Winner at Raleigh
24 compete at Raleigh
By Lynn Nash
Lane Mullis is having a good run as a McGee Brothers Company apprentice. Mullis won the 2014 NC Department of Commerce State Fair Masonry Contest in October, placed third in the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) International Skills Competition at the World of Masonry in February, and now has won the David R. Sigmon Memorial Award for top score at the Annual NCMCA Masonry Apprentice Skills Contest.
Twenty-four apprentices from six NCMCA member firms participated in the Raleigh May 16th contest hosted by Custom Brick & Supply Company and the Raleigh Chapter of NCMCA.
Rounding out the top-ten were Grayson McGee, McGee Brothers Co, 2nd place; Andrew Mullis, Huntley Brothers Co, 3rd place; Luis Marquez, Huntley Brothers Co, 4th place, (who incidentally, also finished in fourth place in the 2014 Gold Hill contest); Jordan Furr, McGee Brothers Co, 5th place; Kaleb McGee, McGee Brothers Co, 6th place; Jose Luis Garcia, Gates Construction, 7th place; Michael Farmer, Huntley Brothers Co, 8th place; Joseph Copple, McGee Brothers Co, 9th place; and Brett McGee, McGee Brothers Co, 10th place.
Top-ten scores ranged from 965 to 900 points out of a possible 1,000.
Contestants were given two hours to complete a predetermined project later scored for “plumb,” “level,” “square & range,” “measurement,” “correct design,” “manipulation,” “tooling and neatness,” “full joints,” and “production.”
As the contest winner, Mullis was presented the “David R. Sigmon Award” for top score, $600 in cash and a wheelbarrow full of tools.
New Champion Lane Mullis is the son of Harvey and Tanya Mullis of Monroe and the grandson of Mike and Dianne McGee. His foreman at McGee Brothers is Mark McGee. He is the nephew of Guinness Book of Records’ World Record Bricklayer Travis McGee. He has two sisters and one brother. In addition to laying brick, Lane enjoys deer hunting, softball, and “his truck.” He is “Head Cook” weekends at the family’s “Mac’s Restaurant” in Monroe, where he has worked part time for his grandfather, Mike McGee, since he was fifteen.
Lane, who will be nineteen on June 10th, competed in the last two Annual NCMCA Apprentice Masonry Skills Contests, finishing “tenth” in May 2014. His win in Raleigh earns him the opportunity to represent NCMCA at the 2016 MCAA International Skills Competition at the World of Masonry/World of Concrete in Las Vegas.
Lane told his mom, Tanya, that he sweated more during the judging then when he was building the wall, saying he can’t wait to go and watch next year’s contest when the pressure won’t be on him.
Lane commented that he likes the way the North Carolina contests are done because everyone is recognized and wins something for their efforts.
Lane’s dad, Harvey, says Lane was disappointed to finish in tenth place at the 2014 contest. “He told his mom right afterwards he wouldn’t compete in another contest. I had to talk him into going back in the fall to the State Fair Contest where he won and qualified to go to the (World of Masonry/MCAA contest.) I remind him now that if he had given up after one tenth-place finish, quitting would have cost him two first-place wins and two trips to the Las Vegas contest.”
Contest Chairman and NCMCA President-Elect and Contest Head-Judge Kent Huntley had high praise for Custom Brick & Supply Company and the Raleigh Chapter as hosts of the contest, as well as for NCMCA member companies and friends who contributed so generously with equipment, volunteers, materials, refreshments, tool prizes and financial pledges.
The 2016 contest returns to Carolina Stalite’s Ben Ketchie Park in Gold Hill Saturday May 21st hosted by Johnson Concrete Company.
About the Author
A Cary, North Carolina businessman is the new president of the North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association (NCMCA.) In April, Danks Burton, general manager and president of Pinnacle Masonry, Inc., was elected to head the 145 member firm professional trade association.
