He hopes to see BSI become a more effective voice for members and the architectural community and believes this can be accomplished by continuing its dual purpose: to educate and to promote the use of natural stone. He would like to see the BSI work more closely with other organizations that also promote the use of natural stone, and adds, "Together we increase our resources to focus on our industry's needs."

Jeff would like to thank "everyone who took time to become an active participant in the BSI and those who gave us their financial support." Remember, "The more you give of yourself, the more you will get."

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