Young Mason Represents Entrepreneural Spirit
Words: Dan KamysCharles Ray Golden of Newville, Ala., is our Masonry Apprentice of the Month. Golden epitomizes the hard-working, entrepreneurial spirit of the trade. Just 21 years old, Golden already has other masons working for him.
"Out of all the guys I graduated with, I'm the only one who put his money into tools. Now, five or six of them are working for me," Golden explained. "It was rough getting started and scary taking out a loan for that mixer, but it's paid off." When asked about generating business for a new company, Golden replied almost casually, "Oh, there's plenty of work out there."
Golden started his own business immediately following graduation from Wallace Community College in Eufaula, Ala. "That scholarship I got was all it took to get me interested, because I like to work outside," Golden says.
He received expert instruction at Wallace from Masonry Instructor C. W. Bynum, who has sponsored participants in the national masonry contest (including Golden) ten of the past 13 years. Bynum speaks highly of his student.
"Charles is a go-getter," Bynum says. "He's a first-generation college student who served as an ambassador for his school. He runs his own business; he's a volunteer fireman; and he's attending night school to become an EMT."
Golden competed in the national masonry contest held last summer in Kansas City, MO, in conjunction with the SkillsUSA-VICA National Leadership and Skills Conference. He represented the state of Alabama in the post secondary division.