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

Success story: Matthew Demery

Words: Jason AderholtThe Tender Training Program offered by the Arizona Masonry Guild and the Arizona Masonry Contractors Association may seem, to some, too good to be true. Six days (48 hours) of intensive, hands-on training resulting in a new career option — all for free? You bet.

Just ask Matthew Demery, who was at a point when he was ready to take a risk and build a better life for himself. Demery credits the program with putting his life and future on the right course.

“I saw a listing on Craigslist that said I could show up for a free training program,” Demery says. “It said they’d provide the free training and explained how to be prepared, and to be ready to work hard.

In addition to learning how to build scaffolding, mix mortar, set up a station and more, Demery left the program with his OSHA training card. He is particularly proud of that accomplishment and says it helps him on the jobsite during day-to-day activities.

“The program was great,” he says. “They gave us tools, they provided us t-shirts, the fed us…and in six days, I felt really prepared to go on a jobsite and work.”

As a football fan, Demery calls the hiring process that occurs at the end of the program “ingenious.” Contractors watch the students perform their different tasks in a “tender combine” of sorts, and then are able to “draft” the workers they want.

Two months ago, Demery and one of his teammates during the combine — who is now his friend — were hired by Sun Valley Masonry in Phoenix. “I owe Sun Valley a huge debt for hiring me and want to be a good employee. I feel 100 percent comfortable doing the work. I work with guys with good hearts who feel more like friends than coworkers.”

Becoming a mason is Demery’s next goal. After all, it runs in the family: He only recently found out from his uncle that his own grandfather — who he only saw about three times — had been a mason. What a happy coincidence.
 0
Moisture in Masonry: A Key Concern
August 2026

As building envelopes become tighter and more performance-driven, clarity around moisture management in masonry applications is more important than ever. In masonry wall assemblies, where water penetration is expected and managed rather than eliminated, t

Technical Talks
Read More
Revailo Upgrades to Platinum in the 2026 and 2027 MAP
August 2026

The Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is thrilled to announce that Revailo will upgrade their Silver partnership to a prominent Platinum partnership for the remainder of the 2026 MAP and for the duration of the 2027 MAP.

Industry News
Read More
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