Adam Valdivia Wins the 2021 East Tennessee Regional Series

Earns title, “East Tennessee’s Best Bricklayer.”

Gray, TN – He laid 563 bricks in only one hour! Mason Adam Valdivia and mason tender Salvador Cruz with A&D Masonry in Johnson City, TN teamed up to earn the title, “East Tennessee’s Best Bricklayer.” Valdivia and Cruz beat out 6 other local teams, officially winning their shot to compete on the biggest stage in masonry, the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500, in Las Vegas at the World of Concrete Expo in January 2022.

To qualify for the World Championship, hundreds of teams from across North America will battle to win one of 22 individual regional series events, proving they belong on the national stage. Each team, consisting of one mason and one mason tender, will be given an hour to build the largest and best 26-foot-long brick wall they can, with as few errors as possible. One winning team from each region will advance to compete for over $125,000 in cash and prizes (including a new Ford F-250 4×4 Truck, Kubota RTV-X1140) and the title, “World’s Best Bricklayer.”

Laying 563 bricks in one hour is now small task, most masons won’t lay that many on a job in a single day. However, to compete in Vegas, the first time regional champions will need to spend some time practicing, if they want to find themselves on the winner’s stage.

Valdivia and Cruz also took the title, SPEC MIX TOP CRAFTSMAN, which goes to the mason with the “most-sellable” wall. All-in-all the masonry team walked away with $600 and a free ticket to Las Vegas for their efforts. The national sponsorship team added more goodies to the prize pool, including a $200 gift certificate from Ford, $200 gift certificate from Blaklader, Stabila levels, and a loaded Marshalltown tool bag and ceremonial trowel.

Second place went to mason Brandon McClanahan and mason tender Justin McClanahan of Jenkins Masonry in Morehead, KY with a brick count of 443, or their efforts, the team took home $250.

Third place went to mason Tony Woodson and mason tender Johnny Pendergrass of Jenkins Masonry in Eastridge, TN with a brick count of 372, or their efforts, the team took home $150.

East Tennessee also provided the backdrop to the coveted JR. SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 regional competition. It’s an abbreviated version of the journeyman event, designed to showcase the future of masonry. Each apprentice leaves with a prize in hand, but only one is named the region’s best apprentice, a title which could go a long way when being considered by contractors for future employment.

Mason Logan Lane and mason tender Jacob Jones with Creative Masonry in Greeneville, TN, won the junior event with a brick count of 204, taking home $200..

With workforce development being the primary battle cry for the skilled trades, the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 is a tool designed to create interest from a new generation of masons in the rewards and opportunities possible in masonry and construction.

The 20th annual SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 World Championship will be held January 19th, 2022 at the World of Concrete expo in Las Vegas. Prizes total more than $125,000 and include a new Ford F-250 4×4 Super Duty truck, Kubota RTV-X1140, Multiquip Mortar Mixer, and other prizes from IQ Power Tools, Stabila, Marshalltown, STIHL, Blaklader, Iron Age Footwear and Belden Brick.

2021 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 EAST TENNESSEE REGIONAL RESULTS