November 4, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

The End of the Regional Season is in Sight

See Who’s Heading to Vegas for the 2018 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500® World Championship!

By Jeff Farmakes

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 Brick
Tender – Brian Mullins
Wade Masonry, Inc., Stanton, KY

Ohio

Mason – Emilio Dibra - 572 Brick
Tender – Charlie Cheatham
United Masonry – Highland Heights, OH

Utah

Mason – Trint Pierce – 562 brick
Tender – Alex Groesbeck
Kim Pierce Masonry, Spanish Fork, UT

Wisconsin

Mason – Jake Brock – 488 Brick
Tender – Nick Miller
Brock Construction, Fort Atkinson, WI

British Columbia

Mason – Riel Voigt - 697 Brick
Tender – Josh Shelley
S&S Masonry, Langley, BC

Ontario

Mason – Filipe Orfao - 693 Brick
Tender – Jose Orfao
Res Masonry Inc, Cookstown, ON

Illinois

Mason – Grzegorz Gora- 670 Brick
Tender – Stefan Majercak
Molloy Masonry, Chicago, IL

Florida

Mason – Vince Wright - 569 Brick
Tender – Clint Wright
Wright Masonry, Section, AL

Colorado

Mason – Esteban Cabral - 665 Brick
Tender –Oscar Gaucin
Phoenix Masonry, Thornton, CO

Washington

Mason – Eric Kent - 493 Brick
Tender – John Henryzies
R&D Masonry, Marysville, WA

Pennsylvania

Mason – Joe Masters - 342 Brick
Tender – Ryan Drakeley
Dan Lepore & Sons Company, Conshohocken, PA

California

Mason – David Jones Sr. - 513 Brick
Tender – Mark Starkweather
Bratton Masonry, Fresno, CA

Quebec

Mason – Benoit Jeannotte. - 524 Brick
Tender – Rene Rodier
Maconnerie Legault, Gatineau, QE

Oklahoma

Mason – Leif Reints - 583 Brick
Tender – Michael Weisinger
Reints Masonry, Wyandotte, OK

Missouri

Mason – Terry Daniel - 470 Brick
Tender – Braden Palmer
John Smith Masonry, St. Louis, MO

Virginia

Mason –James Currier- 382 Brick
Tender – Charles Foster
Top Notch Brick & Block, Norfolk, VA

West Tennessee

Mason – Zac Guire - 542 Brick
Tender – Oscar Herrera
Care Supply, Nashville, TN

Alberta

Mason – Ken Rutley - 717 Brick
Tender – Rick Vair
Mayzes Masonry, Medicine Hat, AB

North Carolina

Mason – Wriston McGee - 588 Brick
Tender – Kaleb McGee
McGee Brothers, Monroe, NC

North Texas

Mason – Mario Landeros - 544 Brick
Tender – Cristobal Anguiana
Artisan Masonry, Royse City, TX

New England

Mason – Ray Byers - 427 Brick
Tender – 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.

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About the Author

Jeff Farmakes is the Marketing Communications Manager for SPEC MIX®, Inc.

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