Guire wins West Tennessee Regional Qualifier

SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Regional – West Tennessee

By Will Scott

Live country music lined the background, setting the stage for the first annual Nashville SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500®. Cars quickly pack the downtown area with thousands of architects, specifiers, and construction gurus all converging at the Music City Center at the CSI CONSTRUCT trade show to learn the newest innovations in construction materials. The Nashville SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 regional event featured a half dozen of the best brick layers from all over Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama competing for bragging rights, cash and the coveted trip to Las Vegas at the CONSTRUCT Show, bringing innovation and application together for the design community adding another dimension and some additional fun at Construct.

SPEC MIX had a huge presence inside the 2013 Construct trade show including a 10’ by 20’ booth which welcomed specifiers, designers and contractors alike to learn the latest advances in preblended cementitious materials. SPEC MIX also held the first ever “Masonry Live” education session. SPEC MIX “Masonry Live” included three learning stations where attendees were taught masonry mortar specifications and how to select mortars for their projects followed with a set of three hands on demonstrations that brought to life the physical material advantages of using preblended materials as compared to traditional on site proportioned mortars and grouts. Attendees also were taught the mechanics of properly constructed masonry assemblages and were given the opportunity to spread mortar and lay brick with the guidance of industry expert, Bryan Light. Best of all, the hour session not only educated and entertained attendees, it left them with 1 learning unit of continuing education that qualifies for health, safety and welfare.

On Thursday September 26th at 11am in the parking lot adjacent to the 2013 CONSTRUCT Show in Nashville, attendees witnessed regional hopefuls begin to lay out the starter courses as Honky Tonk Central caterers filled the air with hot dogs, BBQ and cold beer. The sounds of country music drown out the low growl of the brand new forklifts supplied by Equipment Finders Inc. and Superior Industrial Products. Family and friends are already encouraging their favorite competitors as they effortlessly spread the SPEC MIX mortar, a perfect blend of Essroc masonry cement and mason sand supplied by Hunter Sand and Gravel. As the competitors finish laying their starter courses of block supplied by Southland Brick and Block and brick supplied by Boral Building Products, the spectators can’t help but be drawn into the energy and excitement of the Nashville SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500.

As the competitors begin laying brick, the crowd is greeted by a familiar voice, National SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Emcee actor/voice man Tom Clark who really turned the competition into a show. Continuing on the education provided at the 2013 CONSTRUCT show, National and local event sponsors including Ford, Superior industrial Products, Boral Brick, Southland Brick and Block, WASCO Inc., Multiquip and Mortar Net put up tents under which attendees could discuss the latest construction industry innovations of each of these sponsors. On top of this endeavor was local sponsor Hunter Sand and gravel who raffled off numerous gift cards and a new I-Pad Mini for one lucky attendee. The surprises didn’t stop there. Mortar Net donated several product gifts cards that were given away via drawing to area contractors.

As the competition came to an end we saw a very close finish. Just one quality point deduction could change the place results, but in the end it is local bricklayer Zac Guire and mason tender Oscar Herrara, WASCO Inc., who totaled a final brick count of 485 that took home several thousand dollars in cash and prizes, the title of Nashville Regional Champion, and a trip to Las Vegas to compete in the 2014 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 competition and the title of “World’s Best Bricklayer”.

Attendees were elated to discover that two 50 inch flat screen televisions were to be given away at the event. The first television was given away via the SPEC MIX bag toss elimination tournament. Everyone was allowed to compete but only one lucky attendee took home the TV. The second 50 inch television was given away just before the winners were announced in a game of “heads and tails” where everyone in attendance including the competitors were allowed to pick heads or tails and the flip of a coin eliminated those in the game until only one lucky remaining attendee took home the TV. The event finished with a special birthday cake presentation to local Nashville SPEC MIX sales representative, Will Scott.

A special thanks to our local sponsors Wasco Inc., Mortar Net, Equipment Finders Inc., Superior Industrial Products, Hunter Sand and Gravel, Mid TN Ford, Prism Pigments, Solomon Colors, Essroc Cement, Holcim US., ReoStone, Southland Brick and Block, Boral Brick and all the national sponsors without whom we would not have been able to have a successful competition.