Apprentices show their skills during MASONRY MADNESS Words: Mason ContractorsThe sixteenth annual Masonry Skills Challenge, held February 4, 2015 during the 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: Daniel Furr, 2015 Masonry Skills Challenge First Year winner First Year Apprentices First Place Daniel Furr Koontz Masonry, Inc. Lexington, N.C. Second Place Joshua Bourne Foti Construction, Inc. Wickliffe, Ohio Third Place Derrick Williams, Jr. Williams & Sons Masonry, Inc. El Cajon, Calif. Zachary Zuidema, 2015 Masonry Skills Challenge Second Year winner Second Year Apprentices First Place Zachary Zuidema Jimmy’Z Masonry Crystal Lake, Ill. Second Place Jose Hernandez Brothers Masonry Phoenix, Ariz. Third Place Lane Mullis McGee Brothers, Co. Monroe, N.C. Kelton McGee, 2015 Masonry Skills Challenge Third Year winner Third Year Apprentices First Place Kelton McGee McGee Brothers, Co. Monroe, N.C. Second Place Miguel Angel Gonzalez NuWay, Inc. Riverside, Calif. Third Place Kevin Kidd PCC Masonry Wapakoneta, Ohio All winners received trophies, cash prizes, Marshalltown Company tool bags and tools, and safety kits from Beeline Purchasing, LLC. First place winners also received engraved trowels from Marshalltown Company and concrete calculators from Calculated Industries. All contestants received grout scoops from GROUT GRUNT, a mason’s pack from SPEC MIX, Inc., 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: Al Herndon, Florida Masonry Apprentice and Educational Foundation; Green Cove Springs, Fla. Calvin Brodie, Brodie Contractors, Inc.; Raleigh, N.C. Danks Burton, Pinnacle Masonry; Cary, N.C. Doug Burton, Whitman Masonry, Inc.; Raleigh, N.C. Curtis Hoover, Anne Arundel County Public Schools; Severn, Md. John Jacob, J. Construction Co. Inc.; Cleves, Ohio Eugene Johnson, Lake Marion High School; Santee, S.C. Alonza Lewis, Masonry’s Best; Columbia, S.C. Gary Porter, Masonry Advisory Council; Park Ridge, Ill. Milton Young, National Masonry Instructors Association; Eutaw, Al. Jim Zuidema, Jimmy’Z Masonry Corp.; Crystal Lake, Ill. The MCAA would also like to thank the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC), the International Masonry Institute (IMI), and the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) for sponsoring the 2015 Masonry Skills Challenge, and give a special thank you to the sponsors and service/material donors for their contributions including: Competition Sponsors International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) International Masonry Institute (IMI) Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Contributors AZ Best Block The Belden Brick Company GATORBACK, Inc. QUIKRETE SPEC MIX, Inc. Prize Donations Beeline Purchasing, LLC Calculated Industries, Inc. EZ Twig GROUT GRUNT Marshalltown Company SPEC MIX, Inc. MCAA Strategic Partners Airplaco Equipment Company Big River Industries, Inc. Dow Building Solutions EZ Grout Corporation iQ Power Tools Kennison Forest Products, Inc. Mortar Net Solutions Non-Stop Scaffolding Oldcastle Building Products QUIKRETE SPEC MIX, Inc. Trademen’s Software, Inc. About the MCAA’s Masonry Skills Challenge The Masonry Skills Challenge is hosted annually by the MCAA as part of MASONRY MADNESS™ during the MCAA Convention at the World of Concrete/World of Masonry in Las Vegas. This exciting competition highlights our industry’s finest young masons and focuses attention on careers in the masonry industry. The 2016 MCAA Masonry Skills Challenge will be held Wednesday, February 3, 2016 during the MCAA Convention at the World of Concrete/World of Masonry in Las Vegas. For more information about the competition, please visit www.masoncontractors.org/masonry-skills-challenge.
