April 20, 2006 10:28 AM CDT

Apprentices Show their 'Skills' to the Industry

By Melissa Polivka

The seventh annual International Masonry Skills Challenge at Masonry Showcase in Las Vegas showed off the best apprentices our industry has to offer. Twenty-two contestants from across the country came to compete in first, second, and third year skill levels. This year's designs were both innovative and difficult, as they incorporated stone and new patterns.

The final projects looked great, and the apprentices should be very proud of their three hours of hard work. The judges were very impressed with the quality of the apprentices' construction, and were tasked with the tough decision of choosing the winners. Here are the results:

Daniel Sikorski

First Year Apprentices 1st place: Daniel Sikorski District Council Training Center, Addison, Illinois 2nd place: Elizabeth Cleckley Baltimore Masonry, Eldersburg, Maryland 3rd place: Terrance Vaughn Masonry Developers Inc., Rochester, Michigan

Jason Thrift

Second Year Apprentices 1st place: Jason Thrift Karon Masonry, Beltsville, Maryland 2nd place: Renato Ramirez Brazos Masonry Inc., Waco, Texas 3rd place: Esteban Gonzales Rhino Masonry, Mesa, Arizona

Juan Capitillo

Third Year Apprentices 1st place: Juan Capitillo DMG Masonry Inc., Arlington, Texas 2nd place: Josh Morrison McGee Brothers Company Inc., Monroe, North Carolina 3rd place: Esteban Alarcon Thomas Masonry, Valley Center, California

MCAA would like to thank the judges from across the country for the donation of their expertise, and we would thank the sponsors and materials donors for their contributions.

Contest sponsors: Building Stone Institute, CEMEX, Cosella Doerken, EZ Grout, EZ Scaffold, Fraco, Gehl, JLG, Lafarge North America, MK Diamond Products, Mortar Net, Non-Stop Scaffolding, and Spec Mix.

Materials contributed by: Bon Tool, Buechel Stone, EZ Grout, Gatorback, Quikrete, Rinker, and Summit Brick.

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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.