The best masons in Wisconsin and the surrounding region came together to test their skill, speed and stamina by battling to see who could build the best 26-foot-long brick wall in one hour with precision craftsmanship. The winner is determined by a judging panel that detract brick from the total number of bricks laid based on workmanship infractions. The mason with the highest brick count at the end of judging qualifies for a spot on the 2021 World Championship roster. The event is one of several SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Regional Series competitions to be held across North America in 2020.
Eleven teams of masons and tenders lined the arena at Fond du Lac Stone in Fond du Lac, WI ready to determine the region's best craftsmen. Mason Jake Brock and mason tender Nick Miller with Brock Corporation in Ft. Atkinson, WI took home top honors with a brick count of 502. Brock also took the title, SPEC MIX TOP CRAFTSMAN, which goes to the mason who builds the “most sellable” wall. In total, Brock and Miller won a free trip to Las Vegas for the World Championship, $1200 in cash, a $200 gift card from Ford Trucks, a Marshalltown tool bag, Stabila Level and the title, “Wisconsin’s Best Bricklayer.”
Widely referred to as the “Road to Las Vegas,” the Regional Series is the Masonry Industry’s most notorious event. The stakes are high as only one mason per regional competition will advance to the World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas with a chance to win the title “World’s Best Bricklayer.” The contest’s total purse is worth over $100,000 with the champion taking home the lion’s share which includes a new FORD F250 Super Duty 4×4 truck coupled with $15,000 in cash and prizes.
To add to the event’s excitement, this year SPEC MIX has added the all-new Wild Card Challenge that will send four additional competitors to the World Championship! At the end of the regional season, the bricklayers who didn’t take first place, but posted one of the year’s top four adjusted brick counts, will win a FREE ride to Vegas.