The End of the Regional Season is in Sight
See Who’s Heading to Vegas for the 2018 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500® World Championship!
July 22nd marked the start of the 2017 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500® Regional Series of qualifying competitions in Piney Flats, Tennessee. The 24-stop North American tour establishes the final roster of teams competing in the 2018 World Championship in Las Vegas at the World of Concrete tradeshow. This is the 15th season that SPEC MIX® and its co-sponsors will have hosted the annual series of events initiated to showcase the determination, spirit and expertise of masonry’s skilled craftsmen.
As the 2017 Regional season draws down with the last Regional held in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 3rd, we can see that the competition leading into the 2018 World Championship will be at an all-time high. There are several masons who laid over 500 brick and veteran competitor Ken Rutley out of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada topped the winners list with 717 brick laid! Congratulations to the winning teams and we look forward to seeing their masonry skill, speed and stamina in Las Vegas in the Bronze Lot, during the 2018 World of Concrete Trade Show on Wednesday, January 24, 2018. There they will compete for over $100,000 in cash and prizes with the Grand Prize being a 2018 Ford F-250 XLT Super Duty 4 x 4 Truck and the coveted title “World’s Best Bricklayer.”
2017 Regional First Place Winners To-Date (7/22/17 to 10/22/17)
East Tennessee
Mason – Brian Wade - 624 BrickTender – Brian Mullins
Wade Masonry, Inc., Stanton, KY
Ohio
Mason – Emilio Dibra - 572 BrickTender – Charlie Cheatham
United Masonry – Highland Heights, OH
Utah
Mason – Trint Pierce – 562 brickTender – Alex Groesbeck
Kim Pierce Masonry, Spanish Fork, UT
Wisconsin
Mason – Jake Brock – 488 BrickTender – Nick Miller
Brock Construction, Fort Atkinson, WI
British Columbia
Mason – Riel Voigt - 697 BrickTender – Josh Shelley
S&S Masonry, Langley, BC
Ontario
Mason – Filipe Orfao - 693 BrickTender – Jose Orfao
Res Masonry Inc, Cookstown, ON
Illinois
Mason – Grzegorz Gora- 670 BrickTender – Stefan Majercak
Molloy Masonry, Chicago, IL
Florida
Mason – Vince Wright - 569 BrickTender – Clint Wright
Wright Masonry, Section, AL
Colorado
Mason – Esteban Cabral - 665 BrickTender –Oscar Gaucin
Phoenix Masonry, Thornton, CO
Washington
Mason – Eric Kent - 493 BrickTender – John Henryzies
R&D Masonry, Marysville, WA
Pennsylvania
Mason – Joe Masters - 342 BrickTender – Ryan Drakeley
Dan Lepore & Sons Company, Conshohocken, PA
California
Mason – David Jones Sr. - 513 BrickTender – Mark Starkweather
Bratton Masonry, Fresno, CA
Quebec
Mason – Benoit Jeannotte. - 524 BrickTender – Rene Rodier
Maconnerie Legault, Gatineau, QE
Oklahoma
Mason – Leif Reints - 583 BrickTender – Michael Weisinger
Reints Masonry, Wyandotte, OK
Missouri
Mason – Terry Daniel - 470 BrickTender – Braden Palmer
John Smith Masonry, St. Louis, MO
Virginia
Mason –James Currier- 382 BrickTender – Charles Foster
Top Notch Brick & Block, Norfolk, VA
West Tennessee
Mason – Zac Guire - 542 BrickTender – Oscar Herrera
Care Supply, Nashville, TN
Alberta
Mason – Ken Rutley - 717 BrickTender – Rick Vair
Mayzes Masonry, Medicine Hat, AB
North Carolina
Mason – Wriston McGee - 588 BrickTender – Kaleb McGee
McGee Brothers, Monroe, NC
North Texas
Mason – Mario Landeros - 544 BrickTender – Cristobal Anguiana
Artisan Masonry, Royse City, TX
New England
Mason – Ray Byers - 427 BrickTender – Adam Byers
Arch Masonry & Restoration, Pittsburgh, PA
There are 3 more Regionals to go this year. It will be a banner year for the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 program by setting a record high total of 24 qualifier rounds that will take place in 20 US cities and 4 Canadian provinces. The winners of each Regional Competition will earn a spot to compete in the 2018 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 World Championship held at the 2018 World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday January, 24th in the MASONRY MADNESS® Arena located in the WOC Bronze Lot.
For more information on the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 program please visit the event website at www.smbl500.com.
About the Author
Jeff Farmakes is the Marketing Communications Manager for SPEC MIX®, Inc.