March 17, 2003 11:45 AM CST

Apprentices Show Their Skills

By Melissa Polivka

On March 15th, the fourth annual International Masonry Skills Challenge took place inside the Tampa Convention Center during the Masonry Showcase Exhibition. Twenty-two apprentices from the U.S. and Canada showed off their capabilities for three hours of intensive work constructing a project appropriate to their skill level.

After close scrutiny by the panel of judges using ten different criteria including plumb, level, square and range, and measurements, the winners were announced by the Chairman of the event, Don Attfield (Canadian Masonry Contractors Association, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), for first-, second- and third-year apprentice skill levels.

The winners were:

1st year apprentices

First Place
Darryl McNeil, E.G.S. Inc., Md.

Second Place
John Nero, Frank Brown and Sons Masonry, Ohio

Third Place
Cruz Cervantes, Bickey Construction, Fla.

2nd year apprentices

First Place
Steve Koontz, Crest Masonry, Ohio

Second Place
Kevin Willis, L.F. Jennings, Va.

Third Place
Luke Balsingh, Masonry Builders, Fla.

3rd year apprentices

First Place
Chris Sutherland, Red Brookshire of Florida, Fla.

Second Place
Chris Coljohn, Medhurst Mason Contractors, Inc., Ohio

Third Place
Ryan Winkler, Canadian Mason Contractors Association, Ontario

The event was made possible by donations of materials and prizes from:

Spec Mix
Marshalltown Trowel
Hanson Brick
CSR Rinker

For more information about the competition, contact Melissa Polivka, MCAA Director of Workforce Development, at (800) 536-2225 or mpolivka@masoncontractors.com.

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About the Author

Melissa Polivka spent time as the Director of Marketing, Director of Membership, and Director of Workforce Development for the Mason Contractors Association of America.