FIND A CONTRACTOR BUYER'S GUIDE
BECOME AN INDUSTRY PARTNER
MCAA Logo
MEMBER LOGIN JOIN
NEWS
World of Concrete 2026 Registration Is Open ↗

Overwhelming Instructor Support

Words: Dan Kamys
/Public/News/20080410084700-1.jpg" width="300" height="200" border="0" alt="Adam Coffey is every instructor's dream as a masonry student.">
Adam Coffey is every instructor's dream as a masonry student.
Lee Porter, a masonry instructor at C.E. McCormick ATC in Alexandria, Ky., knows a talented masonry student when he sees one. Porter saw a good student in Adam Coffey, and he supports recognition for this up-and-coming mason.

"I'd like to see my student, Adam Coffey, honored in your magazine for the hard work and dedication he has demonstrated," Porter says.

A senior at Pendleton County High School, Coffey participates in football and basketball and is completing his second year at C.E. McCormick ATC. He began his technical schooling in the auto body program, but quickly transferred into masonry.

"Early in the program, I was impressed by how easily Adam picked up the requisite skills," Porter says. "In his first competition, he placed third in our local SkillsUSA competition. That seemed to inspire him to work even harder. He told me he was going to win the regional SkillsUSA competition, and he did."

Porter says Coffee continued to practice and push himself. When he won the Kentucky State SkillsUSA competition, he earned a trip to Kansas City, Mo., where he earned 11th place in the National SkillsUSA Masonry Contest.

"Adam is a very gifted young mason, and I'm proud to have had the opportunity to instruct him," says Porter. "Adam says he's going back to Kansas City; I have no doubt about that. He says he can win the competition this year. I'll say this: I truly believe he has an excellent chance of it."

Porter says Coffey has always strived to be the best he can be and that he will make an excellent contribution to the masonry industry. The future looks bright for our nation's masonry students.
 0
Contractor Tip of the Month: A Contractor’s Amazon Adventure: Heat, Teamwork, and Thrills in the Rainforest
January 2026

Pressure has a way of exposing your habits. It shows how you respond when comfort fades away, and the work starts fighting back. For contractors, those moments come on jobs that test your energy or force decisions when the margin for error disappears. The

Damian Lang
Contractor Tip of the Month
Read More
Fechino Files: Something Good!
January 2026

Mortar Net Solutions and Keene, Inc. have delivered the 2025 Masonry Apprentice Scholarships, and teachers across the country are presenting them as they change the lives of the recipients. This year, we were fortunate enough to have four National Masonry

Steven Fechino
Fechino Files
Read More
GEN NXT: Austin Cataldi
January 2026

This month, the MCAA had a conversation with 19-year-old Austin Cataldi, a dedicated young professional whose path to masonry was shaped by family ties and a hands-on spirit. His journey is one of finding artistic expression in the same materials he works

Justin Stengel
GEN NXT
Read More
Outreach Outlook: Launching Into 2026 With Purpose, Innovation, and National Momentum
January 2026

Happy New Year! As classrooms reopen and a new semester begins across the country, the MCAA Outreach & Education Division is entering 2026 with renewed purpose and a clear focus. There is a unique energy that comes with the start of a new year. It is a ti

Robert Melgaard
Outreach Outlook
Read More