Louisville, Kentucky served as host for the 54th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference put on by SkillsUSA. Designed to increase the quality of our nation’s skilled workforce with a combination of “citizenship, leadership, employability, technical and professional skills training,” it works to create a strong upcoming generation of our workforce. Over 16,000 attended the show. Among them were students, instructors, and partners in the business world.
Friend of MASONRY Publications and recent MCAA Hall of Fame inductee Damian Lang spoke to attendees during lunch on the day before the competitions. Additionally, DIY Network Rescue Renovation star and trade advocate Kayleen McCabe also addressed the competitors and emphasized the importance of hard work and vocational education. She even filmed her show from the masonry contest area. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos also visited the site and spoke with industry professionals about the importance of vocational education.
On Wednesday and Thursday of the conference, the Championships were held in a variety of trades. One of the most exciting and technical events however, was the masonry competition. Sponsored by NCCER for the ninth year, the competitions put high school and post-secondary students enrolled in technical programs to the test for entry-level performance within the field.
The contestants were required to complete a written exam prior to the competition, and then efficiently and effectively reconstruct a project based off of a plan. A technical committee made up of respected members of the industry, designed the project that the contestants would ultimately complete.
2018 Skills National Masonry Technical Committee:
Jeff Buczkiewicz – MCAA – Chairman – (IL)
Ryan Shaver – North Carolina Masonry Association – Co Chairman and a past Skills Gold Medal Winner
Tim O’Toole, MCAA (IL)
Dan Belcher – NCCER (Fla.)
Nick Blohowiak – SpecMix (Wis.)
John Bongiovanni – Bon Tool (PA)
Brian Carney – SpecMix (Minn.)
Kim Haley Marshalltown Co. (Iowa)
Peter Kiley – Oldcastle Architectural (GA)
Ray Leonard- Brick Industry Association (VA)
Bryan Light – BIA Southeast (GA)
Bob Melton – Masonry Institution of Tennessee
Jason Thompson National Concrete Masonry Association MA (VA)
Greg Ferree – Lehigh – Past Skills Gold Medal Winner
Daniel Furr – Stalite – Past Skills Gold Medal Winner
2018 Skills National Educational Team:
Todd Larson – (Wis.)
Al Herndon – (Fla.)
Richard McKnight- (SC)
Richard Nagy – (OH)
Curtis Hoover – (MA)
Dan Hiltebeitel – (PA)
Toni Herndon – (Fla.)
The above individuals have been appointed by their companies or associations to represent the Masonry Industry at Skills USA. They help showcase the Masonry Industry and the talents of the Secondary and Post-Secondary schools in America.
Over 45 contestants took part in the six-hour masonry competition, and each built a brick and block project set on a concrete block base. The details were based on the most commonly-used elements within residential construction. While working quickly was an element of the challenge, safety and quality are also stressed.
The detail drawings were handed out at the previous day’s lunch, and competitors were expected to adhere to the plans as closely as possible. Winners were determined by a combination of their respective performances on the written exam along with their finished projects. A judging panel made up of journey-level masonry professionals were assigned to review each completed build.
Competitors
HIGH SCHOOL (SECONDARY)
Allison Lind | Gardner, MA |
Andrew Hoak | Linthicum Heights, MD |
Austin Goodman | New Tazewell, TN |
Bailey Evanson | Waverly, GA |
Brittany Livingsston | Easley, SC |
Caibry Owczrzak | Essexville, MI |
Cole Christadore | Hampton, CT |
Cole Rains | Eureka Springs, AR |
Colton Ohme | Pittsburg, KS |
Damien Rosallez | Richford, NY |
Danasia Lewis | Yazoo City, MS |
Daniel Smith | Colorado Springs, CO |
Dylan Cates | Pawnee, OK |
Dylan Grider | Sellersburg, IN |
E’san Viera | Providence, RI |
Hunter Bryant | Courtland, VA |
Inchantra Armitage | Centralia, WA |
Jacob Brooks | Buckeye, AZ |
Joseph Wright | New Castle, DE |
Kaylee Folckemer | St. Augustine, FL |
Kevin Ruiz Gonzales | Grand Prairie, TN |
Luke Roth | Dayton, KY |
Marty Krumenacker | Carrolltown, PA |
Mason Saunders | Mount Pleasant, NC |
Michelle Perez | Downey, CA |
Nicolas Stephenson | Rudolph, OH |
Roberto Gutierrez | Martinsburg, WV |
Sachi Baeta | Lincoln, NE |
Travis Dames | O’Fallon, MO |
Wellington Lopez | Scotch Plains, NJ |
Yusef Alghaim | Bossier City, LA |
POST-SECONDARY
Alex Garcia | Webb City, MO | |
Anthony Vickrey | Nashville, TN | |
Ashton White | Cleveland, NC | |
Bryce Dean | Belcamp, MD | |
Christopher Stevenson | Binghamton, NY | |
Gregory Gruber | Crownpoint, NM | |
Jacob Jackson | Perkins, OK | |
Jake Freeman | Collinsville, AL | |
Jonathan Davenport | Yellville, AR | |
Luis Sorto | Leesburg, VA | |
Patrick Grosvenor | Belle, MO | |
Ramon Vargas | Phoenix, AZ | |
Rodrigo Patron | Harlingen, TX | |
Wayne Halcomb | Poplarville, MS |
AWARDS
HIGH SCHOOL (SECONDARY)
Gold
Mason Saunders,
Mount Pleasant High School
Mount Pleasant, N.C.
Silver
Cole Christadore
HH Ellis Technical High School
Danielson, Conn.
Bronze
Cole Rains
Eureka Springs High School
Eureka Springs, Ark.
POST-SECONDARY
Gold
Ashton White
Rowan Cabarrus Community College
Salisbury, N.C.
Silver
Bryce Dean
Williamson College of the Trades
Media, Penn.
Bronze
Jake Freeman
Wallace Community College
Selma, Ala.
Masonry Sponsors:
A.C. Krebs
Amerimix
BelDen
BON Tool
The Brick Industry
Brixment
Marshalltown
MCAA
Masonry Institute of Tennessee
CM National Concrete Masonry Association
NCCER
PCA, America’s Cement Manufactures
SpecMix
Stalite
Masonry Prizes Sponsors & Donors:
Marshalltown
BON
Calculated Industries
IQ Power Tools
JAG Clamp
Multiquip
NCCER
Pearson
SpecMix
Stabila
Argos
Build Your Future
Lowe’s
Oldcastle
Carhartt Inc.
MCAA
South Wire Co.
Warson Brands
About SkillsUSA – SkillsUSA is the national organization for students in trade, industrial, technical and health occupations education. It sponsors the SkillsUSA Championships annually to recognize the achievements of career and technical education students and to encourage them to strive for excellence and pride in their chosen occupations. Visit www.skillsusa.org to learn more.
About NCCER — NCCER is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) education foundation created by the construction industry to develop standardized curriculum with portable credentials and to help address the skilled, construction workforce shortage. NCCER is recognized by the industry as the training, assessment, certification and career development standard for the construction and maintenance craft professional. For more information, visit www.nccer.org or contact NCCER customer service at 888.622.3720.