Calling All Masons: SpecMix BRICKLAYER 500 Starts at 12:15 PST, Feb. 6

See the best masons in the world compete in the “World Series of Bricklaying” on Wednesday, 12:15 PM PST, February 6, 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the main event of “Masonry Madness Day,” at the 2013 World of Concrete/World of Masonry trade show.  The final selection of the 2013 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 National bricklaying championship competitors is complete. 

There is a total of 20 bricklayers competing this year. The competition is comprised mainly of the 16 winners from Regional bricklayer events that were held during 2012 throughout the US & Canada. Competition bricklayers come from states such as Ohio, Washington, Illinois, Utah, Tennessee, Colorado, Wisconsin, Iowa, Arizona, Missouri, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Florida, Northern California, and Alabama. In addition, masons from the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Ontario, and the countries of England and Australia will also be laying brick. The 2012 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 National Champion, Leif Reints, will be returning to defend his title as well as the 2012 SPEC MIX TOP CRAFTSMAN National award winner, Scott Tuttle. 

Established to showcase the skill and craftsmanship of masonry, spectators witness a true test of human drama as 20 highly skilled teams consisting of a mason and a mason tender put their talent and physical endurance to the ultimate test. Each mason is required to meet the quality standards of the event as they build a 26 foot, 8 inch, double wythe brick wall. The competition has four awards:  1st, 2nd, and 3rd place are based on the highest net brick count after subtracting for any quality violations. The 4th award, the highly coveted SPEC MIX TOP CRAFTSMAN, is judged based on the most sellable wall, or the wall demonstrating the best craftsmanship, with over 500 total qualifying brick. Judging the 2013 event is a combination of 30 journeymen level bricklayers and masonry instructors from across North America. The judges combine for an average of nearly 25 years of experience in the trade.

The SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 has the largest winner’s purse of any masonry competition with approximately $100,000 in gifts, cash and prizes including a 2013 FORD F-250 4x4 XLT truck fully loaded with special features. Many of the competitors attest that there is a great deal of strategy in play to win the event with some teams making their main goal to win the SPEC MIX TOP CRAFTSMAN award offering the event’s second highest valued award.

Before the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 begins, the day’s events are kicked off with the preliminary undercard events, the 2013 SPEC MIX TOUGHEST TENDER® competition starting at 10:45 AM PST (local time), this is a contest that challenges the 20 mason tenders to set up the bricklaying station as quickly and accurately as possible, to meet the specifications outlined. With $2,500 cold cash on the line, this contest is truly an incredible test of physical endurance as each tender moves tons of material by hand.

This is followed by the MCAA’s Fastest Trowel on the Block, a 20 minute blocklaying competition, starting at 11:30 AM PST (local time), in which 12 mason blocklayers compete for $15,000 in cash and prizes. The first competition event is the MCAA Masonry Skills Challenge which will start at 9:00 AM PST (local time). Mason apprentices will be proving they have “The Right Stuff,” in this 3 hour bricklaying competition.

For more details visit www.specmixbricklayer500.comU This is the web site that will offer a FREE, LIVE  webcast connection of the 2013 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 National while it is being held in Las Vegas. Webcast coverage will start with the 2013 SPEC MIX TOUGHEST TENDER on Wednesday, February, 6, 2013, at 10:30 AM PST (local time). The main event— the 2013 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 National broadcast will start at 12:15 PM PST (local time). Converted to major city local time zones for competitors that would be Denver 1:15 PM MST, Chicago 2:15 PM CST, New York 3:15 PM EST, London, England 6:15 PM GMT, and Sydney, Australia 5:15 AM EDT (February, 7).

Stoneyard.com Adds Natural Stone Color Lines

Stoneyard.com, a natural stone products company for residential and commercial construction, announces Nantucket Brown and Newport Mist, two new color lines available in four distinct shapes: Ledgestone, Mosaic, Square & Rectangular, and Ashlar.

The colors are suitable for both interior and exterior applications and are perfect for exterior siding, fireplaces, chimneys, walls, columns, wine cellars, water features, and foundations. Thanks to growing demand and increased production capacity, Stoneyard.com offers up to a 31 percent price reduction on many Thin Stone Veneer products in 2013.

"We are proud to offer American-made, all-natural stone products at competitive price points," says Stoneyard.com VP of Sales David Croteau. "[The year] 2012 was a fantastic year for us, and we've responded by ramping up our production capacity to meet that demand. Our dealers and satisfied customers can all attest to the quality of our Thin Stone Veneer. We believe our new colors, Nantucket Brown and Newport Mist, will prove every bit as successful as existing products such as Boston Blend, Colonial Tan, and Greenwich Gray."

New England Thin Stone Veneer is as light as man-made stone at less than 14 pounds per square foot. It is also only one inch thick, making it an ideal material for countless interior and exterior architectural construction projects. Even better, the product is entirely natural.

Stoneyard.com's product catalog consists of only real stone that has been split, sawn and hand-crafted in the United States. Stoneyard.com sells their natural stone products through a network of authorized dealers throughout the United States and Canada.

To see a photo and video gallery of finished projects that took advantage of the company's Thin Stone Veneer products, visit http://www.stoneyard.com/gallery.

American Shotcrete Association Names Campo as Executive Director

The American Shotcrete Association (ASA), a non-profit organization of contractors, suppliers, manufacturers, designers, engineers, owners, and others with a common interest in promoting the use of shotcrete, has appointed Mark Campo as executive director of the organization.

Campo has an educational background in materials science and engineering (B.S.E., University of Michigan; M.S., Northwestern University) and has served for the last seven years at the American Concrete Institute as technical manager of its certification programs. There, he has overseen the maintenance of examination materials, study guides, and related documentation for new and existing certification programs, and also served as liaison to certification committees and managed the Quality Review program, as well as organizing and executing other ad-hoc committees and task group projects. Campo hopes to use this unique skill set to strengthen and expand ASA’s technical and educational resources and certification programs.

“[The year] 2013 will mark the 15^th year since the American Shotcrete Association was first formed, and we’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to make a positive impact on the concrete industry as a whole,” says Joe Hutter, president of ASA. “Over the past several years, Mark has been integral in ACI’s certification programs, and we’re extremely happy to have him on board with us as we begin our next 15 years.”  

Milwaukee Launches New Website

 Milwaukee Tool Corp. has introduced a newly designed website. With the objective of making the user experience more intuitive, the site features less complex, more visual navigation options. Whether a user is browsing to learn about Milwaukee’s products, or knows specifically what information they are looking for, the new site delivers a simple navigation path.

“As we continue to expand our business, it is imperative that we better organize our website to make product information easier to find. We want to make our user’s experience stress-free so they keep returning to milwaukeetool.com and have confidence in the information they find,” says Audrey Matthews, e-business program manager for Milwaukee Electric Tool. “The changes we have made are a direct reflection of the feedback we received from users.”

The newly designed website features a new main navigation that allows visitors to visually browse multiple navigation paths. Filtering options allow visitors to narrow down product listings to easily find what they are looking for without visiting multiple pages. Content rich pages provide more product information and cross reference the trades and applications for which the product is most often used.

Hyster Unveils 'Certified Remanufactured Program'

Hyster Co. unveiled a factory-backed certification program for remanufactured Hyster lift trucks at ProMat 2013. Select Hyster dealers will be authorized to offer Hyster Certified Remanufactured lift trucks, which will come with a factory-backed, one-year, 2,000-hour warranty.

“Hyster Certified Remanufactured lift trucks are everything you expect a Hyster lift truck to be — tough, durable and reliable trucks that get the most challenging jobs done,” says Jonathan Dawley, president of Hyster Distribution. “At Hyster, we strive to provide the lowest total cost of ownership, making our certified remanufactured lift truck option a smart choice.”

To qualify as a Certified Remanufactured Hyster lift truck, used trucks must first pass a pre-selection quality checklist to enter the remanufacturing process. Trained technicians are required to perform a 200-point inspection and replace key parts. Other parts will be inspected and replaced as needed. Hyster dealers use genuine Hyster parts for the remanufacturing process, as these parts are designed specifically for Hyster lift trucks and meet stringent standards for performance, fit and durability.

Construction Employment Increased in 33 States and D.C. From November to December

Construction employment expanded in two-thirds of all states in December and in half the nation last year as the industry showed signs of emerging from a six-year slump, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials noted that contractors responding to a recent survey expect to add more workers in 2013.

“These results show that contractors are finding work in more parts of the country than they have for many months,” says Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Further gains appear likely but could be derailed if lawmakers do not keep debt markets operating normally.”

For 2012 as a whole, 24 states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs, 24 shed workers and two—Vermont and West Virginia—had no change. Nebraska jumped to the top ranking for percentage of new construction jobs (10.1 percent, 4,100 jobs); followed by D.C. (7.3 percent, 900 jobs); Texas (6.6 percent, 36,800 jobs); Hawaii (6.5 percent, 1,800 jobs) and Washington (6.5 percent, 9,000 jobs). Texas added the most new construction jobs over the past 12 months, followed by California (24,500 jobs, 4.4 percent), Washington and Arizona.

Among states losing construction jobs during the past year, Rhode Island lost the highest percentage (-6.7percent, -1,100 jobs), followed by Delaware (-5.8 percent, -1,100 jobs); Mississippi (-5.6 percent, -2,700 jobs) and Arkansas (-5.6 percent, -2,600 jobs). Illinois lost the most jobs (-8,600 jobs, -4.5 percent); followed by Pennsylvania (-7,700 jobs, -3.4 percent) and Florida (-16,800 jobs, -2.1 percent).

Simonson noted that 33 states and D.C. added construction jobs between November and December, while employment slipped in 16 states and held steady in Utah. Wisconsin had the largest percentage increase (5.8 percent, 4,900 jobs); followed by D.C. (3.9 percent, 500 jobs) and New Jersey (3.6 percent, 4,300 jobs). Utah had no change in construction employment over the month, while 16 states lost jobs, with Rhode Island having the steepest percentage drop (-5.6 percent, -900 jobs); followed by Montana (-4.1 percent, 1,000 jobs) and Minnesota (-3.6 percent, 3,500 jobs). Texas lost the largest number of jobs for the month (-4,100 jobs, -0.7 percent); followed by Florida (-3.500 jobs, -1.1 percent) and Minnesota.

“Construction spending has been rising for two full years but contractors have been cautious about adding workers until they knew the upturn would last,” Simonson says. “In 2013, both residential and private nonresidential construction should rise enough to offset a further slowdown in public work, and contractors will be looking for more workers.”

Association officials said the monthly construction employment gains were consistent with results of its recently released 2013 Construction Hiring and Business Outlook, where 31 percent of firms reported plans to add new workers this year compared to only 9 percent that plan to make layoffs, a net positive reading of 22 percent. Officials cautioned that construction firms still face significant headwinds, noting that most firms expect public construction activity to continue to decline and remain cautious about plans to acquire new equipment.

“There is a growing sense of optimism within the construction community that the worst is over,” says Stephen E. Sandherr, the association's CEO. “At the same time, however, just because the worst is over doesn't guarantee that conditions are going to get significantly better anytime soon, especially if Washington can't find a way to address out-of-control entitlement spending that is making it increasingly difficult to invest in aging infrastructure and other important construction programs."

View the state employment data by rank and by state.

Mason Contractors: Your "Dash" to Success in 2013

By “Coach Gary” Micheloni

Right about now, everyone’s all concerned with New Year’s resolutions, what next year may hold for us, what to change, and what to repeat. A wish for this and a hope for that… Consider this instead: This is how your 2013 actually looks: Jan. 1, 2013 – Dec. 31, 2013.

The year 2013 has to be your year to succeed. Everyone, including your competitors, has been given Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. The difference is the “dash” between day 1 and day 365. That difference is you. It’s all you’ve got.

Coach Gary has coaches himself. Let me tell you about Coach Kenneth, who said to me, “Gary, what are you doing with your dash, and what have you done with the dash you were given for 2012?” His questions really made me think.

Regardless of where you stand, you can expect politics to be pretty much business as usual. But the theme of my messages over the past couple of years to “hang in there” still is going to be important going forward. As an industry, and as individual contractors, hanging in there may just be the name of the game. Things likely will not get remarkably better any time soon.

As you plan your dash, what are you going to do differently this year from last year?

If you’re reading this in early-January, doesn’t it seem impossible that you are now writing the date as 2013? Where did the time go? My guess is that it went by pretty quickly – in a dash!

Life and business, even family, are a race. That new little baby is now asking for your car keys or is leaving for college, or just going out on his or her own. That new business has now been around the block a couple of times, can do more things, has more experience. How did all of that happen?

A famous old saying: If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you’ve always got! In other words, if 2012 wasn’t so hot (or could have been hotter), are you going to do the exact thing in the new year? Unless you are very content with things, then I hope that your answer is “No.”

I can tell you this with great certainty: The people at the MCAA have no intention of doing things the same as they did last year. They are in a growth mode, and you should position your business to work along with them. They know exactly where they are going in 2013. My suggestion is to run along with them, and let them do the hard work while you follow along in their draft.

Pope John XXIII put it this way, “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”

How big would your dreams be for this coming year if you knew that you couldn’t fail? Many of your competitors will not dream at all. But you are all about the dash!

Coach Gary’s Corner: What’s your plan for winning in 2013? Coaching will help you get there in less time, and with more success. Ask Coach Gary to speak for your group, association or convention, or even to coach your company. Coach Gary’s first book, “Get Paid for a Change!” is available at Amazon.com. And, get his FREE scheduling seminars at www.MicrosoftProjectClasses.com. Gary Micheloni is a working project manager, speaker, author, consultant and coach. Write him at FullContactTeam@gmail.com.

Copyright 2013 Gary Micheloni

Texas Masonry Council Names Wilkins as Community Planner, Houston/South Texas

The Texas Masonry Council has named Jennifer Wilkins as the new community planner for the Houston/South Texas region. "On behalf of the TMC Board of Directors, we are excited to welcome Jennifer to our organization. Her proven experience will help ensure the growth of the TMC," says Thad Cleckler, TMC president. Wilkins brings with her a vast understanding of the non-profit industry as well as an extensive background in marketing, management and business development. For the last four years, she was owner of Jennifer Wilkins and Associates Business Services, a business that provides outside marketing, event planning, and business development.   In her role as community planner, Wilkins will help cities and communities shape their future by providing education and information about masonry; its many types, colors, textures and shapes; its contributions to sustainable design; and masonry's long-term, positive impact on property values. "Jennifer has assisted us in the past in promoting Masonry Planning Policies, and she performed superbly. So I wasn't at all surprised when the interview committee was blown away by her. With her knowledge, background and contacts in the Houston area, I feel confident that she will not miss a beat, and the Houston MPP Program will continue to accelerate," says Rudy Garza, executive VP.

PCA Names Sullivan as Group VP

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has appointed Edward Sullivan as group VP in addition to his role as chief economist.

Sullivan will oversee the activities of the association's communications, research and technical services, and market development divisions, as well as his current role as the head of market intelligence.

Since joining PCA in 2002, Sullivan has been lauded numerous times by the Chicago Federal Reserve for his forecast accuracy. In 2007 Concrete Construction honored Sullivan as one of its "Ten Most Influential People in the Concrete Industry."

Sullivan came to PCA from Wexford Management Consultants near Philadelphia where he served as partner, and directed economic and market analyses for Fortune 500 firms, forecasted and impacted analysis, developed strategic planning models and managed client relationships. His prior positions include management of a market research unit at Wharton Econometrics and at Standard & Poors/DRI.

Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift Acquires Daily Equipment

Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA), a manufacturer of forklifts under the Cat lift trucks, Mitsubishi forklift trucks and Jungheinrich brands, and Daily Equipment Co. (DEC) have announced that DEC has been sold to MCFA in a succession planning step for DEC’s principle shareholder, Emmerson Daily. The acquisition price was not disclosed.

“The acquisition of Daily Equipment Co. was an excellent investment opportunity that will help strengthen MCFA’s distribution network and further expand MCFA’s dealership holdings in important markets,” says Kent Eudy, VP of sales and marketing, MCFA. “DEC has a long history of providing world-class customer service and operational excellence, and these strengths will continue to serve as key advantages for MCFA’s business and customers in the future.” 

DEC is headquartered in Jackson, Miss., and has five other full-service branches throughout Mississippi and Louisiana: Biloxi, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Lake Charles.

The company will continue to operate as Daily Equipment Co., with no changes in leadership, staff or support. As part of the transaction, Daily will be resigning its representation of the Crown brand in favor of the Cat lift trucks, Mitsubishi forklift trucks and Jungheinrich brands manufactured and distributed by MCFA.