Young Mason Learns Fast

Words: Dan KamysJose Treto of Harlingen, Texas, is our Masonry Apprentice of the Month. Treto represented Texas in the national masonry contest held this past June in Kansas City, Mo., as part of the SkillsUSA National Championships. And, he did it by qualifying ahead of a classmate who had been the state representative in 2003.

Victor Santillan, Treto's instructor at Harlingen High School, is rightfully proud of his student. "I met Jose in my American history class. One day he mentioned that his father had been a masonry student and had won his district competition. It wasn't hard to interest him in enrolling in my masonry class."

Treto was fortunate to have discovered an outstanding masonry instructor. Santillan's students have participated in the national masonry competition eight of the last 13 years. Treto took advantage of all that Santillan had to teach, and he learned quickly.

"Jose started in my introductory nine-week class, and before I knew it he had bested his father by winning the state contest and competing at the national level."

Treto is looking ahead to enrolling in a technical school where he can continue to receive technical training.

Treto also claims that when Santillan retires, "I want his job!"

Terminations: The Hardest Part of Leadership
May 2026

Throughout my career, I’ve faced a wide variety of challenges, some technical, some interpersonal, and many that forced me to adapt quickly. These days, most of my work is behind a computer in an office, but the lessons I’ve learned apply wherever I go.

The Compliance Shield: Navigating the New Standards of Field Oversight
May 2026

The modern job site is undergoing a quiet but significant transformation. While the physical act of laying a block remains the core of the trade, the environment surrounding that work is becoming increasingly data-driven. We are moving away from the era o

PROSOCO Breaks New Ground With ICC‑ES Listing For Blok‑Guard and Anti‑Graffiti Products
May 2026

After years of pushing to raise the bar on third‑party verification, PROSOCO has reached another industry milestone, this time for anti‑graffiti and surface protection technologies.

Elevating Masonry: Old Habits, Familiar Tools, and the Real Reason Masonry Contractors Aren’t Making the Switch
May 2026

Ask a masonry contractor how they run their jobsite, and the answer probably sounds familiar: paper logs, a flurry of texts, maybe a shared email thread. It works until it doesn’t. And yet, even as purpose-built field management software has become more a