Apprentices highlighted in Vegas
First, second and third year apprentices compete in the 2013 MCAA Masonry Skills Challenge
The fourteenth annual Masonry Skills Challenge, held February 6, 2013 during the 2013 MCAA Convention at the World of Concrete/World of Masonry in Las Vegas, showed off the best apprentices our industry has to offer.
The Masonry Skills Challenge is a competition of masonry apprentices in first, second and third year skill levels. The contest is a showcase for skills training in the masonry industry, challenging winning apprentices from regional U.S. and foreign competitions to determine the top masonry apprentice at each level. This exciting competition spotlights our industry's finest young masons and focuses attention on careers in the masonry industry.
Each contestant was presented with a project drawing appropriate to their skill level just moments before the competition began. Contestants only had three hours to construct the project based on the materials provided. The final projects looked great; the apprentices should be very proud of their three hours of hard work. The judges were impressed with the quality of the apprentices' construction, and had the tough decision of choosing the winners.
The top-placing contestants for each skill level were:
First Year Apprentices
First Place
Jeffrey PriceMike Coates Construction
Niles, Ohio
Second Place
Erick ReynosoE & S Masonry Corporation
Castro Valley, Calif.
Third Place
Mark KarhoffFort Scott Community College
Fort Scott, Kan.
Second Year Apprentices
First Place
Jeremiah HollandMosser Construction, Inc.
Fremont, Ohio
Second Place
Nick PraterJohn Jackson Masonry
Sacramento, Calif.
Third Place
Arron MicheilasNew Dimension Masonry, Inc.
San Diego, Calif.
Third Year Apprentices
First Place
Noah SprayCentral Masonry, Inc.
Huntington, W.Va.
Second Place
Wriston McGeeMcGee Brothers, Inc.
Monroe, N.C.
Third Place
Justin JohnsonWASCO, Inc.
Knoxville, Tenn.
All winners received trophies, cash prizes, Marshalltown Company tool bags and tools, concrete calculators from Calculated Industries, and levels from Johnson Level. First place winners also received engraved trowels from Marshalltown Company. All contestants received Grout Grunt scoops and shirts, EZ Twig mason line twigs from Linovation Corporation, and additional prizes.
The Mason Contractors Association of America would like to thank the judges from across the country for donating their time and expertise:
- Bryan Light, Brick Industry Association SE Region; Conyers, Ga.
- John Bongiovanni, Bon Tool; Gibsonia, Pa.
- Calvin Brodie, Brodie Contractors, Inc.; Raleigh, N.C.
- Todd Braden, Crane's Masonry; Vinita, Okla.
- Mike Campanile, Carroll Co. Career and Tech Center; Westminster, Md.
- Al Herndon, Florida Masonry Apprentice & Educational Foundation, Inc.; Boca Raton, Fla.
- Curtis Hoover, Anne Arundle County Public Schools; Stevensville, Mo.
- Eugene Johnson, Lake Marion High School; Santee, S.C.
- Joshua Johnson, Lee County Schools; Sanford, N.C.
- Alonza Lewis; Columbia, S.C.
Contributors
- Boral Bricks, Inc.
- GATORBACK, Inc.
- QUIKRETE
- SPEC MIX, Inc.
Prize Donations
- Calculated Industries
- Grout Grunt
- Johnson Level
- Linovation Corporation
- Marshalltown Company
MCAA Strategic Partners
- Big River Industries, Inc.
- Dow Building Solutions
- EZ Grout Corporation
- Kennison Forest Products, Inc.
- Mortar Net USA, Ltd.
- Non-Stop Scaffolding
- Oldcastle Building Products
- QUIKRETE
- SPEC MIX, Inc.
- Trademen’s Software, Inc.
About the Author
The Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is the national trade association representing mason contractors. The MCAA is committed to preserving and promoting the masonry industry by providing continuing education, advocating fair codes and standards, fostering a safe work environment, recruiting future manpower, and marketing the benefits of masonry materials.
