Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner with us
MCAA Logo
Log in Sign up Join Hi, there Account
2026 Midyear Registration is OPEN
Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner
Log in Sign up Join Account

Eyes on the Prize

Words: Dan Kamys
/Public/News/20090513081900-1.jpg" width="530" height="298" border="0" alt="Codey Rogers at the National Masonry Contest, held in Kansas City, Mo., in conjunction with the National SkillsUSA Leadership Conference.">
Codey Rogers at the National Masonry Contest, held in Kansas City, Mo., in conjunction with the National SkillsUSA Leadership Conference.
Codey Rogers says his masonry instructor has been his greatest influence. In June 2008, Rogers participated in the national masonry contest, held in conjunction with the 44th Annual SkillsUSA Leadership Conference in Kansas City, Mo. Since then, he’s been working hard in hopes of returning to the contest next month, following his senior year of high school.

Currently, Rogers works for his father’s company, Mike & Sons Inc. of Lake City, Fla. He operates heavy equipment, restoring and maintaining state parks and managing the water resources of the Suwanee River. At school, he’s an active FFA member and president of his SkillsUSA chapter. A self-described “outdoors guy,” Rogers enjoys hunting, fishing and “muddin’.”

“I’ve been laying all the brick I can,” says Rogers. “Recently, I volunteered to do a job at a high school in Jacksonville (Fla.) that was organized by Mr. Al Herndon of the Florida Masonry Apprentice and Education Foundation. Over the course of a couple of weekends, we built a brick backstop for a softball field. I worked mostly on the veneer.”

Rogers Participated in Another Skills

USA regional competition and qualified for the Florida state-level competition for the third time. He hopes to return to Kansas City to participate in the national contest this summer.

Rogers’ instructor thinks he has a strong chance of making that Kansas City trip. “Codey is driven to succeed,” says Michael Beville, masonry instructor at the Bradford-Union Area Career Technical Center in Starke, Fla. “He works hard, and he’s an inspiration to his fellow students. His physical skills, combined with his ability to learn the technical aspects, are superior and demonstrate exactly what will help our industry in the future.”

Rogers has a strong work ethic and comes from a hard-working family. He also enjoys working outdoors, so the combination is a recipe for success.

“Codey is in a great position right now,” says Beville. “He has two major contractors in the area competing to employ him as soon as he graduates this June.”
 0
Restoring Structural Integrity: Reinforcement in Masonry Buildings
August 2026

Masonry, as most of us in the trade know and appreciate, remains one of the most durable and time-tested structural systems in the built environment. Structures built throughout Europe and other parts of the world demonstrate that a masonry building is mo

Kate Vienna
Technical Talks
Brick Historic Restoration Repair & Restoration Restoration
Read More
Designing High-Performance Masonry Envelopes: Selecting the Right Air Barrier System
August 2026

Aric Hutchinson
Technical Talks
Air Barriers
Read More
Beyond the Block: Aesthetic Innovations in CMU Construction
August 2026

Concrete masonry units (CMUs) have long been a mainstay of construction. They are well known as a “tried and true” material with a long history of high-strength structural performance, affordability, ease of assembly, and a long lifecycle. CMU constructio

Peter Roberts
Technical Talks
Block
Read More
The Most Overlooked Profit Center on Your Job Site
August 2026

The real cost of equipment ownership isn't what you pay on day one. It's what happens over the years that follow. The purchase price of a new mortar mixer, grout pump, material handling system, or masonry saw is only part of the investment. What happens

Steve Wheeler
MAP Partner
Read More